Modern Vespa

What's your favorite Johnny Cash song that he performed? For me now, it is Cocaine Blues. Sunday Morning Coming Down, however, is a reliable classic.

I live Ring of Fire, but I don't think Johnny does it justice. I would pick One Piece At A Time, I guess.

ONE PIECE AT A TIME

Well I left Kentucky back in 49.

And I went to Detroit workin on an assembly line
The first year they had me puttin wheels on Caddillacs
Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
and sometimes id hang my head and cry
Cause i always wanted me one that was long and black.

One day I devised myself a plan that should be the envy of most any man
Id sneak it out of there in a lunch box in my hand
Now, gettin caught meant gettin fired
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
And I'd have me a car worth at least a hundered grand

(CHORUS)
I'd get it one piece at a time
And it wouldnt cost me a dime
You'll know it's me whe I come throught your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
Cause I'll have the only one ther is around

So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunch box and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
I've never considered myself a thief
But GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years
The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then i got me a transmission and all the chrome

The little things I could get in my big lunch box
Like nuts and bolts and all 4 shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddies mobile home

Now, up to now, my plan went all right
Till we tried to put it all together one night
And thats when we noticed that somethin was definitely wrong
The transmission was a 53
And the motor turned out to be a 73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone
So we drilled it out so that it would fit
And with a little bit of help from an adapter kit
We had that engine runnin just like a song

Now the headlights they was another sight
We had 2 on the left and one on the right
But when we pulled out the switch all three of em come on

The back end looked kinda funny too
But we put it together and when we got through
Well thats when we noticed that we only had one tail fin
About that time my wife walked out
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
But she opened the door and said "Honey, take me for a spin."

So we drove up town just to get the tags
And I headed right on down main drag
And I could hear everybody laughing for blocks around
But up there at the court house they didn't laugh
Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
And when they got through the title weighed 60 pounds

(CHORUS)

Uh,yeah,Red-rider,this is the Cottonmouth in the sycho-billy-Cadillac,come on
This is the Cottonmouth and negatory on the cost on this machine here
Red-rider
You might say I right up to the factory and picked it up, it was chaper
that way
What model is it?
It's a 49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59 automobile
It's a 60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70 automobile

A boy named Sue

Good one. Requested at my wedding by my wife.

+1
Closely followed by Ring of Fire.

Hurt.

The video is great too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go

I've been everywhere. I also like that song.

First Arseless Chaps, now country and Western Music
I'm going for a ride on my scooter as it is the first week of Spring, sunny and 19 degrees C outside.
You guys have a loooooooooooooooooonnnnnnggggggggggg winter ahead.

What a great topic!

Ring of fire followed by one piece at a time

Once, on a cruise at the kerioke lounge two girls requested that I sing ring of fire for them

Ring of Fire makes me think I should buy that Corbin seat.

hmm hard to pick 1... but one of my favorites is folsom prison blues

Johnny rocks! Its GREAT river music (hanging out on a boat that is)

He does a great version of Casey Jones and for his hits it's hard to beat Ring of Fire.

"I Hurt Myself Today"

Big River.

I taught the weeping willow how to cry,
I taught the clouds how to cover up, a clear blue sky...
And the tears I cried for that woman,
would drown you, Big River,
and I'm gonna sit right here until I die.

If you y-toob it you get to see Johnny performing it at the height of his amphetamine addiction

Walk the line and Ring of Fire, absolute classics.
Also like his versions of Hurt and Heart of Gold.
In a world of manufactured pop music crap it's easy to forget what an absolute legend Johnny Cash was. He released something like 500 albums in his lifetime, recoreded over 1500 songs and still had around 70 albums in print when he died.

Yep, thought of "One Piece at a Time" straightaway, it's a song any vintage scoot buff can appreciate.

But "A Boy Named Sue" brings youthful memories too.

And the "Jackson" duet with June Carter is just a sizzlin hot love song.

