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We're rolling.
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Today is Sunday morning.
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Okay, I-I'm gonna have
to think about it,
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see what I can think of to say
that hasn't been said before.
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I sing because I'm happy
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I sing because I'm free
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His eye is on the sparrow
and I know He watches me.
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00:00:51,486 --> 00:00:54,967
I guess probably
the lessons of life
is what brings humility,
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and that's the lessons
of pain and suffering.
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In that cave in Chattanooga,
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I was as far away from God
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that I had ever been,
could ever be.
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One of the truly
great names in music,
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a stylist, a legend
in his own time,
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00:01:18,339 --> 00:01:19,905
Mr. Johnny Cash.
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Hello. Well, I'm Johnny Cash.
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I don't know
what the Seven Deadly Sins are,
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but I've been guilty
of all of 'em.
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And I got so...
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strung out on the amphetamines
that, uh...
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00:01:43,668 --> 00:01:45,931
that nothing
really mattered anymore.
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There's no lonelier place
on Earth for a man to be
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00:01:56,072 --> 00:01:58,030
than separated from God.
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I went into this cave,
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and kept walkin',
and crawlin', and climbin'
'til my light had run out.
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Every fiber of my being
totally exhausted.
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00:02:13,742 --> 00:02:16,179
And I lay there
in the darkness...
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00:02:17,659 --> 00:02:18,964
the end of the line.
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00:02:23,926 --> 00:02:25,319
I lay there to die...
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00:03:48,315 --> 00:03:49,925
Johnny Cash was my hero.
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The world called him "Johnny."
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00:03:54,190 --> 00:03:55,844
June called him "John."
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00:03:56,018 --> 00:03:59,151
His mama and daddy
called him "J.R."
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00:03:59,369 --> 00:04:01,850
And that's who he was
to me, J.R.
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00:04:03,373 --> 00:04:05,419
Some viewed him as a rebel.
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00:04:05,593 --> 00:04:07,595
To others, he was a saint.
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00:04:07,812 --> 00:04:10,162
And that's the story here.
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00:04:10,380 --> 00:04:12,034
But to truly know the man,
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00:04:12,252 --> 00:04:14,384
we need to go back
to the beginning.
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00:04:19,694 --> 00:04:21,130
Arkansas was
the end of the world--
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00:04:22,392 --> 00:04:25,787
rural, untamed, empty.
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00:04:27,136 --> 00:04:29,791
This is where people came
at the end of the line.
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00:04:30,008 --> 00:04:32,576
This was their final ground.
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00:04:34,448 --> 00:04:36,928
My father was born in 1932,
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00:04:37,102 --> 00:04:38,887
down in south central Arkansas.
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00:04:39,061 --> 00:04:42,020
He came from a land
where people were tough
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00:04:42,194 --> 00:04:44,675
and life was hard.
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00:04:44,849 --> 00:04:47,635
Walking back in this home...
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00:04:47,809 --> 00:04:49,898
is so bittersweet for me.
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00:04:51,073 --> 00:04:53,510
There was such love
in this house,
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00:04:53,684 --> 00:04:55,904
and tears,
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00:04:56,078 --> 00:04:57,558
and hard work.
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00:04:57,732 --> 00:04:59,951
Remembering is, uh...
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00:05:00,125 --> 00:05:03,651
sweet and it's
very heartbreaking.
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00:05:03,825 --> 00:05:06,044
Very emotional for me.
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00:05:06,218 --> 00:05:08,612
They were given the house,
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00:05:08,786 --> 00:05:11,180
and the land, and a mule,
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00:05:11,354 --> 00:05:13,965
and 40 acres to farm.
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00:05:14,139 --> 00:05:16,620
Arkansas summers
were brutal.
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00:05:16,838 --> 00:05:19,188
There was not only
no air conditioning,
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00:05:19,362 --> 00:05:23,018
there was no electricity,
there was no running water.
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00:05:23,192 --> 00:05:25,629
And so this was the lot
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00:05:25,803 --> 00:05:28,850
that the Cash family was
in the middle of,
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00:05:29,024 --> 00:05:31,069
throughout the Depression,
and after.
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00:05:32,636 --> 00:05:36,814
Life on the cotton farm
was hard, hard work.
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00:05:38,425 --> 00:05:39,904
We would pick cotton
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00:05:40,078 --> 00:05:43,430
with long canvas cotton sacks,
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00:05:43,604 --> 00:05:47,303
day by day, exhaustion at night.
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00:05:49,261 --> 00:05:51,176
Every member
of the Cash family worked,
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00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:52,700
including Mother Carrie.
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00:05:52,917 --> 00:05:54,658
Old or young,
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00:05:54,876 --> 00:05:56,660
the family was often
out there ten hours a day
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00:05:56,878 --> 00:05:59,794
working the cotton fields,
day after day after day.
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00:05:59,968 --> 00:06:02,449
And we'd sing all day
to pass the time away.
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00:06:02,623 --> 00:06:05,713
Before we knew it,
the day'd be over.
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00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:09,847
♪ Jesus is calling... ♪
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00:06:10,021 --> 00:06:11,719
And then
we'd come home at night,
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00:06:11,893 --> 00:06:14,983
and my mother would sing
gospel music around the piano.
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00:06:16,767 --> 00:06:19,204
Johnny would lead
and we'd all join in.
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00:06:21,163 --> 00:06:24,209
We went to bed,
get up the next day
and do it all over again.
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00:06:26,473 --> 00:06:27,952
Through that all,
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00:06:28,126 --> 00:06:32,653
singing the songs
of his mother's hymnal
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00:06:32,827 --> 00:06:34,568
with his family in those fields,
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00:06:34,742 --> 00:06:36,744
my father fell in love
with music.
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00:06:38,572 --> 00:06:40,182
The Biblesays,
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00:06:40,356 --> 00:06:42,619
"Train up a child in the way
that they should go,
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and when they're old,
they'll not depart from it."
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00:06:45,405 --> 00:06:47,929
That doesn't mean
that we won't veer
off the path at times,
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00:06:48,103 --> 00:06:50,105
or make some bad decisions,
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00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:53,151
but it means, there's
a spiritual foundation
in our life.
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00:06:53,325 --> 00:06:57,765
Carrie Cash laid that foundation
in the life of Johnny Cash.
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00:06:57,939 --> 00:07:01,029
And those were the seeds
his mother sowed into his life.
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00:07:03,945 --> 00:07:06,338
We'd lay on Mama's
linoleum floor.
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00:07:06,513 --> 00:07:08,602
Jack would read The Bible,
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00:07:08,776 --> 00:07:12,736
and Johnny would write
songs and sing.
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00:07:12,910 --> 00:07:15,304
The story goes that
he would lay in bed at night
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00:07:15,478 --> 00:07:17,132
and listen to the radio.
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00:07:17,349 --> 00:07:19,743
Music was
the young boy's escape.
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00:07:19,961 --> 00:07:23,791
J.R. was a dreamer.
And he was artful.
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00:07:24,008 --> 00:07:26,402
My father always told me
I was wasting my time
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00:07:26,576 --> 00:07:28,970
listening to them ol' records
on the radio.
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00:07:31,189 --> 00:07:33,409
I said, "But it sounds good.
I like it."
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00:07:35,585 --> 00:07:37,979
He said, "It's gonna keep you
from making a living.
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00:07:38,196 --> 00:07:39,894
You'll never do any good
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00:07:40,111 --> 00:07:41,417
so long as you got
that music on your mind."
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00:07:43,027 --> 00:07:45,290
Family patriarch
Ray Cash
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00:07:45,465 --> 00:07:49,991
was the portrait
of a hard-hit,
struggling farming man.
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00:07:50,208 --> 00:07:52,559
As with so many artful kids,
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00:07:52,776 --> 00:07:56,084
the relationship that J.R.
shared with his father,
Ray Cash,
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00:07:56,258 --> 00:07:58,695
was difficult,
to say the least.
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He had to live up
to what his father's
expectations were.
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00:08:02,612 --> 00:08:06,007
His father would
believe in him, sometimes,
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00:08:06,181 --> 00:08:07,704
and then he would fall short.
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00:08:07,878 --> 00:08:10,141
And I think
when you have a father
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00:08:10,315 --> 00:08:12,317
who is not communicative,
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00:08:12,492 --> 00:08:15,059
and is not embracing,
and is not affirming,
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00:08:15,233 --> 00:08:17,192
it affects you.
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00:08:17,409 --> 00:08:20,891
It's strange that my dad
never hit me a lick.
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00:08:21,109 --> 00:08:23,546
On the other hand,
he never hugged us.
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00:08:23,764 --> 00:08:26,636
He never, ever came close
to even telling us
he loved us.
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00:08:28,986 --> 00:08:32,120
Ray would not give him
any affirmation or affection.
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00:08:32,294 --> 00:08:35,427
And so when Ray would sink
into the oblivion that he would,
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00:08:35,602 --> 00:08:38,996
it would be J.R.'s brother,
Jack, who stepped up.
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00:08:39,214 --> 00:08:41,521
Jack was my best friend,
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00:08:41,738 --> 00:08:43,305
and my big buddy,
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00:08:43,479 --> 00:08:45,873
my protector, my mentor.
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00:08:47,265 --> 00:08:48,658
I really admired him.
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00:08:50,225 --> 00:08:52,096
They were inseparable.
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00:08:52,270 --> 00:08:54,185
Went swimming together.
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00:08:54,359 --> 00:08:57,362
They'd fish together.
They'd work hard together.
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00:08:57,537 --> 00:08:59,887
Him and Johnny
would get into scuffles
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00:09:00,061 --> 00:09:03,847
and then they'd hug
each other. True brothers.
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00:09:04,021 --> 00:09:05,719
It was a friendship.
It was a kinship.
136
00:09:05,893 --> 00:09:07,982
But my dad aspired
to be like him.
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00:09:09,853 --> 00:09:12,464
Jack was
the Golden Child of Dyess
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00:09:12,639 --> 00:09:14,597
that everyone aspired to be.
139
00:09:17,078 --> 00:09:18,732
He would go to school.
140
00:09:18,906 --> 00:09:21,778
After school he would stay
and pick up a few cents
141
00:09:21,952 --> 00:09:25,739
working odd jobs
to help pay the bills.
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00:09:25,913 --> 00:09:28,437
He was kind. He was gentle.
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00:09:28,611 --> 00:09:31,962
He read his Bible every day
and was very godly.
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00:09:32,180 --> 00:09:36,750
He'd already told us
that he'd been "called
to preach," you know?
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00:09:36,924 --> 00:09:39,666
It was that faith that Jack had
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00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,581
that my father looked up to.
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00:09:43,583 --> 00:09:46,586
Jack, he'd love
to hear me sing.
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00:09:46,803 --> 00:09:50,720
He told me that I was supposed
to do that with my life.
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00:09:50,894 --> 00:09:54,071
Johnny said, "I'm gonna sing.
I know I'm gonna sing."
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00:09:54,245 --> 00:09:57,553
And Jack said,
"I know I'm gonna be a pastor."
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00:10:01,339 --> 00:10:03,907
Okay,
so let's talk
about Jack's accident.
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00:10:08,651 --> 00:10:11,436
It was a Saturday
morning in 1944.
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00:10:11,611 --> 00:10:13,569
Johnny and Jack woke up
in their shared bed,
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00:10:13,787 --> 00:10:15,397
like they did
every other morning,
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00:10:15,615 --> 00:10:17,747
not knowing that this
would be their last.
156
00:10:19,401 --> 00:10:21,708
Jack worked part-time
after school and on weekends
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00:10:21,925 --> 00:10:25,407
at a local wood mill,
cutting fence posts.
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00:10:25,625 --> 00:10:27,496
He happily volunteered
to make a few cents
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00:10:27,714 --> 00:10:29,193
to help pay the family bills.
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00:10:30,586 --> 00:10:34,024
He said, "Mama, I have a feeling
I shouldn't go today."
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00:10:34,198 --> 00:10:35,547
And Mama said, "Well, don't go.
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00:10:35,722 --> 00:10:37,985
Go fishing with J.R."
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00:10:38,159 --> 00:10:42,859
My father was begging
Jack to stay with him
and to go fishing.
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00:10:43,033 --> 00:10:44,469
"Please stay with me.
Go fishing."
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00:10:46,515 --> 00:10:50,345
And he said,
"No, I'm gonna go make $3.
We need it for the groceries."
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00:10:50,519 --> 00:10:53,217
So he told Johnny,
"I'll meet you at the blue hold
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00:10:53,391 --> 00:10:55,393
and we'll fish
when I get through."
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00:10:58,701 --> 00:11:01,008
And so they both
went their separate ways
169
00:11:01,182 --> 00:11:03,401
and Jack went to the sawmill.
170
00:11:04,838 --> 00:11:06,666
And he was sawing
some fence posts...
171
00:11:08,058 --> 00:11:10,365
and as he pushed the fence post,
172
00:11:10,539 --> 00:11:12,193
it jerked him into the saw.
173
00:11:20,027 --> 00:11:24,814
Here comes my father
in a car with a preacher.
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00:11:24,988 --> 00:11:26,947
Daddy took
a bloody brown sack,
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00:11:28,862 --> 00:11:31,255
he pulled Jack's clothes
out of that bag,
176
00:11:33,475 --> 00:11:36,130
and showed me
where the table saw
had cut him
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00:11:36,304 --> 00:11:39,350
from his ribs down
all through his stomach.
178
00:11:41,483 --> 00:11:44,442
And that was the first time
I ever saw my dad cry.
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00:11:44,616 --> 00:11:48,272
He was cut
from his neck to his groin.
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00:11:48,446 --> 00:11:51,885
And survived,
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00:11:52,059 --> 00:11:54,322
even though it tore him open
very badly.
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00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:59,893
And Johnny was sitting
at his bedside, holding his
hand,
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00:12:00,067 --> 00:12:02,286
and he looked at Daddy,
and he said,
184
00:12:02,460 --> 00:12:05,812
"Daddy, will you meet me
in Heaven?"
185
00:12:07,552 --> 00:12:11,643
Daddy dropped down on his knees
and gave his heart to the Lord,
186
00:12:11,818 --> 00:12:13,820
and so did the doctor.
187
00:12:15,256 --> 00:12:17,911
As Jack lay
in his hospital bed,
188
00:12:18,085 --> 00:12:21,392
he had clear visions
of the other side.
189
00:12:21,566 --> 00:12:25,309
He said, "Mama,
do you hear the angels?
190
00:12:25,483 --> 00:12:27,572
Do you hear them singing?"
191
00:12:27,790 --> 00:12:30,793
And Miss Carrie Cash said,
"No, son, I don't hear them."
192
00:12:31,011 --> 00:12:34,144
He said,
"They are so beautiful.
193
00:12:34,362 --> 00:12:36,103
Heaven is so beautiful."
194
00:12:37,321 --> 00:12:39,323
Jack called me "Janna."
195
00:12:39,497 --> 00:12:41,108
He said, "Janna, tell me bye."
196
00:12:42,762 --> 00:12:45,590
And I was scared.
