Don’t Bash the Man They Called CASH – Part 4
Posted: May 30, 2009 Filed under: Johnny Cash Leave a comment
This plans to be my last post in the series I am doing this week on Johnny Cash and living a Gospel-Centered life. You can read the pervious three post below at their links.
His most well known spiritual songs come of his album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. Although there is only a few on the album, the few that there are, are his best.
The Man Comes Around – No matter what your eschatological stance is, Johnny Cash constantly quotes Scripture after Scripture to get the point across to his hearers that there is an end and Jesus will return for his people. Below are the lyrics.
“And I heard as it were the noise of thunder, One of the four beasts saying come and see and I saw, And behold a white horse”
There’s a man going around taking names and he decides, Who to free and who to blame every body won’t be treated, Quite the same there will be a golden ladder reaching down, When the man comes around.
The hairs on your arm will stand up at the terror in each, Sip and each sup will you partake of that last offered cup, Or disappear into the potter’s ground, When the man comes around.
Hear the trumpets hear the pipers one hundred million angels singing, Multitudes are marching to a big kettledrum, Voices calling and voices crying, Some are born and some are dying, Its alpha and omegas kingdom come, And the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, The virgins are all trimming their wicks, The whirlwind is in the thorn trees, It’s hard for thee to kick against the pricks, Till Armageddon no shalom no shalom.
Then the father hen will call his chicken’s home, The wise man will bow down before the thorn and at his feet, They will cast the golden crowns, When the man comes around.
Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still, Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still, Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still, Listen to the words long written down, When the man comes around.”
Personal Jesus – simple and to the point Cash sees that after having a relationship with Christ, that it is real and that Christ is always there when the believer is in despair. Although the song was done by a number of bands and individuals in who I am sure are not believers (like Marilyn Manson & Depeche Mode) the song meant something different for Cash. Read the lyrics below. If you wish to see the video you can do so by clicking on the “Personal Jesus” link above, I didn’t post it is because of the images of Christ and some in my audience my take offense (as well as myself) so I figured it would better to leave it out.
Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares. Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who’s there.
Feeling unknown, and you’re all alone, flesh and bone, by the telephone, lift up the receiver, i’ll make you a believer, Take second best, put me to the test, things on your chest, you need to confess, i will deliver, you know i’m a forgiver.
Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith.
Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares, Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone to care.
Feeling unknown and you’re all alone, flesh and bone, by the telephone, lift up the receiver, i’ll make you a believer, i will deliver, you know i’m a forgiver.
Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith.
Like one reads books by authors in aiding their pursuit of holiness, Cash’s purpose seems as if the same. Johnny Cash makes Christ clear in his music and showed his hearers that Christ was real, and if one repented and believed on the name of Jesus Christ they would fall in love with Him, like Johnny did and be forever changed by the Gospel.
For those that are interested in reading about Johnny Cash, his life, work, career and his conversion – here are some books that you may want to buy.
Cash: The Autobiography, by Johnny Cash
Man in White: A Novel About the Apostle Paul, by Johnny Cash
The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash, by Dave Urbanski
I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny, by Vivian Cash
Johnny Cash: The Biography, by Michael Streissguth
Up Close: Johnny Cash, by Anne E. Neimark
Biography – Johnny Cash (A&E DVD Archives)
Gospel-Centered Musings 