I Walk the Line & Don't Take Your Guns to Town

Folsom Prison Blues. What's better than "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."?

I love Johnny Cash and it's hard to decide what's my fav but I quess I'd have to say my top 3 are Jackson, Boy Named Sue and One Piece at a Time....followed closely by Family Circle

Didn't know about that one.

Flesh and Blood

OOhhh, country music!

I've got a few favorites. I've Been Everywhere (someday I'll get the lyrics down), Walk the Line, and Jackson. Oh and I like The Man in Black too.

Johnny Cash!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

Now, cash did a ton of covers...are we talking songs he wrote or just songs he performed? Sunday Morning Coming Down is one of my favorite songs but it was written by Kris Kristofferson - also one of my favorites Another one of my favorite covers of his is "I Still Miss Someone". "One piece at a time" is pretty damn cute and catchy...The man was brillant...everything he sang was wonderful and humanb ))

Too many! Y'all got the major ones, but I think the one that touches me the most is his cover of NIN' "Hurt." You can just tell he know's he's dying there. When I first saw the video, I told my wife it seemed like a goodbye video, and then a few months later he was gone. The video is just fantastic, with June looking on at him. I get goosebumps.

I was never much of a fan in his heyday. I saw him at the Ohio State Fair in 1972, but didn't appreciate it much. Too much into what was then heavy metal. It wasn't until the mid-'80s that I started listening again, and found the soul of it.

I really like the last album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. He did some interesting covers and duets on that one. "I Hung My Head" could have been from the '70s. I also like his older covers of "The Redemption Song" and "Personal Jesus." He was never afraid to try something completely different.

Does anyone remember what song it was that he spoke the words to at the beginning of some fantasy movie, and then sung at the end? I can't find it.

Interesting thread! My dad enjoyed listening to Johnny Cash, and I have (mostly adverse) memories of being forced to listen to the songs while riding in the car and having my dad (sort of) sing along! Truly ruined Johnny Cash for me for many, many years.

A few years ago, I happened to listen to his rendition of "Rusty Cage" and heard a side of his music that I never knew existed. If you don't think that Johnny Cash has edge, you should have a listen to it. Now, I really enjoy his later work.

It's gotta be " Ira Hayes" that song brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. digger

jackson

Does it have to be one he personally wrote?

"Ghost Riders in the Sky"
among many others.

Maybe it's because I am often one of the "lone riders."

It was written in 1948 by Stan Jones. BTW

Know When to Hold 'em Know When to Fold em" Don't know the name for sure.

That's Kenny Rodgers.

Thanks! I don't do much country! LOL thought it was Johnnie! Not Kenny then I'd have to say........of the ones I read above.....Shoot I don't know All of the above. QB

the one that mentions 'sunday morning'

...

It's hard to choose just one but; Ring of Fire gets my vote

Like Patsy Cline and I Fall TO Pieces nobody else does either one justice and shouldn't even try.

That's cool. But "The Gambler" is not the best song Kenny Rogers sang. That would be "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town."

I hate country. I love Johnny Cash.

I read this starting out with 'Walk the Line" and 'Ring of Fire" then kept going "oh, yeah, and that one, and that one, and that one..."

All three of the above!!! My son heard "A boy named Sue" one afternoon and thus began our interest. We bought the cd thad had all 3 of the above songs..

Oh no!! There is a wedding song he sings on one of his first albums. That was the best ever!

Me too.
It wasn't until I had been in the 'states a few years that I became aware of the differences in American music (not counting rap, pop and rock).

Country is all about 'Cheatin' Men/Women/Horses/Whiskey/Pickup trucks'.

Western is all about 'The Lone Prarie', ('show me land lot's of land and the starry sky's above')

Then there is Americana...
Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard (for an 'oldie')
Robert Earle Keen
Greg Brown
The Blasters
Jimmy Dale Gilmour
Iris Dement
etc....

To the uninitiated ear it all sounds like 'Country and Western' but there are
definite differences and definitely different audiences.