197
00:12:45,765 --> 00:12:48,637
And I said, "No,
I don't want you
to go anywhere."
198
00:12:51,118 --> 00:12:52,467
I wish I had.
199
00:12:53,729 --> 00:12:54,861
But I couldn't.
200
00:12:57,385 --> 00:12:59,822
And that's when he left us.
He went to Heaven.
201
00:13:02,825 --> 00:13:05,654
My father lost
his best friend that day.
202
00:13:05,828 --> 00:13:10,790
Having experienced
the loss of a son
in a tragic accident,
203
00:13:10,964 --> 00:13:13,140
I can understand
the devastating grief
204
00:13:13,314 --> 00:13:16,404
that comes at you
like a tidal wave.
205
00:13:16,578 --> 00:13:21,235
When you lose someone
and they die unexpectedly,
206
00:13:21,409 --> 00:13:24,281
it impacts your life
in such a significant way,
207
00:13:24,455 --> 00:13:29,373
you can actually measure
your life from before and after
208
00:13:29,547 --> 00:13:31,288
that traumatic event happened.
209
00:13:36,424 --> 00:13:38,948
Jack was buried
on a Sunday.
210
00:13:39,122 --> 00:13:40,732
The next day,
the entire family
211
00:13:40,950 --> 00:13:42,647
was back out in the fields,
picking cotton.
212
00:13:44,388 --> 00:13:46,826
We didn't take days off.
213
00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,740
You just didn't have
time to grieve.
214
00:13:51,134 --> 00:13:54,485
My mother would work behind us,
215
00:13:54,659 --> 00:13:58,185
and I'd look back
and she'd be down on her knees,
216
00:13:58,359 --> 00:14:02,406
weeping, saying, "Why? Why?"
217
00:14:03,843 --> 00:14:06,802
On her worst day,
218
00:14:06,976 --> 00:14:09,849
in the mud, on her knees,
219
00:14:10,806 --> 00:14:12,764
after burying her son.
220
00:14:15,158 --> 00:14:18,640
And we'd go help her up
and try to console her.
221
00:14:20,381 --> 00:14:21,904
And Carrie said,
222
00:14:22,078 --> 00:14:24,428
"I'll get up when God
tells me to get up."
223
00:14:29,433 --> 00:14:32,872
That is what J.R.
took with him, as he grew up.
224
00:14:36,527 --> 00:14:39,574
When Jack died,
there was an enormous void.
225
00:14:41,271 --> 00:14:43,621
And J.R. seemed
more determined than ever
226
00:14:43,839 --> 00:14:46,276
to do something important
with his life,
227
00:14:46,494 --> 00:14:50,715
almost in tribute to his hero,
his brother, Jack.
228
00:14:50,890 --> 00:14:54,806
When times were tough,
Johnny knew what his roots were.
229
00:14:54,981 --> 00:14:57,635
He started out wanting to be
a gospel singer.
230
00:14:59,420 --> 00:15:00,943
I was standing
here with Mama,
231
00:15:01,117 --> 00:15:03,424
and Johnny was standing
right out there,
232
00:15:03,598 --> 00:15:05,817
by that iron hand pump.
233
00:15:05,992 --> 00:15:08,777
And all of a sudden,
his voice lowered.
234
00:15:08,951 --> 00:15:11,127
And she said, "What is that?"
235
00:15:11,301 --> 00:15:15,262
I said, "That's J.R."
And she called him in,
236
00:15:15,436 --> 00:15:17,177
and she asked,
"Was that you singing?"
237
00:15:17,351 --> 00:15:18,830
And he said, "Yes, Mama."
238
00:15:19,005 --> 00:15:20,658
He said, "I'm gonna sing."
239
00:15:20,832 --> 00:15:24,401
And I saw Mama put her hand
on Johnny and she said,
240
00:15:24,575 --> 00:15:26,577
"You have a calling of God."
241
00:15:27,883 --> 00:15:31,278
And so Mama took Johnny
to a voice teacher,
242
00:15:32,975 --> 00:15:35,064
and she listened very intently.
243
00:15:35,238 --> 00:15:38,763
And she said,
"Well, you can leave now."
244
00:15:38,938 --> 00:15:41,853
And Johnny said,
"You mean I'm no good?"
245
00:15:42,028 --> 00:15:43,812
And the voice teacher said,
246
00:15:43,986 --> 00:15:47,816
"You have a gift from God
that I wouldn't dare touch."
247
00:15:48,034 --> 00:15:51,515
The biggest goal
of a dreamer
from Dyess, Arkansas
248
00:15:51,689 --> 00:15:53,474
was to get out.
249
00:15:53,691 --> 00:15:55,824
And so J.R. ended up doing
250
00:15:55,998 --> 00:15:58,958
what many young men
from the South
and elsewhere did.
251
00:15:59,175 --> 00:16:00,698
I joined the Air Force.
252
00:16:02,918 --> 00:16:05,399
College was another hope
that was almost unattainable
253
00:16:05,573 --> 00:16:07,879
for a cotton farm boy.
254
00:16:10,491 --> 00:16:12,580
He was
a Morse Code interceptor,
255
00:16:12,754 --> 00:16:15,148
and would take in the Morse Code
from the enemy
256
00:16:15,322 --> 00:16:17,324
and make it into English,
257
00:16:17,498 --> 00:16:21,241
so our forces
could find out what to do.
258
00:16:21,458 --> 00:16:23,939
I think
it's during that three years
259
00:16:24,157 --> 00:16:26,637
that I really began
seriously thinking
260
00:16:26,855 --> 00:16:29,597
about a career
in the music business,
261
00:16:29,814 --> 00:16:32,034
'cause it's really
all I lived for.
262
00:16:32,208 --> 00:16:35,907
J.R.
was briefly stationed
in San Antonio, Texas.
263
00:16:36,125 --> 00:16:40,651
And it's there he fell deeply
and totally in love
264
00:16:40,869 --> 00:16:43,002
with a pretty girl
named Vivian Liberto.
265
00:16:44,568 --> 00:16:47,136
They spent
a couple of weeks dating
266
00:16:47,310 --> 00:16:50,270
and then the next three years,
while he's in Germany
in the Air Force,
267
00:16:50,444 --> 00:16:53,360
the two of them
exchanged countless letters.
268
00:16:53,534 --> 00:16:57,625
Those letters show
a man so hopelessly in love.
269
00:16:57,842 --> 00:17:00,454
Much of his poetry
and his gift with lyrics
270
00:17:00,628 --> 00:17:03,631
is refined in these letters.
271
00:17:03,848 --> 00:17:07,504
He poured his heart out
to Vivian, and she to him.
272
00:17:07,722 --> 00:17:09,289
We got married right away.
273
00:17:09,463 --> 00:17:11,334
Got a very cheap car,
274
00:17:11,508 --> 00:17:15,251
and a old apartment
in a rundown part of Memphis.
275
00:17:15,425 --> 00:17:17,732
To some, Memphis
was the Promised Land.
276
00:17:17,949 --> 00:17:21,040
Memphis was just over
the Mississippi River bridge,
277
00:17:21,257 --> 00:17:23,042
but it was another world.
278
00:17:27,046 --> 00:17:30,136
♪ The Mighty Mississippi
gonna take me down... ♪
279
00:17:30,310 --> 00:17:33,443
There were
so many cultures
all colliding in that town.
280
00:17:33,661 --> 00:17:36,185
It was wild. It was exciting.
281
00:17:36,403 --> 00:17:39,841
It was a landscape filled
with creativity and diversity.
282
00:17:40,059 --> 00:17:42,583
I started trying
to get on the radio,
283
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,020
but I had to go to work
and make a living,
284
00:17:45,238 --> 00:17:47,849
trying to sell appliances
and home improvements.
285
00:17:48,067 --> 00:17:50,156
And the next thing
you know, Elvis has recorded
286
00:17:50,330 --> 00:17:53,550
for Mr. Sam Phillips
down at Sun Studios.
287
00:17:53,724 --> 00:17:57,989
This little nondescript,
squat building
at 706 Union Avenue
288
00:17:58,164 --> 00:18:02,603
was fast becoming the center
of a new style of music.
289
00:18:02,777 --> 00:18:04,257
I started calling
Sam Phillips.
290
00:18:04,431 --> 00:18:06,650
I never could get him.
291
00:18:06,868 --> 00:18:08,652
Called once, I said,
"I'm John Cash,
I'm a gospel singer."
292
00:18:08,826 --> 00:18:10,176
He couldn't see me.
293
00:18:10,350 --> 00:18:11,916
Mr. Phillips
puts him off.
294
00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:15,137
He calls, leaves messages,
he sits on the curb.
295
00:18:16,660 --> 00:18:20,142
So one morning,
I found out what time
the man went to work.
296
00:18:20,316 --> 00:18:23,841
I went down with my guitar
and sat on his steps
until he got there.
297
00:18:24,015 --> 00:18:28,629
Sam is walking into the office
and he accosts the man.
298
00:18:28,846 --> 00:18:31,980
I said, "I'm John Cash.
I'm the one who's been calling.
299
00:18:32,154 --> 00:18:35,897
And if you'd listen to me,
I believe you'll be
glad you did."
300
00:18:36,115 --> 00:18:38,029
And he said, "Come on in."
301
00:18:38,247 --> 00:18:42,904
And he started
singing some covers
of gospel songs.
302
00:18:43,078 --> 00:18:47,474
Sam said, "I'm just as saved
as the rest of you boys are.
303
00:18:47,648 --> 00:18:51,304
But I can't sell gospel music.
304
00:18:51,478 --> 00:18:54,524
I wanna hear you in your voice."
305
00:18:55,656 --> 00:18:58,572
He said,
"Come back tomorrow
and bring some musicians."
306
00:18:58,789 --> 00:19:03,142
So I went down to a garage
where my brother, Roy, worked.
307
00:19:03,316 --> 00:19:05,187
He met Marshall Grant
and Luther Perkins,
308
00:19:05,361 --> 00:19:07,711
two amateur musicians,
just as my dad was.
309
00:19:07,929 --> 00:19:10,453
The next day
was our first session.
310
00:19:10,627 --> 00:19:14,631
We went in, and he turned on
the recorder the whole time
I was there.
311
00:19:16,764 --> 00:19:19,419
The music that he made
with The Tennessee Two
312
00:19:19,593 --> 00:19:21,769
was this brilliant,
beautiful racket.
313
00:19:23,858 --> 00:19:26,034
The sound was unique,
314
00:19:26,252 --> 00:19:28,558
and it was something
that people had
just never heard before.
315
00:19:28,732 --> 00:19:31,518
I developed a pretty
unusual style, I think.
316
00:19:31,735 --> 00:19:33,215
If I'm anything,
317
00:19:33,476 --> 00:19:35,174
I'm not a singer,
but I'm a song stylist.
318
00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:39,743
My music had to be simple
and stay simple,
319
00:19:39,917 --> 00:19:41,963
and uncomplicated
and unadorned.
320
00:19:42,181 --> 00:19:44,183
I thought it was fabulous.
321
00:19:44,357 --> 00:19:46,446
Dad, he wanted
to have a drummer in the band,
322
00:19:46,620 --> 00:19:48,665
but he didn't wanna hire
a drummer.
323
00:19:48,839 --> 00:19:53,583
Johnny
put a dollar bill
in the strings of the guitar
324
00:19:53,757 --> 00:19:56,978
and made that
boom-chicka-boom sound.
325
00:19:57,152 --> 00:20:00,329
You listen to what sounds
like a snare drum that's not.
326
00:20:00,503 --> 00:20:02,984
That's my dad.
327
00:20:03,158 --> 00:20:05,900
No,
they were not over-schooled
or over-taught,
328
00:20:06,074 --> 00:20:11,427
and so naturally it was gonna
come out raw and beautiful.
329
00:20:11,645 --> 00:20:13,255
I think Sam Phillips
330
00:20:13,429 --> 00:20:16,998
saw the originality
in my difference,
331
00:20:17,216 --> 00:20:18,608
and he'd had a lot of success
332
00:20:18,826 --> 00:20:20,480
recording people
that sounded different.
333
00:20:22,525 --> 00:20:26,137
I never gave up my dream
to sing on the radio.
334
00:20:26,312 --> 00:20:29,358
And that dream
came true in 1955.
335
00:20:30,794 --> 00:20:33,536
♪ Hey porter! Hey porter! ♪
336
00:20:33,710 --> 00:20:35,669
My first introduction
to Johnny Cash
was through my dad.
337
00:20:35,843 --> 00:20:39,107
I was a little girl,
and this Johnny Cash comes along
338
00:20:39,281 --> 00:20:42,197
and puts out the song,
"A Boy Named Sue".
339
00:20:42,371 --> 00:20:45,374
And we laughed and laughed
and laughed over that song.
340
00:20:45,548 --> 00:20:48,725
One of my friend's older brother
played me this song.
341
00:20:48,899 --> 00:20:52,251
I think I was, like, 15, 16,
something like that.
342
00:20:52,425 --> 00:20:53,643
And I heard it
for the first time,
343
00:20:53,817 --> 00:20:55,689
I said, "Yo, this dude fire!"
344
00:20:55,863 --> 00:20:58,300
I would listen to eight-tracks
all the time with my stepdad
345
00:20:58,474 --> 00:21:01,042
of Merle Haggard
and George Jones,
346
00:21:01,216 --> 00:21:04,088
and Johnny Cash was
one of the eight-tracks
that he had.
347
00:21:04,263 --> 00:21:05,960
So I heard a lot of that music
growing up.
348
00:21:06,177 --> 00:21:08,789
♪ And ask everybody
that ain't asleep ♪
349
00:21:08,963 --> 00:21:12,271
I remember specifically
having a CD stuck
350
00:21:12,445 --> 00:21:14,708
in the CD player
of one of my work trucks
351
00:21:14,882 --> 00:21:16,927
when I first got
out of high school.
352
00:21:17,101 --> 00:21:18,625
And I couldn't switch
to radio or anything.
353
00:21:18,799 --> 00:21:20,279
I just had to listen
to Johnny Cash
354
00:21:20,453 --> 00:21:22,411
over and over and over again.
355
00:21:22,585 --> 00:21:24,457
And that's where
I really fell in love
with Johnny's music.
356
00:21:24,631 --> 00:21:26,633
I'd listen to him
on the radio when I was a kid.
357
00:21:26,807 --> 00:21:29,766
He was growing and developing
358
00:21:29,940 --> 00:21:32,160
and he was just
a bigger-than-life character.
359
00:21:32,334 --> 00:21:34,249
I listened to Johnny Cash,
360
00:21:34,423 --> 00:21:36,991
and nobody would go,
"Johnny Cash?"
They'd go, "Cool."
361
00:21:37,165 --> 00:21:39,602
There was not one person
that didn't respect Johnny Cash.
362
00:21:39,820 --> 00:21:42,170
♪ 'Cause I smell frost
on cotton leaves ♪
363
00:21:42,344 --> 00:21:44,085
♪ And I feel
that Southern breeze ♪
364
00:21:44,259 --> 00:21:47,175
My first experience,
1983, cassettes.
365
00:21:47,349 --> 00:21:50,047
Imagine me trying to take
a drink from a fire hose.
366
00:21:50,221 --> 00:21:51,962
That's listening to Johnny Cash.
367
00:21:52,136 --> 00:21:56,010
This voice that I hear
is memorable.
368
00:21:56,184 --> 00:21:57,838
I can't get it out of my head.
369
00:21:58,012 --> 00:21:59,405
It's a raw voice.
370
00:21:59,579 --> 00:22:00,971
It's almost like a rebel voice.
371
00:22:01,189 --> 00:22:02,625
♪ I need nobody to tell me... ♪
372
00:22:02,799 --> 00:22:04,975
I remember
"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash"
373
00:22:05,149 --> 00:22:07,456
comin' out of the speakers
of my little record player
in my bedroom,
374
00:22:07,630 --> 00:22:09,458
and I was mesmerized
by that sound,
375
00:22:09,632 --> 00:22:11,808
and I didn't know
what I was listening to.
376
00:22:11,982 --> 00:22:16,378
I just knew it had me
and wouldn't let me go.
377
00:22:16,552 --> 00:22:20,382
And I remember
one day "Hey Porter"
and "Cry, Cry, Cry" came on.
378
00:22:20,556 --> 00:22:22,341
And Mama said, "That's J.R.
379
00:22:22,515 --> 00:22:26,040
J.R. singing on the radio.
Isn't that wonderful?"
380
00:22:26,214 --> 00:22:27,694
And she had tears.
381
00:22:27,955 --> 00:22:29,435
- ♪ All right ♪
-We all did.
382
00:22:36,006 --> 00:22:38,139
Along about three
months later,
383
00:22:38,313 --> 00:22:40,707
Elvis Presley asked me to go
on tour with him.
384
00:22:40,924 --> 00:22:43,231
And from that time on,
I was on my way.
385
00:22:43,405 --> 00:22:45,668
And I knew it,
I felt it, and I loved it.
386
00:22:48,758 --> 00:22:51,370
Immediately he was thrust
on the road,
387
00:22:51,544 --> 00:22:54,503
his young wife Vivian at home.
388
00:23:02,859 --> 00:23:06,602
They would travel
in a big, long, black Cadillac.
389
00:23:06,776 --> 00:23:08,778
We did not let Johnny
drive the car.
390
00:23:08,952 --> 00:23:11,172
Johnny was
the world's worst driver.
391
00:23:11,346 --> 00:23:13,653
Even though he owns the car,
he rides, we drive.
392
00:23:13,827 --> 00:23:15,481
That's the way that worked.
393
00:23:22,183 --> 00:23:24,098
We were really
having fun with our music,
394
00:23:24,272 --> 00:23:27,318
and every day was a gold mine.
395
00:23:27,493 --> 00:23:31,061
It was real,
it was raw.
396
00:23:31,235 --> 00:23:32,846
And this was the Johnny Cash
397
00:23:33,020 --> 00:23:34,587
that people were
falling in love with.
398
00:23:35,979 --> 00:23:38,982
There's two kinds of people,
those that know
and love Johnny Cash,
399
00:23:39,156 --> 00:23:40,462
and those that will.
400
00:23:41,768 --> 00:23:45,162
His style was, he would write
conversationally.
401
00:23:45,336 --> 00:23:46,860
He would write
the way people talk.
402
00:23:48,209 --> 00:23:50,951
He just spoke
of common, everyday life.
403
00:23:51,125 --> 00:23:53,040
Real words for real people
in the real world.
404
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,001
I was kinda stunned
when I would see
the record sales.
405
00:23:58,175 --> 00:24:01,527
I thought at first it was
all hype, but then
every record I released,
406
00:24:01,701 --> 00:24:04,443
I knew I was gonna sell
a quarter of a million.
407
00:24:04,617 --> 00:24:06,227
Poetry. It was poetry, man.
408
00:24:10,623 --> 00:24:13,060
Let's welcome Johnny Cash
and the Tennessee Two!
409
00:24:20,676 --> 00:24:24,550
♪ I keep a close watch
on this heart of mine ♪
410
00:24:24,724 --> 00:24:27,770
When Johnny Cash
and The Tennessee Two
were on tour,
411
00:24:27,988 --> 00:24:30,338
working shows
with all the other bands,
412
00:24:30,512 --> 00:24:33,080
musicians were talking
about their latest conquests,
413
00:24:33,254 --> 00:24:35,430
their girlfriends on the side.
414
00:24:35,648 --> 00:24:38,868
J.R. said, "Not me.
I walk the line."
415
00:24:39,086 --> 00:24:41,828
♪ I keep my eyes wide open
all the time ♪
416
00:24:42,002 --> 00:24:44,352
"I Walk the Line"
is a song of steadfastness,
417
00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:47,877
and fidelity,
of love to his wife, Vivian.
418
00:24:48,095 --> 00:24:51,577
♪ Because you're mine,
I walk the line ♪
419
00:24:55,189 --> 00:24:57,234
And he was telling her
that it didn't matter.
420
00:24:57,408 --> 00:24:58,888
Those were just fans.
421
00:25:01,891 --> 00:25:05,547
'Course it didn't turn out
right, but that's
what he told her.
422
00:25:05,765 --> 00:25:08,637
When Vivian saw
the effect John's singing had
423
00:25:08,855 --> 00:25:11,292
on his audience
of adoring girls,
424
00:25:11,466 --> 00:25:13,947
it was not
what she had signed up for.
425
00:25:14,121 --> 00:25:17,820
He was embarking on this life
where the audiences
were craving him.
426
00:25:18,038 --> 00:25:22,042
In simple terms, he was
fast becoming a superstar.
427
00:25:22,216 --> 00:25:23,739
She was a housewife.
428
00:25:23,913 --> 00:25:26,263
She wanted her husband.
She wanted her family.
429
00:25:26,437 --> 00:25:28,701
Vivian had seen
the rise of Elvis Presley
430
00:25:28,875 --> 00:25:30,920
with all the girls
and all the accolades.
431
00:25:31,094 --> 00:25:33,227
She didn't want that.
432
00:25:33,488 --> 00:25:37,231
While she absolutely
loved Johnny Cash
until the day she died,
433
00:25:37,405 --> 00:25:39,842
she's got four children.
434
00:25:40,016 --> 00:25:41,888
He's out on the road.
435
00:25:42,062 --> 00:25:43,672
And Dad wanted
to be on the radio.
436
00:25:43,846 --> 00:25:45,848
He said when he got into music,
it never occurred to him
437
00:25:46,022 --> 00:25:49,286
that he was gonna have
to be traveling
day after day for years,
438
00:25:49,460 --> 00:25:52,594
that that was going to become
his life, was the road life.
439
00:25:55,684 --> 00:25:57,425
Being "Johnny Cash"
440
00:25:57,773 --> 00:26:00,341
was something that he really
never thought about or planned,
441
00:26:00,515 --> 00:26:01,908
but it was inevitable.
442
00:26:09,524 --> 00:26:12,614
As the song says,
"The road is crushing,
443
00:26:12,832 --> 00:26:15,182
and it goes on forever.
It's endless."
444
00:26:17,053 --> 00:26:20,535
The thing about it
is, when you're in a garage
with your friends
445
00:26:20,709 --> 00:26:22,581
and you're learning songs,
446
00:26:22,755 --> 00:26:24,713
you never realize at some point
you're going to be on the road
447
00:26:24,887 --> 00:26:28,238
for four years without a break.
448
00:26:28,456 --> 00:26:31,590
Boredom had a lot to do
with it. It's very boring
out there on the road.
449
00:26:31,807 --> 00:26:34,636
That two hours on the stage
is all we live for.
450
00:26:34,854 --> 00:26:36,682
The rest of the time
is really a drag.
451
00:26:38,292 --> 00:26:41,512
Being on the road is
this separate reality.
452
00:26:41,687 --> 00:26:43,732
You're so isolated, in a way.
453
00:26:43,906 --> 00:26:45,865
It is not a normal life.
454
00:26:46,039 --> 00:26:48,650
There's nothing normal
about being in show business.
455
00:26:48,824 --> 00:26:50,870
You do two,
maybe three shows a night.
456
00:26:51,087 --> 00:26:53,742
And then you drive yourself
hundreds and hundreds of miles
457
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,136
through the night
on dangerous roads.
458
00:26:56,310 --> 00:26:58,747
And you've got to do it
again the next night.
459
00:26:58,921 --> 00:27:00,575
You got 6,000 people
in the audience
460
00:27:00,749 --> 00:27:02,577
waitin' on you to come out
and sing a song,
461
00:27:02,751 --> 00:27:05,232
and it gets to the point
where you wanna shut it off.
462
00:27:05,406 --> 00:27:07,538
You don't wanna feel
anything, so you drink,
463
00:27:07,713 --> 00:27:09,497
or you get high,
464
00:27:09,671 --> 00:27:11,847
or you find yourself
with multiple women or whatever.
465
00:27:12,021 --> 00:27:15,024
Anything to kinda
get rid of the feeling,
and once the feeling's gone,
466
00:27:15,198 --> 00:27:16,809
it's anything to get
the feeling back.
467
00:27:19,986 --> 00:27:23,032
Week after week,
hundreds of shows a year,
468
00:27:23,250 --> 00:27:25,078
the white line always wins.
469
00:27:27,689 --> 00:27:28,908
Johnny Cash!
470
00:27:31,824 --> 00:27:32,738
Johnny Cash!
471
00:27:36,176 --> 00:27:38,613
A fellow musician
slipped him a pill,
472
00:27:38,831 --> 00:27:41,572
saying, "This will
keep you going."
473
00:27:41,747 --> 00:27:45,315
So Johnny took it, thinking,
"This is God-sent."
474
00:27:48,536 --> 00:27:51,278
We really did not think
that amphetamines
were a problem.
475
00:27:51,495 --> 00:27:53,280
Poor George.
476
00:27:53,497 --> 00:27:55,586
He's having a long headache.
477
00:27:55,804 --> 00:27:58,198
Is this the way
you feel in the morning?
478
00:28:00,156 --> 00:28:01,897
What's the best way to reduce?
479
00:28:02,071 --> 00:28:04,073
Eat plenty or starve yourself?
480
00:28:06,032 --> 00:28:09,818
Doctors
were prescribing
these pills by the billions.
481
00:28:10,036 --> 00:28:11,820
They were prescribed
to housewives.
482
00:28:12,038 --> 00:28:14,431
They were marketed
to college students.
483
00:28:14,605 --> 00:28:17,217
They were marketed to people
to help them lose weight.
484
00:28:17,434 --> 00:28:19,175
They were marketed
to truck drivers
485
00:28:19,393 --> 00:28:20,568
to help them on the road.
486
00:28:21,830 --> 00:28:24,311
It was like taking a pill
for your heart
or for your blood pressure.
487
00:28:24,485 --> 00:28:26,095
It wasn't, like, a bad thing.
488
00:28:26,269 --> 00:28:29,055
And nobody really thought
too much about it.
489
00:28:29,229 --> 00:28:32,667
A lot of people in the South,
"If it's a prescription,
it's okay."
490
00:28:32,885 --> 00:28:34,538
He wasn't
sniffin' cocaine.
491
00:28:34,756 --> 00:28:36,062
He wasn't shooting heroin.
492
00:28:36,236 --> 00:28:38,455
He was taking prescribed pills
493
00:28:38,629 --> 00:28:42,198
because doctors told him
that they were medicine.
494
00:28:42,372 --> 00:28:44,984
When you're on the road
that many dates a year,
495
00:28:45,158 --> 00:28:47,116
there's all these things
pulling at him.
496
00:28:47,290 --> 00:28:50,206
And after a while, you just--
you need a little help.
497
00:28:50,380 --> 00:28:51,425
You know?
498
00:28:51,599 --> 00:28:52,992
That's when all of a sudden,
499
00:28:53,340 --> 00:28:55,037
"Well, I better take
a downer to go to sleep."
500
00:28:55,211 --> 00:28:57,170
"Oh, now I better take
some speed to wake up."
501
00:28:57,344 --> 00:28:59,955
And now you're on
a whole rollercoaster.
502
00:29:00,173 --> 00:29:02,871
Well, if one works,
two must be even better.
503
00:29:03,089 --> 00:29:04,830
But then after five, and ten,
504
00:29:05,047 --> 00:29:06,962
you need to find a way
to slow it all down.
505
00:29:08,877 --> 00:29:10,400
I was just
like everybody else.
506
00:29:10,574 --> 00:29:12,402
I took drugs to get up,
507
00:29:12,576 --> 00:29:14,796
and I took drugs to go down,
make me feel better.
508
00:29:14,970 --> 00:29:16,537
And then
before you know it,
509
00:29:16,711 --> 00:29:18,844
you're poppin' pills
left and right like candy.
510
00:29:19,018 --> 00:29:22,282
You know, it's just
a vicious, vicious cycle.
511
00:29:22,456 --> 00:29:24,850
I was taking
the pills for a while,
512
00:29:25,024 --> 00:29:28,505
and then the pills
started taking me.
513
00:29:28,679 --> 00:29:32,118
You know, so that's
when it starts spiraling
out of control.
514
00:29:34,903 --> 00:29:37,253
The pills
give you a high,
515
00:29:37,427 --> 00:29:39,995
and you feel
like you can do anything.
516
00:29:40,169 --> 00:29:41,344
But when they wear off,
517
00:29:41,518 --> 00:29:42,563
you feel worse than you did
518
00:29:42,737 --> 00:29:43,912
before you took 'em.
519
00:29:45,348 --> 00:29:47,916
When I started
drinking beer
along with the amphetamines,
520
00:29:48,090 --> 00:29:50,266
I'd drink about four
or five a night,
521
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,400
but I got up to 12, 14.
522
00:29:53,574 --> 00:29:57,143
Sometime I'd misjudge
how high I was, you know?
523
00:29:57,317 --> 00:29:59,493
And I'd get on stage
and I was a wreck.
524
00:30:04,063 --> 00:30:05,586
All the drugs
made him forget
525
00:30:05,804 --> 00:30:07,501
that people
were counting on him.
526
00:30:10,286 --> 00:30:12,898
Thousands
and thousands of dollars
of promoters' money
527
00:30:13,072 --> 00:30:14,943
were at stake
if he didn't show up,
528
00:30:15,117 --> 00:30:17,641
and he didn't show up
for a bunch of dates.
529
00:30:17,816 --> 00:30:20,383
The Statler Brothers,
who were in his band,
530
00:30:20,557 --> 00:30:24,518
he took them to California
and met Vivian and the girls,
531
00:30:24,692 --> 00:30:26,607
and said he was going out
for cigarettes.
532
00:30:26,781 --> 00:30:30,002
Four days later,
he wasn't back. He forgot.
533
00:30:32,047 --> 00:30:35,224
At the Olympia Theater
in Paris, France,
instead of playing the show,
534
00:30:35,398 --> 00:30:39,315
he took off with Joan Baez
and Bob Dylan and just partied
all over town,
535
00:30:39,489 --> 00:30:41,187
while 2,000 people
are sitting in seats
536
00:30:41,361 --> 00:30:43,537
for a Johnny Cash show
that never happened.
537
00:30:43,711 --> 00:30:45,669
A lot of people lost money
538
00:30:45,844 --> 00:30:47,846
and he was kind of lost himself.
539
00:30:49,630 --> 00:30:53,112
He was a mere shell
of the man he once was.
540
00:30:53,286 --> 00:30:55,636
Those aspirations to be
a gospel singer,
541
00:30:55,810 --> 00:30:57,377
they're in the rearview mirror.
542
00:30:58,944 --> 00:31:03,339
It was kind
of a scatter-brained
period for me.
543
00:31:03,513 --> 00:31:05,385
You know, it affects
everything in your life
544
00:31:05,602 --> 00:31:07,822
when you're
on mood-altering drugs.
545
00:31:07,996 --> 00:31:10,216
Everything in your life
is, uh,
546
00:31:10,433 --> 00:31:12,479
is not right.
547
00:31:12,871 --> 00:31:16,222
In the midst
of all this, his health
is disintegrating.
548
00:31:16,396 --> 00:31:19,486
He lost so much weight,
he looked like a cadaver.
549
00:31:22,054 --> 00:31:24,447
And on the charts,
he's invisible.
550
00:31:24,621 --> 00:31:28,538
Desperation kind of starts
setting in, here.
551
00:31:28,712 --> 00:31:30,323
And so, next thing you know,
there you are,
552
00:31:30,497 --> 00:31:32,238
going down the tubes
without realizing you are,
553
00:31:32,412 --> 00:31:34,109
and so is your marriage,
and so is your family,
554
00:31:34,283 --> 00:31:35,763
and so is everything else
in your life.
555
00:31:38,592 --> 00:31:41,203
J.R. and Vivian
are in a difficult time.
556
00:31:42,988 --> 00:31:45,599
I think the change
of Johnny's personality
557
00:31:45,773 --> 00:31:47,818
was something else,
558
00:31:47,993 --> 00:31:49,820
and then, of course,
the real change came
559
00:31:49,995 --> 00:31:53,172
when he just fell madly in love
with June Carter.
560
00:31:55,870 --> 00:31:58,264
She became a member
of the show cast,
561
00:31:58,438 --> 00:32:00,875
and was working
all the show dates with us.
562
00:32:01,049 --> 00:32:02,964
But it all started
with an automobile ride
563
00:32:03,138 --> 00:32:04,661
from Oklahoma City to Dallas.
564
00:32:04,835 --> 00:32:06,925
And June did not have a ride,
565
00:32:07,099 --> 00:32:09,231
so Marshall Grant
had told her was,
566
00:32:09,405 --> 00:32:13,279
"June, we've got six people
in that car already."
567
00:32:13,453 --> 00:32:17,065
And Johnny said, "Well,
she can sit on my lap.
It's only three hours."
568
00:32:17,239 --> 00:32:19,676
So, that was the beginning.
569
00:32:19,894 --> 00:32:23,071
June was married
to someone else,
just as he was.
570
00:32:23,245 --> 00:32:25,204
Both of them
later described it
571
00:32:25,421 --> 00:32:29,382
as being something
that they simply
could not stop.
572
00:32:29,556 --> 00:32:31,862
It was not something
to be proud of,
573
00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:33,952
and he wasn't proud of it.
574
00:32:35,475 --> 00:32:38,173
Which only added
fuel to the fire
for the amphetamine thing,
575
00:32:38,347 --> 00:32:40,001
because it was tearing
Johnny apart.
576
00:32:40,219 --> 00:32:41,916
J.R. was quoted saying
577
00:32:42,134 --> 00:32:44,310
he would stop
taking the pills for a time,
578
00:32:44,484 --> 00:32:46,877
and his conscience
would return.
579
00:32:47,052 --> 00:32:49,141
He would go home,
580
00:32:49,358 --> 00:32:52,883
and it became obvious the toll
that fame, fortune, and pills
581
00:32:53,101 --> 00:32:54,624
were taking on his family.
582
00:32:54,842 --> 00:32:57,236
And then the guilt
would overwhelm him.
583
00:32:58,846 --> 00:33:01,675
And the only way
that he could ease that guilt
584
00:33:01,892 --> 00:33:03,024
was to take another pill.
585
00:33:11,076 --> 00:33:14,383
J.R. genuinely
loved Vivian, and June,
586
00:33:14,557 --> 00:33:17,169
and his heart was torn
in two directions.
587
00:33:17,343 --> 00:33:19,693
He couldn't seem
to find his way.
588
00:33:19,867 --> 00:33:22,870
It was a volatile situation,
to say the least.
589
00:33:25,090 --> 00:33:29,224
That is
something that is
so difficult to reconcile.
590
00:33:29,398 --> 00:33:30,573
And he couldn't do it.
591
00:33:34,273 --> 00:33:37,754
As a result of this situation,
592
00:33:37,928 --> 00:33:41,845
June sits down and writes,
"Ring of Fire".
593
00:33:42,020 --> 00:33:44,413
Cash hears it and he says,
"That's about me."
594
00:33:44,587 --> 00:33:46,502
And Dad wanted
to record it himself.
595
00:33:50,202 --> 00:33:53,335
♪ Love is a burning thing ♪
596
00:33:56,164 --> 00:33:59,298
♪ And it makes a fiery ring ♪
597
00:33:59,472 --> 00:34:03,128
Now, in addition
to the stability
of "I Walk the Line",
598
00:34:03,302 --> 00:34:05,739
J.R. has got the fire,
the passion,
599
00:34:05,913 --> 00:34:09,003
the raw power
of "Ring of Fire."
600
00:34:09,177 --> 00:34:11,571
And this man is not
just singing about it,
601
00:34:11,788 --> 00:34:14,182
he was living it
every single day.
602
00:34:14,356 --> 00:34:16,793
♪ I fell into
a burning ring of fire ♪
603
00:34:16,967 --> 00:34:21,407
♪ I went down, down, down
and the flames went higher ♪
604
00:34:21,581 --> 00:34:24,497
The conflict
in his head just fueled
that despair he felt.
605
00:34:24,671 --> 00:34:26,760
Less than two months later,
606
00:34:26,977 --> 00:34:29,154
"Ring of Fire" is
the biggest song in the world.
607
00:34:29,328 --> 00:34:31,895
And it cements his place
in country music.
608
00:34:32,113 --> 00:34:37,423
It also tied him for eternity
to June Carter.
609
00:34:37,597 --> 00:34:43,255
She and he
continued careening
610
00:34:43,429 --> 00:34:46,127
through the mid-60s,
611
00:34:46,301 --> 00:34:48,825
while he desperately tried
612
00:34:48,999 --> 00:34:54,396
to hold on to the stability
that Vivian gave him.
613
00:34:56,833 --> 00:34:59,097
In the 1960s,
614
00:34:59,271 --> 00:35:02,012
the insanity of his addiction
put great strains
on his relationship
615
00:35:02,187 --> 00:35:04,145
and kept him away
from his children.
616
00:35:06,321 --> 00:35:08,018
Johnny's family situation
617
00:35:08,193 --> 00:35:10,325
was struggling,
to say the least.
618
00:35:12,066 --> 00:35:14,634
And so, an extremely
difficult time
619
00:35:14,808 --> 00:35:17,027
to come home to that house
in California.
620
00:35:21,510 --> 00:35:24,948
And one day in 1965,
Johnny did not come home.
621
00:35:27,647 --> 00:35:31,346
In 1965, at the end
of a long tour,
622
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:33,696
J.R. was supposed to go home.
623
00:35:33,870 --> 00:35:37,700
Instead, he got off
at the airport
in El Paso, Texas.
624
00:35:40,703 --> 00:35:42,879
Vivian called
and said, "Where's Johnny?
625
00:35:43,053 --> 00:35:45,839
He was supposed
to be home yesterday."
626
00:35:46,013 --> 00:35:49,625
He decided that he was
gonna go across the border
into Mexico.
627
00:35:51,497 --> 00:35:53,847
He went and found
a drug dealer,
628
00:35:54,064 --> 00:35:58,460
and bought
over 1,100 Benzedrine
and Dexedrine pills.
629
00:36:02,725 --> 00:36:05,337
Unbeknownst to him
at the time,
630
00:36:05,511 --> 00:36:07,643
the police were keeping an eye
on this drug dealer.
631
00:36:09,254 --> 00:36:12,648
But when they saw Johnny Cash
in the crosshairs,
632
00:36:12,866 --> 00:36:16,783
they tracked him very carefully
until he got to the airport,
633
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:20,700
opened the guitar case,
and found the pills.
634
00:36:25,835 --> 00:36:28,838
The guard said,
"You can get the pills out
635
00:36:29,012 --> 00:36:31,189
or we'll tear
your guitar apart."
636
00:36:31,363 --> 00:36:35,628
So Johnny got the pills out,
and he was arrested,
and it hurt.
637
00:36:35,802 --> 00:36:39,762
It hurt,
not because it bothered us,
638
00:36:39,936 --> 00:36:42,156
as much as we hurt for him,
639
00:36:42,330 --> 00:36:46,987
because we knew that he was
right in the midst
of his downward spiral.
640
00:36:47,161 --> 00:36:51,557
And we were praying daily
that God wouldn't take him.
641
00:36:51,731 --> 00:36:54,124
The drugs,
the immorality,
642
00:36:54,299 --> 00:36:57,258
the bad decisions
were all catching up.
643
00:36:58,955 --> 00:37:02,829
Johnny Cash was
very self-destructive.
644
00:37:03,003 --> 00:37:06,224
Self-destructive behavior
will either get you through it,
645
00:37:06,398 --> 00:37:09,357
see the light, or kill ya.
646
00:37:14,144 --> 00:37:17,060
We were all young
and wild and crazy.
647
00:37:17,278 --> 00:37:20,107
How crazy were you?
I was crazy as you can get.
648
00:37:20,325 --> 00:37:22,109
I mean crazy-crazy.
649
00:37:26,026 --> 00:37:28,942
There were quite a few
times in his life that he nearly
died,
650
00:37:29,116 --> 00:37:31,858
and would have been
possibly by his own folly.
651
00:37:34,817 --> 00:37:38,125
Car wrecks. He caught
a vehicle on fire in California
652
00:37:38,299 --> 00:37:41,346
and burned down many acres
of a forest there.
653
00:37:44,827 --> 00:37:49,267
He did a lot of bad things
during those drug years.
654
00:37:49,441 --> 00:37:51,878
The Grand Ole Opry
banned you at one time.
655
00:37:52,052 --> 00:37:55,055
Well, I don't know
how bad they wanted me
in the first place,
656
00:37:55,273 --> 00:37:57,927
but the night I broke
all the lights on the stage...
657
00:38:01,061 --> 00:38:03,193
...they said they couldn't
use me anymore, so.
658
00:38:05,413 --> 00:38:08,068
Really tough
on all of us to stand there
and watch it happen,
659
00:38:08,242 --> 00:38:09,983
because you can't help
somebody like that
660
00:38:10,157 --> 00:38:11,767
unless they want the help.
661
00:38:11,941 --> 00:38:13,987
And at that particular time,
he didn't want any help.
662
00:38:14,161 --> 00:38:18,600
If that was gonna be
a subject of conversation,
just forget it.
663
00:38:18,818 --> 00:38:21,821
There's one thing
about, uh...
664
00:38:21,995 --> 00:38:24,867
someone addicted
to pills, alcoholics,
you know,
665
00:38:25,041 --> 00:38:27,130
they're very selfish.
666
00:38:27,305 --> 00:38:29,524
You know, they don't care
about anybody but themselves
667
00:38:29,698 --> 00:38:31,526
and the way they happen
to feel right now.
668
00:38:31,744 --> 00:38:34,486
And that's all I cared about,
all I talked about,
669
00:38:34,703 --> 00:38:37,489
how I feel,
what I want for me, you know?
670
00:38:37,663 --> 00:38:39,360
We saw him at his worst.
671
00:38:39,534 --> 00:38:41,406
We saw him when we didn't know
672
00:38:41,580 --> 00:38:44,322
if he was gonna be able to--
to make the show the next day,
673
00:38:44,496 --> 00:38:46,411
or rather he was gonna
continue his career.
674
00:38:47,890 --> 00:38:50,589
Well, it must've been
just overwhelming for the man.
675
00:38:50,763 --> 00:38:52,678
All these wonderful accolades
comin' at him,
676
00:38:52,852 --> 00:38:54,854
but all this terrible stuff
comin' this way.
677
00:38:55,028 --> 00:38:58,423
I mean, if there's ever
a devil and a god
on each shoulder,
678
00:38:58,597 --> 00:39:00,468
there had to be.
679
00:39:00,642 --> 00:39:02,340
The light and darkness thing
is something that we all have.
680
00:39:02,514 --> 00:39:04,907
There's a mean dog
and a good dog in all of us.
681
00:39:05,081 --> 00:39:07,127
And what you try to do,
and you're always
trying to do is,
682
00:39:07,301 --> 00:39:09,172
feed the good one
as much as you possibly can.
683
00:39:09,347 --> 00:39:11,523
The one that's gonna win
is the one that gets fed
the most, right?
684
00:39:11,697 --> 00:39:14,787
So I think the thing
about Johnny that made that
even more obvious,
685
00:39:14,961 --> 00:39:16,919
he was always trying
to feed the light.
686
00:39:17,093 --> 00:39:20,445
But he wore the darkness
and the light on his sleeve.
687
00:39:20,619 --> 00:39:24,231
He was two people.
And he'd be the first
to tell you that.
688
00:39:24,405 --> 00:39:26,364
He said, "Johnny is a nice guy.
689
00:39:26,538 --> 00:39:28,453
But sometime Cash
gets into trouble."
690
00:39:32,152 --> 00:39:34,284
John R. Cash
came to the end of himself
691
00:39:34,459 --> 00:39:36,809
in October of 1967.
692
00:39:43,119 --> 00:39:45,992
His addiction
had really wore him down.
693
00:39:46,166 --> 00:39:49,125
My mother had told him
that she wouldn't talk to him,
694
00:39:49,299 --> 00:39:50,910
she wouldn't spend
time with him.
695
00:39:51,084 --> 00:39:55,349
He was at a point
where she had no choice,
696
00:39:55,523 --> 00:39:56,872
and she had shut him off.
697
00:39:58,570 --> 00:40:02,225
He is
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
when his lawyer calls
698
00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:06,752
and tells him that his divorce
was finalized.
699
00:40:06,926 --> 00:40:10,973
She remarried just a week later.
700
00:40:11,147 --> 00:40:12,540
He was full of despair.
701
00:40:14,542 --> 00:40:17,023
His life was
seemingly in shambles.
702
00:40:17,197 --> 00:40:20,896
His addictions had taken
their toll on his career,
703
00:40:21,114 --> 00:40:23,638
his body, and his family.
704
00:40:23,856 --> 00:40:25,771
And he was estranged
from his kids.
705
00:40:28,948 --> 00:40:31,385
He had
some land down there,
706
00:40:31,559 --> 00:40:34,519
and on that land
there was a cave
called "Nickajack Cave".
707
00:40:39,219 --> 00:40:42,396
But my dad kept sinking
deeper and deeper
into a depression.
708
00:40:45,181 --> 00:40:49,142
There were
these great conflicts
that seared his soul.
709
00:40:56,410 --> 00:40:59,631
He was really down
at his lowest point,
710
00:40:59,805 --> 00:41:01,284
and he took a flashlight,
711
00:41:01,459 --> 00:41:03,069
and he said he was gonna
crawl back in there
712
00:41:03,243 --> 00:41:05,680
as long as his flashlight
would burn.
713
00:41:09,858 --> 00:41:13,253
And in the darkness,
laid down,
714
00:41:13,427 --> 00:41:16,169
and basically, gave up his life,
715
00:41:16,343 --> 00:41:17,605
gave up everything.
716
00:41:29,617 --> 00:41:33,795
I kept walkin'
and crawlin' and climbin'
'til my light run out,
717
00:41:36,668 --> 00:41:39,845
every fiber of my being
totally exhausted.
718
00:41:42,500 --> 00:41:45,677
And I lay there
in the darkness,
719
00:41:48,462 --> 00:41:49,898
the end of the line.
720
00:41:55,774 --> 00:41:57,515
I lay there to die.
721
00:42:05,131 --> 00:42:07,525
But he woke up
in the darkness of that cave
722
00:42:07,699 --> 00:42:10,789
and felt that loneliness
and the emptiness
723
00:42:10,963 --> 00:42:13,095
and realized
where he'd put himself.
724
00:42:23,497 --> 00:42:26,413
And it was
like this feeling
came over me that, uh...
725
00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:31,157
that He wanted
to speak to my heart.
726
00:42:31,374 --> 00:42:33,768
"You do not control
your destiny,"
727
00:42:33,986 --> 00:42:38,251
that "It's My will
that you do not die now."
728
00:42:38,425 --> 00:42:42,647
God said,
"I'm not through with you,
by any means."
729
00:42:42,821 --> 00:42:45,911
He said, "I'll show you
the way out. Come on."
730
00:42:46,128 --> 00:42:50,829
Then the urging
came over me to get up
and start crawling.
731
00:42:52,961 --> 00:42:55,398
I don't have any idea
how long I crawled.
732
00:42:57,183 --> 00:43:00,012
Johnny said
there was some sort of light
733
00:43:00,186 --> 00:43:02,884
that guided him
to the entrance of the cave.
734
00:43:04,407 --> 00:43:06,845
For hours he crawled
on the ground.
735
00:43:07,019 --> 00:43:09,108
He didn't have a flashlight.
He didn't have anything.
736
00:43:10,936 --> 00:43:13,808
But then finally
I felt the wind.
737
00:43:13,982 --> 00:43:17,943
Before long I saw light,
the entrance to the cave.
738
00:43:20,119 --> 00:43:22,338
The hand of God had led me.
739
00:43:27,256 --> 00:43:29,650
He faced himself,
he faced his temptations,
740
00:43:29,824 --> 00:43:32,000
he faced his worldliness.
741
00:43:32,174 --> 00:43:36,526
And God's love
brought him back.
742
00:43:36,701 --> 00:43:40,182
He crawled out
of Nickajack Cave alive.
743
00:43:43,533 --> 00:43:45,318
He saw the light.
744
00:43:45,535 --> 00:43:48,582
He was given God's grace.
745
00:43:48,756 --> 00:43:52,325
He came out wanting
to be right with God.
746
00:43:52,499 --> 00:43:54,327
Doesn't mean he was
perfect with God,
747
00:43:54,501 --> 00:43:56,895
but he wanted to be
right with God.
748
00:43:57,069 --> 00:43:58,984
I was losing my voice.
749
00:43:59,201 --> 00:44:00,942
I had stopped composing.
750
00:44:01,116 --> 00:44:03,597
I didn't have any heart
for what I was doing.
751
00:44:03,815 --> 00:44:06,469
And I realized that, uh,
752
00:44:06,687 --> 00:44:09,995
that God didn't want me
to live that kind of life.
753
00:44:10,169 --> 00:44:12,127
He had to put himself
into that darkness
754
00:44:12,301 --> 00:44:14,303
before he would
appreciate the light.
755
00:44:14,521 --> 00:44:18,220
And that's what happened,
is that he came out
a different man.
756
00:44:18,394 --> 00:44:22,137
And when he finally
did give up those things
that were weighting him down,
757
00:44:22,311 --> 00:44:23,878
the thing
that helped him do that
758
00:44:24,052 --> 00:44:26,359
was his faith in God Almighty.
759
00:44:27,839 --> 00:44:29,492
And in that cave,
he hears the Lord say,
760
00:44:29,667 --> 00:44:31,146
"What are you doing here?"
761
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,322
This reminds me of a story
from The Bible,
762
00:44:33,496 --> 00:44:36,586
a similar experience
that involved
the prophet Elijah.
763
00:44:36,761 --> 00:44:38,023
Here is this prophet
of the Lord,
764
00:44:38,197 --> 00:44:40,373
who's depressed and discouraged
765
00:44:40,547 --> 00:44:43,115
and he goes into a cave
and while he's in that cave,
766
00:44:43,289 --> 00:44:46,031
God said,
"What are you doing here?"
767
00:44:46,205 --> 00:44:48,598
Johnny came out of that cave
a different man.
768
00:44:48,773 --> 00:44:51,427
Now he was a man on a mission.
769
00:44:52,559 --> 00:44:54,474
All that success,
all the partying,
770
00:44:54,648 --> 00:44:58,043
all the money, all the fame,
it's not real anymore.
771
00:44:58,217 --> 00:45:02,003
And you start realizing
what is real.
772
00:45:02,177 --> 00:45:04,179
We saw him at his lowest.
773
00:45:04,353 --> 00:45:08,706
But, that is where he remembered
that God was on his side.
774
00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:10,316
You know,
Jesus doesn't say,
775
00:45:10,490 --> 00:45:12,057
"Clean up your life
and come to me."
776
00:45:12,231 --> 00:45:13,623
He effectively says,
777
00:45:13,972 --> 00:45:16,148
"Come to me and I
will clean your life up."
778
00:45:17,671 --> 00:45:19,020
At that moment
of despair,
779
00:45:19,194 --> 00:45:20,674
he chose to get back up.
780
00:45:21,893 --> 00:45:23,503
There is a light.
781
00:45:23,677 --> 00:45:25,244
And if you'll hang in there
long enough,
782
00:45:25,418 --> 00:45:27,855
you will get through the tunnel.
783
00:45:28,029 --> 00:45:30,728
And that's exactly
what Johnny Cash did.
784
00:45:30,945 --> 00:45:33,034
I came back
from Nickajack Cave
785
00:45:33,252 --> 00:45:35,645
and June, she said,
"You're dying, you know?
786
00:45:35,863 --> 00:45:41,521
You'll die if you don't get off
of the amphetamines
and the sleeping pills."
787
00:45:41,739 --> 00:45:43,349
And I said,
"I know it. I will."
788
00:45:43,523 --> 00:45:44,829
And she said,
"I'll tell ya what I'll do.
789
00:45:45,046 --> 00:45:47,745
I... I wanna save your life.
790
00:45:47,962 --> 00:45:50,356
And I'll be here at this house
every afternoon.
791
00:45:50,530 --> 00:45:54,055
And that way you can
stay straight
and look forward to seeing me.
792
00:45:54,273 --> 00:45:55,578
And we'll get
this thing whipped."
793
00:46:00,932 --> 00:46:03,325
When he reached out
to people that could help him,
794
00:46:03,499 --> 00:46:05,284
my mother was there.
795
00:46:05,458 --> 00:46:07,112
I was on self-destruct
796
00:46:07,286 --> 00:46:09,244
and she saw
what I was doing to myself
797
00:46:09,418 --> 00:46:11,856
and she helped bring me
back up out of it.
798
00:46:12,073 --> 00:46:14,119
I thought
he was gonna die.
799
00:46:14,293 --> 00:46:17,905
He was just skin and bones.
I worked with him.
800
00:46:18,079 --> 00:46:22,040
There was something
that just wouldn't
let me give up.
801
00:46:22,214 --> 00:46:24,651
He's detoxing
and there's June.
802
00:46:24,825 --> 00:46:26,131
I can just see her, like,
803
00:46:26,305 --> 00:46:28,394
"You'll have to come
through me."
804
00:46:28,568 --> 00:46:29,438
Call it old-fashioned.
805
00:46:29,612 --> 00:46:31,789
Call it tough love.
806
00:46:31,963 --> 00:46:33,312
That's what you do.
807
00:46:35,140 --> 00:46:38,796
Without question,
June Carter saved
the life of Johnny Cash.
808
00:46:38,970 --> 00:46:42,190
She helped him
to get off the pills,
and she stood by his side.
809
00:46:42,364 --> 00:46:44,149
And June,
her mother and daddy,
810
00:46:44,323 --> 00:46:46,629
and all my family and friends
were downstairs,
811
00:46:46,847 --> 00:46:49,807
sleeping in sleeping bags,
and it kept me going.
812
00:46:49,981 --> 00:46:51,896
They were praying together.
813
00:46:52,070 --> 00:46:53,985
And the Lord brought him
through that.
814
00:46:54,159 --> 00:46:56,726
It was the spirit
of the love of God
815
00:46:56,944 --> 00:47:00,034
that made a survivor
out of me.
816
00:47:00,208 --> 00:47:02,471
And not only a survivor,
but a sustainer.
817
00:47:08,913 --> 00:47:10,392
My father had a moment
818
00:47:10,566 --> 00:47:14,527
where he went back to the cross.
819
00:47:14,701 --> 00:47:17,617
The Lord
was drawing him back to himself.
820
00:47:17,791 --> 00:47:20,315
He was on his road back
to the Lord.
821
00:47:20,489 --> 00:47:23,884
So Joanne invited
her brother, Johnny, to church.
822
00:47:24,058 --> 00:47:27,932
Joanne's life had been changed
by Christ in this church.
823
00:47:28,106 --> 00:47:30,499
She wanted it to happen
for her brother.
824
00:47:32,153 --> 00:47:33,502
I could see him
825
00:47:33,676 --> 00:47:36,636
just drinking in
the pastor preaching.
826
00:47:38,029 --> 00:47:40,031
When I finished my message
that morning,
827
00:47:40,205 --> 00:47:41,859
I gave an altar call
and I said, you know,
828
00:47:42,033 --> 00:47:44,470
"If you want to find Christ,
829
00:47:44,644 --> 00:47:46,994
if you want to do the right
thing with the Lord,
830
00:47:47,168 --> 00:47:49,127
put up your hand."
831
00:47:49,301 --> 00:47:51,259
So his hand went up.
832
00:47:51,433 --> 00:47:54,219
Johnny stood up
and made a public profession,
833
00:47:54,393 --> 00:47:58,571
and walked forward and said,
"I'm gonna follow Jesus Christ."
834
00:47:58,745 --> 00:48:01,182
A public profession means
you're saying,
835
00:48:01,356 --> 00:48:04,055
"I believe,
and I don't care who knows.
836
00:48:04,229 --> 00:48:06,361
In fact, I want others to know."
837
00:48:06,535 --> 00:48:09,887
And then a person coming
to Christ may pray
838
00:48:10,061 --> 00:48:12,063
what we sometimes call
"a sinner's prayer",
839
00:48:12,237 --> 00:48:13,673
and it goes along these lines.
840
00:48:13,847 --> 00:48:17,024
"Lord Jesus,
I know that I'm a sinner,
841
00:48:17,198 --> 00:48:18,417
but I know
that you're the Savior
842
00:48:18,591 --> 00:48:20,462
Who died on the cross for my sin
843
00:48:20,636 --> 00:48:23,901
and rose again from the dead.
I'm sorry for my sin.
844
00:48:24,075 --> 00:48:25,815
I turn from that sin,
845
00:48:25,990 --> 00:48:29,254
and I choose to follow You
from this moment forward."
846
00:48:29,428 --> 00:48:31,473
Johnny prayed
a prayer like that,
847
00:48:31,647 --> 00:48:35,477
and his life was changed
for time and eternity.
848
00:48:35,651 --> 00:48:38,916
And the good news is,
anybody can pray that prayer,
849
00:48:39,090 --> 00:48:42,876
and they too can have the hope
that Johnny Cash had.
850
00:48:46,358 --> 00:48:49,317
Johnny and June
and all the girls were down
at the altar.
851
00:48:49,491 --> 00:48:51,145
Johnny told me,
852
00:48:51,319 --> 00:48:53,931
"I think it's about time
I led my family back to Jesus."
853
00:49:02,940 --> 00:49:06,291
I watched the man
cry his heart out
down there in that altar,
854
00:49:06,465 --> 00:49:09,859
and all of 'em together,
every one of 'em.
855
00:49:10,034 --> 00:49:12,427
And when they opened up
their hearts to the Lord,
856
00:49:12,601 --> 00:49:14,255
it changed everything.
857
00:49:19,304 --> 00:49:20,653
He came to us
and he said,
858
00:49:21,001 --> 00:49:24,178
"Guys, I know this has been
rough out here."
859
00:49:24,352 --> 00:49:26,572
He said, "I just wanna
tell you all,
I'm gonna clean up."
860
00:49:26,746 --> 00:49:30,576
And from that point on,
he rededicated his life
in many different ways,
861
00:49:30,750 --> 00:49:34,580
and redoubled his efforts
into spreading the word
of Christianity.
862
00:49:43,241 --> 00:49:44,982
It's a scary sight.
863
00:49:45,156 --> 00:49:46,548
It's towering above ya.
864
00:49:46,722 --> 00:49:48,463
And we all walk
in there that morning,
865
00:49:48,637 --> 00:49:51,205
and hear the clang
of the metal doors
866
00:49:51,379 --> 00:49:52,380
closing behind you.
867
00:49:53,468 --> 00:49:55,862
Through the pain,
868
00:49:56,036 --> 00:49:59,474
throbbing melody
draws compassion
869
00:49:59,692 --> 00:50:01,128
and care and concern
870
00:50:01,302 --> 00:50:03,522
for myself
and for my fellow man.
871
00:50:04,740 --> 00:50:07,656
Johnny Cash had found
a new purpose and focus.
872
00:50:07,874 --> 00:50:10,224
He wanted to say and do
something with his music,
873
00:50:10,398 --> 00:50:12,313
and more importantly,
his life.
874
00:50:12,487 --> 00:50:14,489
His pastor, Floyd Gressett,
came to him
875
00:50:14,663 --> 00:50:17,797
and asked if he'd be interested
in a prison outreach program.
876
00:50:18,015 --> 00:50:21,235
He preached up there
every fourth Sunday
of the month,
877
00:50:21,453 --> 00:50:23,803
and he knew all those people,
the officials and--
878
00:50:24,021 --> 00:50:27,372
And he set up
this prison concert.
879
00:50:27,546 --> 00:50:30,201
He didn't wanna
just get up and do
a regular Johnny Cash show
880
00:50:30,375 --> 00:50:31,811
at Folsom Prison.
881
00:50:32,029 --> 00:50:34,205
He wanted to touch
men's hearts
882
00:50:34,422 --> 00:50:36,729
and to capture it on tape.
883
00:50:36,903 --> 00:50:39,384
I knew if I could ever
get a live recording
at a prison,
884
00:50:39,601 --> 00:50:41,821
it was gonna be a great album.
885
00:50:41,995 --> 00:50:43,649
He took June Carter,
886
00:50:43,866 --> 00:50:45,346
The Statler Brothers,
and Carl Perkins,
887
00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:47,609
and they went
into Folsom Prison.
888
00:50:47,783 --> 00:50:50,264
And we would like to continue
with the Johnny Cash Show
889
00:50:50,438 --> 00:50:53,137
and bring to you
the man that you've actually
come to see.
890
00:50:53,311 --> 00:50:55,313
He seems to have a lot of things
in common with you.
891
00:50:55,487 --> 00:50:58,446
Mr. Johnny Cash!
892
00:51:01,101 --> 00:51:02,798
♪ I hear the train a-comin' ♪
893
00:51:03,016 --> 00:51:04,757
♪ It's rolling
'round the bend ♪
894
00:51:04,974 --> 00:51:06,628
♪ And I ain't seen the sunshine
895
00:51:06,802 --> 00:51:08,326
♪ Since I don't know when ♪
896
00:51:08,543 --> 00:51:10,937
♪ I'm stuck in Folsom prison ♪
897
00:51:11,111 --> 00:51:13,026
♪ And time keeps draggin' on ♪
898
00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:14,767
J.R.
was very sensitive
899
00:51:14,941 --> 00:51:16,290
to those who were down
on their luck.
900
00:51:17,770 --> 00:51:20,773
He knew that he had faced
the same kinds of troubles
and situations
901
00:51:20,947 --> 00:51:23,210
that had led many of them
there.
902
00:51:23,384 --> 00:51:26,126
He wanted to get the feelings
of the men on tape
903
00:51:26,300 --> 00:51:27,997
and let them know
that somebody cared.
904
00:51:28,172 --> 00:51:29,651
♪ ...don't ever play
with guns" ♪
905
00:51:29,825 --> 00:51:31,088
♪ But I shot a man in Reno ♪
906
00:51:31,262 --> 00:51:32,828
There was
a hopelessness,
907
00:51:33,002 --> 00:51:35,004
a nobleness,
and there was a dark side.
908
00:51:35,179 --> 00:51:37,311
And you could feel
all of those things,
and you could feel
909
00:51:37,485 --> 00:51:40,314
all those emotions
toward the character
that he was singing about.
910
00:51:40,488 --> 00:51:42,403
A lot of people
throw money at the forgotten.
911
00:51:42,577 --> 00:51:45,493
They feel good from their safe,
gated-off world.
912
00:51:45,667 --> 00:51:49,889
What made Johnny special was,
he actually spent time
kickin' it with these people.
913
00:51:50,063 --> 00:51:51,325
Johnny didn't discriminate.
914
00:51:52,413 --> 00:51:55,199
That's Johnny Cash in a prison
singing to the inmates,
915
00:51:55,373 --> 00:51:58,637
and I think that's probably
where he felt most comfortable.
916
00:52:00,726 --> 00:52:03,120
The reaction I got,
it was far and above anything
917
00:52:03,337 --> 00:52:05,034
I had ever had in my life.
918
00:52:05,252 --> 00:52:08,473
The complete explosion
of noise and reaction
919
00:52:08,690 --> 00:52:11,911
that they gave me
with every song.
920
00:52:12,129 --> 00:52:15,958
But they felt like they could
identify with me, I suppose.
921
00:52:16,133 --> 00:52:17,525
Those guys in prison went,
922
00:52:17,699 --> 00:52:19,701
"It's Johnny Cash.
We can trust him."
923
00:52:19,875 --> 00:52:23,314
You see these people
hanging on every word,
924
00:52:23,488 --> 00:52:25,490
and you can see the hope
in their eyes
925
00:52:25,664 --> 00:52:28,536
and the vulnerability
in their eyes.
926
00:52:28,710 --> 00:52:30,843
I think they felt
he was one of them.
927
00:52:31,017 --> 00:52:33,498
And in many ways, he was.
928
00:52:33,672 --> 00:52:35,456
He had had his struggles
929
00:52:35,717 --> 00:52:38,111
with a lot of the same issues
those prisoners struggled with.
930
00:52:38,285 --> 00:52:40,069
They saw his humanity.
931
00:52:40,244 --> 00:52:42,071
They saw his authenticity.
932
00:52:42,246 --> 00:52:45,858
And really,
they were seeing his faith.
933
00:52:46,032 --> 00:52:47,729
He could relate to them
934
00:52:47,903 --> 00:52:49,949
by who he had been
and how he had struggled,
935
00:52:50,123 --> 00:52:51,864
and how he always kept
coming back to Christ,
936
00:52:52,038 --> 00:52:54,345
and how there was hope
in that for him.
937
00:52:54,519 --> 00:52:55,781
And he found, I think,
938
00:52:55,955 --> 00:52:58,784
almost like his own ministry
in that.
939
00:52:58,958 --> 00:53:00,916
There's no filter.
940
00:53:01,090 --> 00:53:02,440
There's just Johnny,
941
00:53:02,614 --> 00:53:04,920
giving you his guts
and his glory.
942
00:53:08,881 --> 00:53:13,277
Folsomis recorded in January
and again, you know, a little...
some ambivalence--
943
00:53:13,451 --> 00:53:17,150
Is this gonna be commercial?
Is it gonna-- is it gonna sell?
944
00:53:17,324 --> 00:53:20,675
Well, in March, he marries June.
945
00:53:25,463 --> 00:53:27,595
The love that they developed
for each other
946
00:53:27,769 --> 00:53:30,468
was one of the greatest
saving graces for each of them
in their lives.
947
00:53:30,642 --> 00:53:33,819
My mother saw
my father's kindness.
948
00:53:33,993 --> 00:53:37,039
She saw who he was
on the inside.
949
00:53:37,214 --> 00:53:39,216
She knew him, I think,
better than he did
950
00:53:39,390 --> 00:53:42,741
'cause she saw him
through it all.
951
00:53:42,915 --> 00:53:45,134
They finished up
some dates on the road,
952
00:53:45,309 --> 00:53:47,485
and then, in May,
953
00:53:47,659 --> 00:53:51,750
they went on a honeymoon
to the Holy Land.
954
00:53:53,142 --> 00:53:54,883
And he tells the people
at Columbia Records
955
00:53:55,057 --> 00:53:58,147
that he wants to make an album
in the Holy Land.
956
00:53:58,322 --> 00:54:02,500
"We're not doing that,"
they said. He said, "Fine."
957
00:54:02,674 --> 00:54:04,806
He took a little handheld
microphone,
958
00:54:04,980 --> 00:54:09,376
and he and June went
and they visited the sites.
959
00:54:11,552 --> 00:54:13,641
And he comes back home,
960
00:54:13,815 --> 00:54:15,991
and Folsom Prisonis
the number one album
in the country.
961
00:54:16,165 --> 00:54:17,645
And he's king.
962
00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:25,958
Johnny Cash sold
more than six million records
in 1969 alone,
963
00:54:26,132 --> 00:54:28,439
besting The Beatles,
Elvis Presley,
964
00:54:28,613 --> 00:54:31,442
The Rolling Stones,
Jimi Hendrix,
965
00:54:31,616 --> 00:54:33,748
Janice Joplin, Led Zeppelin,
966
00:54:33,922 --> 00:54:36,969
and every other musical act
in the world.
967
00:54:37,143 --> 00:54:39,145
It wasn't even close.
968
00:54:39,319 --> 00:54:41,713
He said, "I'm gonna be
the biggest thing
in the business."
969
00:54:41,887 --> 00:54:44,846
And with that statement, he was.
970
00:54:45,064 --> 00:54:48,067
The album of the year,
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.
971
00:54:50,722 --> 00:54:54,073
After he got back, you can bet
your butt that they put out
his next record,
972
00:54:54,247 --> 00:54:55,640
whatever it was that he wanted.
973
00:54:55,857 --> 00:54:58,251
And that was The Holy Land.
974
00:54:58,425 --> 00:55:00,862
And he got a Top-10 record,
975
00:55:01,036 --> 00:55:06,041
and a number one single
from a gospel album.
976
00:55:06,215 --> 00:55:08,522
That had never happened!
977
00:55:08,696 --> 00:55:11,046
Johnny's gotten
his priorities back in order.
978
00:55:11,220 --> 00:55:15,007
He's returned to the faith
of his brother, Jack.
979
00:55:15,181 --> 00:55:17,575
And Johnny is putting
Jesus Christ
980
00:55:17,749 --> 00:55:20,404
first in his life again.
981
00:55:20,578 --> 00:55:22,493
AfterFolsom Prison,
982
00:55:22,710 --> 00:55:25,583
ABC came calling to do
a summer television show.
983
00:55:28,847 --> 00:55:30,631
Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.
984
00:55:30,805 --> 00:55:32,677
And I'm glad to see ya, David.
985
00:55:34,592 --> 00:55:37,377
Just as he did
with everything else
in his career,
986
00:55:37,551 --> 00:55:42,991
Johnny Cash turned the concept
of variety shows upside-down.
987
00:55:43,165 --> 00:55:45,037
Glad to have ya.
988
00:55:45,254 --> 00:55:46,821
He wanted the show
to be filmed at the Ryman,
989
00:55:47,039 --> 00:55:48,780
the mother church
of country music,
990
00:55:48,954 --> 00:55:51,130
and the home
of The Grand Ole Opry,
991
00:55:51,304 --> 00:55:54,133
the same stage
he first met June Carter.
992
00:55:57,136 --> 00:55:59,747
The impact
of the show itself,
it was a catapult,
993
00:55:59,921 --> 00:56:02,750
not only for John and his show,
994
00:56:02,924 --> 00:56:05,971
but for a lot of other artists.
995
00:56:06,145 --> 00:56:09,104
Joni Mitchell,
and Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton,
996
00:56:09,278 --> 00:56:11,716
as well as luminaries
from country music
997
00:56:11,890 --> 00:56:13,195
and the gospel world.
998
00:56:14,675 --> 00:56:18,984
In fact,
there are over 70 people
999
00:56:19,201 --> 00:56:22,030
who were on The Johnny Cash Show
1000
00:56:22,204 --> 00:56:25,164
who are currently in either
the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame,
1001
00:56:25,338 --> 00:56:28,036
or the Country Music
Hall of Fame.
1002
00:56:28,210 --> 00:56:32,214
But one of the things
that really drove
ABC executives crazy
1003
00:56:32,389 --> 00:56:34,869
was the fact that John R. Cash
rebelled
1004
00:56:35,043 --> 00:56:37,437
against the tightly-scripted
corporate TV show concept.
1005
00:56:37,611 --> 00:56:39,308
At the beginning of the show,
1006
00:56:39,526 --> 00:56:41,615
you see a more tentative
Johnny Cash.
1007
00:56:41,833 --> 00:56:43,878
They told him how
and where to stand,
1008
00:56:44,096 --> 00:56:45,140
what to sing and say.
1009
00:56:46,185 --> 00:56:47,578
So they were always
on his back,
1010
00:56:47,752 --> 00:56:49,275
and sometimes he was told,
1011
00:56:49,449 --> 00:56:51,582
"Don't do this"
or "Don't sing that song"
1012
00:56:51,756 --> 00:56:53,714
or "Don't say that word."
1013
00:56:53,888 --> 00:56:55,455
You knew he was gonna
do it, then.
1014
00:56:55,629 --> 00:56:57,892
All you had to do
was tell him not to do it.
1015
00:56:58,066 --> 00:57:00,199
I was 17 years old.
1016
00:57:00,373 --> 00:57:03,115
I came in the back door
of the house singing,
1017
00:57:03,332 --> 00:57:06,945
♪ Everybody gonna have
religion and glory ♪
1018
00:57:07,119 --> 00:57:10,209
Well, you see, I'd been
a real high tenor up to then.
1019
00:57:10,383 --> 00:57:11,950
And I didn't know
that my voice had dropped.
1020
00:57:12,124 --> 00:57:14,082
And my mother turned around.
1021
00:57:14,256 --> 00:57:16,694
She said,
"Who was that singing?"
I said, "That was me."
1022
00:57:16,868 --> 00:57:20,175
And she said, "Keep it up."
So I did.
1023
00:57:20,349 --> 00:57:22,787
♪ Everybody gonna have
religion and glory... ♪
1024
00:57:22,961 --> 00:57:27,008
John's faith showed up
on the television show
1025
00:57:27,182 --> 00:57:29,924
because that was his roots.
1026
00:57:30,098 --> 00:57:32,971
He even did a gospel special!
1027
00:57:34,233 --> 00:57:37,105
He wanted to do
and say something more
with his life.
1028
00:57:37,279 --> 00:57:40,282
He had messages
that he wanted to share.
1029
00:57:40,457 --> 00:57:44,635
And that was when his faith
stepped out into the light.
1030
00:57:44,809 --> 00:57:46,811
So as Johnny
is performing this song,
1031
00:57:46,985 --> 00:57:49,727
right here on this stage
at the Ryman Auditorium,
1032
00:57:49,901 --> 00:57:52,860
he has Billy Graham
read a scripture.
1033
00:57:53,034 --> 00:57:54,906
Who does that?
1034
00:57:55,080 --> 00:57:56,908
♪ Everybody gonna have
religion and glory ♪
1035
00:57:57,125 --> 00:57:59,606
♪ Everybody gonna be
a-singin' that story ♪
1036
00:57:59,824 --> 00:58:01,869
♪ Everybody gonna have
a wonderful time up there ♪
1037
00:58:02,043 --> 00:58:05,090
And Johnny made
a statement one time
to the network,
1038
00:58:05,264 --> 00:58:10,574
that if you don't want
God, country, faith, and family,
1039
00:58:10,748 --> 00:58:13,794
you don't want me,
because that's not what I do,
1040
00:58:13,968 --> 00:58:15,840
it's who I am.
1041
00:58:16,057 --> 00:58:18,407
- ♪ A wonderful time
up there. ♪
- Yeah!
1042
00:58:20,409 --> 00:58:23,587
The people at ABC were aghast.
1043
00:58:23,761 --> 00:58:26,285
"What in the-- is he doing?
1044
00:58:27,634 --> 00:58:29,941
People don't watch these shows."
1045
00:58:30,115 --> 00:58:32,465
For him to say, "Hey,
I wanna close the show
with a gospel song."
1046
00:58:32,639 --> 00:58:34,728
And that was kind of,
"Well, are you sure
you wanna do that?"
1047
00:58:34,902 --> 00:58:37,035
And he held out,
"Yeah, I'm gonna do that."
1048
00:58:37,209 --> 00:58:38,253
Now he would do that.
1049
00:58:38,427 --> 00:58:40,038
Boy, he'd put his foot down.
1050
00:58:41,474 --> 00:58:43,868
The one show
that I remember specifically is,
1051
00:58:44,042 --> 00:58:46,871
I wanted to sing
"I'd Rather Have Jesus."
1052
00:58:47,045 --> 00:58:49,134
And they said,
"We don't want that."
1053
00:58:49,308 --> 00:58:51,397
But Johnny says,
"Then if you don't want Jessi
singing that song,
1054
00:58:51,571 --> 00:58:53,268
that we won't do the show."
1055
00:58:53,442 --> 00:58:55,488
You know, he didn't like
somebody to tell him
1056
00:58:55,662 --> 00:58:59,100
he couldn't do something,
or "this is not gonna work."
1057
00:58:59,274 --> 00:59:01,886
Then he would prove,
"Yes, it will work. Watch this."
1058
00:59:02,060 --> 00:59:03,452
And he would do it.
1059
00:59:03,627 --> 00:59:05,019
Well, here lately,
1060
00:59:05,280 --> 00:59:07,282
I think we probably made
the devil pretty mad
1061
00:59:07,456 --> 00:59:10,808
because on our show
we've been mentioning
God's name,
1062
00:59:10,982 --> 00:59:12,418
we've been talking about Jesus.
1063
00:59:12,592 --> 00:59:15,247
But, I'll be ready for him.
1064
00:59:15,421 --> 00:59:17,205
In the meantime,
while he's coming,
1065
00:59:17,379 --> 00:59:21,949
I'd like to get in
one more good lick
for Number One.
1066
00:59:22,123 --> 00:59:25,300
The TV show is where we see him
introduce "Man In Black."
1067
00:59:25,474 --> 00:59:29,957
♪ Well, you wonder why
I always dress in black ♪
1068
00:59:30,175 --> 00:59:33,482
A journalist once asked,
"Tell me about your closet."
1069
00:59:33,700 --> 00:59:36,964
J.R. replied,
"It's dark in there."
1070
00:59:37,138 --> 00:59:40,577
Black was so much more than
the clothing that he wore.
1071
00:59:40,794 --> 00:59:43,884
It represented something
for him. It told a story.
1072
00:59:44,102 --> 00:59:46,321
♪ ...that I have owned ♪
1073
00:59:47,453 --> 00:59:50,761
♪ I wear the black for the poor
and the beaten-down ♪
1074
00:59:52,545 --> 00:59:56,854
♪ Livin' in the hopeless,
hungry side of town ♪
1075
00:59:57,028 --> 00:59:58,943
I remember the first time
I heard it, I went,
1076
00:59:59,117 --> 01:00:00,640
"He sealed the deal right there,
1077
01:00:00,814 --> 01:00:03,208
for he will forever be
'The Man in Black'."
1078
01:00:03,382 --> 01:00:07,429
♪ But still is there
because he's a victim
of the times ♪
1079
01:00:07,604 --> 01:00:13,479
This was Johnny Cash
speaking to college students
from Tennessee.
1080
01:00:13,697 --> 01:00:16,743
♪ Or listened to the words
that Jesus said ♪
1081
01:00:16,917 --> 01:00:19,746
"This is
what I want people
to know of me."
1082
01:00:19,964 --> 01:00:23,141
♪ About the road to happiness
through love and charity ♪
1083
01:00:23,315 --> 01:00:25,534
I wear all black because of him.
1084
01:00:25,709 --> 01:00:28,189
Because I just was enamored,
he has a presence.
1085
01:00:28,363 --> 01:00:32,585
Some people just have
that "it" thing, and he has it.
1086
01:00:32,759 --> 01:00:35,153
When you mention
Johnny Cash,
1087
01:00:35,327 --> 01:00:39,070
people will immediately think
of a guy that helped people
who had no voice.
1088
01:00:39,244 --> 01:00:43,161
He stood for things
that nobody else
seemed to care about
1089
01:00:43,335 --> 01:00:47,644
or had the authority
to stand on and talk about.
1090
01:00:47,818 --> 01:00:49,471
When Johnny Cash wrote
"Man In Black"
1091
01:00:49,646 --> 01:00:53,127
and made the decision
to put that suit on
1092
01:00:53,301 --> 01:00:55,086
and wear it
for the rest of his career,
1093
01:00:55,260 --> 01:00:57,697
he looked darkness
in the eye and said,
1094
01:00:57,871 --> 01:01:00,308
"Not only will I take you on,
but I will wear you.
1095
01:01:00,482 --> 01:01:01,919
And I will win."
1096
01:01:02,136 --> 01:01:03,877
♪ ... everywhere you go... ♪
1097
01:01:04,095 --> 01:01:05,966
That was the image
that people remembered.
1098
01:01:06,140 --> 01:01:08,795
They remembered him standing up
on stage with his manifesto,
1099
01:01:09,013 --> 01:01:12,799
speaking of the Lord,
and speaking
of the downtrodden.
1100
01:01:14,975 --> 01:01:17,151
Johnny wanted people to know
what he believed,
1101
01:01:17,325 --> 01:01:19,414
and why he believed it.
1102
01:01:19,588 --> 01:01:24,419
He had no embarrassment
whatsoever about his faith
in Jesus Christ
1103
01:01:24,593 --> 01:01:26,204
and wanted others
to share it, as well.
1104
01:01:26,378 --> 01:01:29,903
Television series probably
would've lasted longer
1105
01:01:30,077 --> 01:01:32,427
if he hadn't a fought ABC
so hard.
1106
01:01:32,601 --> 01:01:35,822
The Johnny Cash Show
was on fire.
1107
01:01:36,040 --> 01:01:38,520
He had big plans to take
his show to the Holy Land,
1108
01:01:38,738 --> 01:01:40,827
but ABC had other plans,
1109
01:01:41,045 --> 01:01:43,874
and cancelled his show
before he had that opportunity.
1110
01:01:45,614 --> 01:01:49,270
When I professed
my faith in Jesus Christ
1111
01:01:49,444 --> 01:01:51,838
on network television,
and in my concerts,
1112
01:01:52,056 --> 01:01:54,667
it turned a lot of people off.
1113
01:01:54,841 --> 01:01:58,236
You see, the whole thing
about being a Christian
1114
01:01:58,410 --> 01:02:02,675
is being willing
to give up the world.
1115
01:02:02,893 --> 01:02:04,590
And that's what I was doing.
1116
01:02:06,113 --> 01:02:07,767
So he said, "All right.
1117
01:02:07,941 --> 01:02:10,030
I'm gonna put my money
where my soul is."
1118
01:02:10,204 --> 01:02:11,771
And he went
and did it himself.
1119
01:02:11,945 --> 01:02:14,252
He put a half a million dollars
of his own money
1120
01:02:14,426 --> 01:02:17,690
to create his film,
theGospel Road.
1121
01:02:17,864 --> 01:02:21,520
Now come along with me
in the footsteps of Jesus.
1122
01:02:21,694 --> 01:02:23,696
Johnny was no stranger
to the silver screen.
1123
01:02:23,870 --> 01:02:25,176
In fact, throughout his career,
1124
01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:27,787
he was in dozens of shows
and movies,
1125
01:02:27,961 --> 01:02:32,096
but Johnny wanted to make
a film about Jesus Christ.
1126
01:02:32,270 --> 01:02:35,577
Jesus was to suffer
much criticism
1127
01:02:35,752 --> 01:02:40,800
for his association with people
of questionable character.
1128
01:02:42,802 --> 01:02:47,111
"He dines with publicans
and sinners," they said.
1129
01:02:47,285 --> 01:02:49,287
And to that Jesus replied,
1130
01:02:49,461 --> 01:02:52,551
"It's the sick
that need a physician,
1131
01:02:52,725 --> 01:02:53,900
not the healthy."
1132
01:02:55,641 --> 01:02:57,861
John walked up to me
one morning, early,
1133
01:02:58,035 --> 01:03:00,428
'cause we always had to be
out there for sunrises,
1134
01:03:00,602 --> 01:03:03,780
and he said,
"I wanna get baptized."
1135
01:03:05,085 --> 01:03:09,786
And I baptized Johnny Cash
and June Carter Cash
in the Jordan River.
1136
01:03:09,960 --> 01:03:13,093
That was one of the highlights
of my life.
1137
01:03:13,311 --> 01:03:16,618
The Bible
likens baptism
to a burial service.
1138
01:03:16,793 --> 01:03:18,620
Think of a happy funeral.
1139
01:03:18,795 --> 01:03:20,753
The old you is going
into the water.
1140
01:03:20,927 --> 01:03:23,408
The new you is coming out.
1141
01:03:23,582 --> 01:03:27,368
Baptism is an outward showing
of an inward doing.
1142
01:03:27,542 --> 01:03:29,675
The old Johnny Cash
was immersed,
1143
01:03:29,849 --> 01:03:32,547
a new Johnny Cash was emerging,
1144
01:03:32,721 --> 01:03:34,767
one committed to his faith,
1145
01:03:34,941 --> 01:03:37,030
one committed
to scripture study,
1146
01:03:37,204 --> 01:03:40,338
one committed to telling others
about Jesus.
1147
01:03:40,512 --> 01:03:44,995
He made a great effort
to show his faith to the world.
1148
01:03:45,169 --> 01:03:47,214
And that was his dedication,
1149
01:03:47,562 --> 01:03:51,305
that was his reaching out
with his faith and doing
what he believed in.
1150
01:03:55,614 --> 01:03:58,051
J.R. was quoted
as saying,
1151
01:03:58,225 --> 01:04:01,707
"My record company would rather
I be in prison than in church"
1152
01:04:01,925 --> 01:04:03,840
In many ways, that's true.
1153
01:04:04,057 --> 01:04:06,059
His rebel persona
was easier to sell.
1154
01:04:06,233 --> 01:04:09,019
People found
his constant struggles
1155
01:04:09,236 --> 01:04:12,370
and his willingness to bare
his humanity intoxicating,
1156
01:04:12,587 --> 01:04:15,329
but Johnny Cash
was always a rebel.
1157
01:04:16,853 --> 01:04:19,333
In his early years,
1158
01:04:19,507 --> 01:04:22,206
his rebellion took him
on a journey away
from his family and faith.
1159
01:04:22,380 --> 01:04:24,643
But now, his rebellious spirit
1160
01:04:24,861 --> 01:04:27,385
was bringing him
back to his faith.
1161
01:04:29,082 --> 01:04:30,997
The Gospel Road
was not well-received.
1162
01:04:31,171 --> 01:04:34,044
In fact, it was
a financial disaster,
1163
01:04:34,218 --> 01:04:37,221
and almost bankrupted
Johnny Cash.
1164
01:04:37,395 --> 01:04:39,397
But his good friend,
Billy Graham, stepped in
1165
01:04:39,571 --> 01:04:42,704
and used his platform
to take it to the world.
1166
01:04:44,228 --> 01:04:47,622
The Gospel Roadwas made
by my friend Johnny Cash
1167
01:04:47,796 --> 01:04:50,712
and his lovely wife June
as a labor of love,
1168
01:04:50,887 --> 01:04:52,323
so that they, too,
1169
01:04:52,497 --> 01:04:55,065
could share with the world
the Gospel.
1170
01:04:55,239 --> 01:04:57,458
Without your prayers
and without your support,
1171
01:04:57,632 --> 01:04:59,112
we could not continue.
1172
01:04:59,286 --> 01:05:01,027
...in their lives.
We need your...
1173
01:05:01,201 --> 01:05:03,682
...importantly,
to remind the church
1174
01:05:03,856 --> 01:05:08,382
that the old-time Gospel
is relevant to this generation!
1175
01:05:10,732 --> 01:05:12,343
Billy Graham,
though he was
1176
01:05:12,517 --> 01:05:14,954
the most famous evangelist
in all of the world,
1177
01:05:15,128 --> 01:05:17,000
had his own prodigal son,
Franklin.
1178
01:05:17,174 --> 01:05:20,481
And Franklin was rough
around the edges.
1179
01:05:20,655 --> 01:05:23,528
And Billy was not
connecting to his son.
1180
01:05:23,702 --> 01:05:25,878
And then one day,
1181
01:05:26,052 --> 01:05:28,750
Billy noticed that Franklin
was listening
to Johnny Cash music.
1182
01:05:28,925 --> 01:05:31,188
I think
my father was trying
to find a way
1183
01:05:31,362 --> 01:05:34,452
to connect with me
in a different way,
1184
01:05:34,626 --> 01:05:36,497
and he thought,
"Well, if I could meet
Johnny Cash,
1185
01:05:36,671 --> 01:05:38,064
that would impress Franklin."
1186
01:05:38,238 --> 01:05:40,675
And so, I think
it was '69 they met,
1187
01:05:40,849 --> 01:05:43,287
and had a dinner
at Johnny Cash's home.
1188
01:05:43,461 --> 01:05:46,159
And I was impressed.
1189
01:05:46,333 --> 01:05:51,860
So what started
as an attempt by Billy
to help reach his son,
1190
01:05:52,035 --> 01:05:55,864
ended up in a deep
and lasting friendship
between Billy and Johnny.
1191
01:05:58,737 --> 01:06:02,175
Johnny was at a place
where he needed a person
in his life
1192
01:06:02,349 --> 01:06:05,396
that would be like
a mentor to him, spiritually.
1193
01:06:05,570 --> 01:06:07,702
My father felt very comfortable
in Johnny's presence,
1194
01:06:07,876 --> 01:06:10,357
and Johnny felt very comfortable
in my father's presence,
1195
01:06:10,531 --> 01:06:12,446
because both grew up on farms,
1196
01:06:13,491 --> 01:06:15,449
they both grew up poor.
1197
01:06:15,623 --> 01:06:18,713
And so, there was
a lot in common.
1198
01:06:18,887 --> 01:06:23,501
They were both southern boys
who grew up with respect
for their elders
1199
01:06:23,675 --> 01:06:25,155
and listening to the same music.
1200
01:06:26,504 --> 01:06:27,984
They called
each other often,
1201
01:06:28,158 --> 01:06:30,160
they vacationed together,
1202
01:06:30,334 --> 01:06:31,813
studied scripture together.
1203
01:06:33,424 --> 01:06:37,384
They were very, very clo--
I mean, absolutely best friends,
1204
01:06:37,558 --> 01:06:42,085
because they found
that they could really be real,
1205
01:06:42,259 --> 01:06:44,435
you know, where John
didn't have to sing
1206
01:06:44,609 --> 01:06:46,306
and Billy didn't have to preach.
1207
01:06:48,178 --> 01:06:50,180
Does he ever preach to you?
1208
01:06:50,354 --> 01:06:53,618
To me? No.
We talk about life.
1209
01:06:53,792 --> 01:06:56,316
We talk about everything,
whatever's happening.
1210
01:06:56,490 --> 01:06:59,798
He's always anxious to give me
1211
01:07:00,016 --> 01:07:01,887
any spiritual advice
when I ask him.
1212
01:07:02,061 --> 01:07:06,587
But, no, he's not
that kind of person.
1213
01:07:06,761 --> 01:07:10,287
A very human person,
very humble.
1214
01:07:10,461 --> 01:07:12,898
Billy has been
a great inspiration to me.
1215
01:07:13,116 --> 01:07:15,118
And his friendship
has been something
I've leaned on
1216
01:07:15,292 --> 01:07:17,946
from time to time
over the years.
1217
01:07:18,121 --> 01:07:19,861
And in some ways,
1218
01:07:20,036 --> 01:07:24,257
Billy Graham was that brother
that Johnny had lost.
1219
01:07:24,431 --> 01:07:26,259
Johnny could bare
his heart to Billy,
1220
01:07:26,433 --> 01:07:28,435
he could ask questions of Billy.
1221
01:07:28,609 --> 01:07:31,438
Billy loved Johnny,
was not judgmental of him,
1222
01:07:31,612 --> 01:07:34,311
and helped give him
the spiritual guidance
1223
01:07:34,485 --> 01:07:37,662
that, had he lived, Jack
might've given him.
1224
01:07:39,620 --> 01:07:41,927
Their friendship
was very precious,
1225
01:07:42,101 --> 01:07:45,452
and it brought Johnny
closer to the Lord.
1226
01:07:49,587 --> 01:07:51,676
Johnny
once said to Billy,
1227
01:07:51,850 --> 01:07:54,026
"If there's anything
I can ever do for you,
just let me know."
1228
01:07:54,200 --> 01:07:57,247
Billy said, "Well, as a matter
of fact, I have a Crusade
coming up
1229
01:07:57,421 --> 01:08:00,032
and I was wondering
if you would come and sing."
1230
01:08:00,206 --> 01:08:02,469
Johnny quickly agreed.
1231
01:08:02,643 --> 01:08:04,341
That's just
the way John was.
1232
01:08:04,515 --> 01:08:08,214
If he's your friend,
he's your friend at all times.
1233
01:08:08,388 --> 01:08:10,956
He doesn't think about
his career or anything else.
1234
01:08:11,130 --> 01:08:12,566
He just, "Oh, that's my friend.
1235
01:08:12,740 --> 01:08:15,221
He wants me to do this.
I'm gonna do it."
1236
01:08:15,395 --> 01:08:17,441
It didn't matter to him
what the music industry
1237
01:08:17,615 --> 01:08:20,096
thought about him
being with Billy Graham,
1238
01:08:20,270 --> 01:08:23,360
because that was where
Johnny's heart was,
with the Gospel.
1239
01:08:23,534 --> 01:08:25,318
And I'm proud and honored
1240
01:08:25,492 --> 01:08:28,582
and thrilled and flattered
to present tonight
1241
01:08:28,756 --> 01:08:31,716
my very good
and warm friend in Christ,
1242
01:08:31,890 --> 01:08:33,152
Johnny Cash.
1243
01:08:35,328 --> 01:08:36,982
I spend a lot of my time
1244
01:08:37,156 --> 01:08:39,463
working with drug addicts
and alcoholics.
1245
01:08:41,160 --> 01:08:44,294
And only someone
who has had such a problem
1246
01:08:44,511 --> 01:08:46,470
can have complete love
and compassion
1247
01:08:46,687 --> 01:08:48,428
and understanding
for such people.
1248
01:08:48,646 --> 01:08:52,824
I love drug addicts.
And I love alcoholics.
1249
01:08:53,041 --> 01:08:55,827
If some lost, lonely person
somewhere out there
1250
01:08:56,001 --> 01:08:58,917
in a dirty bed and a dark room
1251
01:08:59,918 --> 01:09:02,921
can see the light
of Jesus Christ in me,
1252
01:09:03,139 --> 01:09:04,488
then that is my reward.
1253
01:09:05,706 --> 01:09:08,056
Johnny was there
to help my father evangelize.
1254
01:09:08,231 --> 01:09:09,710
People came to hear my father,
1255
01:09:09,884 --> 01:09:11,930
but when they heard
Johnny Cash was coming,
1256
01:09:12,104 --> 01:09:14,498
it gave them an opportunity
to bring certain friends
1257
01:09:14,672 --> 01:09:16,891
that probably wouldn't come.
1258
01:09:17,065 --> 01:09:18,415
And it's the kind of people
1259
01:09:18,589 --> 01:09:20,721
that my father wanted
to preach to.
1260
01:09:20,895 --> 01:09:22,680
It was almost eight years ago
1261
01:09:22,854 --> 01:09:26,379
that we renewed our total
commitment to Jesus Christ.
1262
01:09:26,553 --> 01:09:28,686
And I just wanted to say,
in case anybody had any doubt,
1263
01:09:28,860 --> 01:09:31,689
that I'm a Christian,
and I'm awfully proud to say so.
1264
01:09:34,735 --> 01:09:38,783
Johnny came to 30
of my father's Crusades.
1265
01:09:43,048 --> 01:09:45,442
I went to Billy,
and I wanted to know more
1266
01:09:45,616 --> 01:09:47,966
about his friendship with Dad,
what made it so special.
1267
01:09:48,140 --> 01:09:50,795
And he just said,
"We were brothers in Christ.
1268
01:09:50,969 --> 01:09:52,971
We found something
we believed in together."
1269
01:09:53,145 --> 01:09:56,235
And I will never forget that.
It was such a simple summation.
1270
01:09:56,409 --> 01:09:58,498
But it really told the truth
of their relationship.
1271
01:10:03,938 --> 01:10:07,464
J.R. didn't say,
"I'm forsaking everything
in the secular world."
1272
01:10:07,681 --> 01:10:11,555
The great evangelist
Billy Graham told him
not to do that.
1273
01:10:11,772 --> 01:10:16,168
Billy Graham said,
"No. This is exactly
where you need to be.
1274
01:10:16,342 --> 01:10:18,518
You need to speak
to the world."
1275
01:10:20,694 --> 01:10:24,220
He was
just on fire for Jesus.
1276
01:10:24,394 --> 01:10:27,701
He wanted to do something
for God that would last.
1277
01:10:27,875 --> 01:10:30,878
And you have to understand John,
he wanted to do it right now.
1278
01:10:31,052 --> 01:10:32,576
That's just the way he was.
1279
01:10:33,664 --> 01:10:36,493
In 1977,
John was ordained a minister.
1280
01:10:36,667 --> 01:10:38,582
And privileges
appertaining thereto.
1281
01:10:38,756 --> 01:10:41,237
Thank you, Dr. Hamon.
Thank you very much.
1282
01:10:41,411 --> 01:10:44,414
Think about this.
The Reverend Johnny Cash.
1283
01:10:44,588 --> 01:10:46,111
That's what he was now.
1284
01:10:46,285 --> 01:10:49,636
He was an ordained minister
of the Gospel.
1285
01:10:49,810 --> 01:10:53,249
That doesn't go with the image
many people have of Cash.
1286
01:10:53,423 --> 01:10:56,339
And it's my privilege,
as a Christian,
to study the Word of God.
1287
01:10:56,513 --> 01:10:58,906
But I accept the degree
as recognition of the fact
1288
01:10:59,080 --> 01:11:02,867
that I am in the Word of God
and trying to grow in it.
1289
01:11:03,041 --> 01:11:04,782
You know,
it's an interesting thing.
1290
01:11:04,956 --> 01:11:07,828
Johnny's brother, Jack,
wanted to be a pastor,
1291
01:11:08,002 --> 01:11:09,613
and Johnny wanted
to be a singer.
1292
01:11:09,787 --> 01:11:14,313
But now, Johnny Cash was
realizing Jack's dream,
1293
01:11:14,487 --> 01:11:17,273
and he was both a preacher
and a singer.
1294
01:11:17,447 --> 01:11:21,102
It was not a renunciation
of his career,
1295
01:11:21,277 --> 01:11:26,717
but certainly,
the focus distracted him
from his commercial career.
1296
01:11:26,891 --> 01:11:28,545
It was a price that
he was willing to pay.
1297
01:11:28,719 --> 01:11:31,112
I am a professional entertainer.
That's what I am.
1298
01:11:31,287 --> 01:11:33,680
If I have a calling,
that's what it is.
1299
01:11:33,854 --> 01:11:35,856
But I'm called to be
a Christian entertainer,
1300
01:11:36,030 --> 01:11:37,510
to be a Christian
before the world.
1301
01:11:37,684 --> 01:11:40,208
You see, entertaining
is communicating,
1302
01:11:40,383 --> 01:11:43,299
just like a preacher's job
is to communicate.
1303
01:11:43,473 --> 01:11:46,040
But I communicate through
the spirit of the song,
1304
01:11:46,214 --> 01:11:49,261
the meaning of the songs,
the words.
1305
01:11:49,435 --> 01:11:51,437
In the late '70s
and the '80s,
1306
01:11:51,611 --> 01:11:53,918
you would think John R. Cash
is at the top of the world.
1307
01:11:54,092 --> 01:11:55,746
He should've been.
1308
01:11:56,050 --> 01:11:58,052
He gets inducted into
the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1309
01:11:58,226 --> 01:12:00,446
Ladies and gentlemen,
the Country Music Hall of Fame
1310
01:12:00,620 --> 01:12:02,666
welcomes Mr. Johnny Cash.
1311
01:12:07,497 --> 01:12:09,890
I'd like to say to
all the new entertainers
1312
01:12:10,108 --> 01:12:12,197
that are coming on the scene,
to the young artists,
the singers,
1313
01:12:12,415 --> 01:12:14,547
do it your way.
1314
01:12:14,765 --> 01:12:16,593
Don't let yourself
get caught in a bag.
1315
01:12:16,810 --> 01:12:19,422
And I'd like to also say this
to all the new artists,
1316
01:12:19,639 --> 01:12:22,686
that, if you're concerned
about competition,
1317
01:12:22,903 --> 01:12:24,644
don't write me off yet,
1318
01:12:24,862 --> 01:12:26,864
because my dad, Ray Cash,
is sitting here tonight.
1319
01:12:27,038 --> 01:12:30,346
He's 83 years old,
and if God lets me live
that long,
1320
01:12:30,563 --> 01:12:33,697
that's 35 more years
that I'm gonna be out there
singing country songs.
1321
01:12:39,311 --> 01:12:43,315
During that time,
Ray is getting sick.
1322
01:12:43,489 --> 01:12:46,536
He is having to come to terms
1323
01:12:46,710 --> 01:12:48,146
with that relationship.
1324
01:12:49,626 --> 01:12:53,151
Johnny always
wanted the approval
of his father, Ray.
1325
01:12:53,325 --> 01:12:55,719
So when Johnny began
to be successful,
1326
01:12:55,893 --> 01:12:58,374
he took his mom and his dad.
1327
01:12:58,548 --> 01:13:02,639
He took them to the White House
when he was invited
by President Nixon.
1328
01:13:02,813 --> 01:13:06,382
Johnny was always trying
to impress his father.
1329
01:13:06,556 --> 01:13:10,124
And he said, "My father never
told me he loved me."
1330
01:13:10,298 --> 01:13:12,388
There. You gonna find--
1331
01:13:12,562 --> 01:13:14,520
During the time
that Ray was dying,
1332
01:13:14,694 --> 01:13:17,784
that was a very difficult time.
1333
01:13:18,002 --> 01:13:22,659
And you listen to Rainbow,
the last Columbia Record,
1334
01:13:22,833 --> 01:13:24,922
he sounds tired.
1335
01:13:25,096 --> 01:13:27,707
There's no other word to say
that he was tired.
1336
01:13:29,274 --> 01:13:31,319
He's gone from constant
chart-topping hits
1337
01:13:31,494 --> 01:13:34,279
to nothing on the charts
in just a few short years.
1338
01:13:34,453 --> 01:13:36,499
That's a strange place
1339
01:13:36,673 --> 01:13:39,632
for one of the biggest-selling
artists in the world to be.
1340
01:13:39,806 --> 01:13:42,548
Johnny was on top
for such a long time.
1341
01:13:42,722 --> 01:13:45,595
And then, one day,
1342
01:13:45,769 --> 01:13:47,945
Columbia Records dropped him.
1343
01:13:50,817 --> 01:13:52,776
It was devastating.
1344
01:13:52,950 --> 01:13:56,170
He felt betrayed and lost.
1345
01:13:57,476 --> 01:14:00,653
You're like a train
going forward, you know,
1346
01:14:00,827 --> 01:14:02,742
and now you have no track?
1347
01:14:02,960 --> 01:14:06,137
The label
he had been with for 28 years,
1348
01:14:06,311 --> 01:14:08,835
and whose doors
he kept open, was saying,
1349
01:14:09,053 --> 01:14:12,535
"We don't want you anymore.
You're not needed."
1350
01:14:12,752 --> 01:14:16,234
He suffered for his faith.
He didn't have to.
1351
01:14:16,452 --> 01:14:18,671
He could've kept that
to himself.
1352
01:14:18,889 --> 01:14:21,935
He did it because he thought
that that's what people needed,
1353
01:14:22,109 --> 01:14:25,286
to hear from somebody
who had lived a life
like he had,
1354
01:14:25,461 --> 01:14:28,638
a life of confusion,
a life of trouble.
1355
01:14:28,812 --> 01:14:31,989
He was
very disappointed
and lost for a while there.
1356
01:14:32,163 --> 01:14:34,731
The critics had
kind of turned away from him.
1357
01:14:34,905 --> 01:14:37,298
He was not happy
with that position.
1358
01:14:38,648 --> 01:14:41,041
The crowds at his shows
are shrinking.
1359
01:14:41,215 --> 01:14:44,218
Radio air play is
virtually non-existent.
1360
01:14:44,392 --> 01:14:50,529
It was
a humiliating experience
auditioning for 25 year olds
1361
01:14:50,703 --> 01:14:53,706
when he had already been
1362
01:14:53,880 --> 01:14:56,927
in the Country Music
Hall of Fame for six years.
1363
01:14:58,537 --> 01:15:03,455
And that left John
kind of back to where he was
with those producers
1364
01:15:03,629 --> 01:15:07,633
who didn't know him
and didn't get him
and didn't want to.
1365
01:15:07,807 --> 01:15:09,592
And just wanted product
1366
01:15:09,766 --> 01:15:13,421
and "let's just get the next
Johnny Cash record out."
1367
01:15:13,596 --> 01:15:17,600
And he stopped caring
and going into the studio,
1368
01:15:17,774 --> 01:15:19,863
and he had nothing
to say anymore.
1369
01:15:20,211 --> 01:15:23,562
They didn't wanna listen to him,
and he didn't wanna
tell them anything.
1370
01:15:23,736 --> 01:15:25,695
He thought
his career was over.
1371
01:15:29,829 --> 01:15:33,441
While he was doing
one of his regular shows
in Southern California,
1372
01:15:33,616 --> 01:15:37,010
this character
with a big beard
came backstage,
1373
01:15:37,228 --> 01:15:39,230
and the man's name
was Rick Rubin.
1374
01:15:39,404 --> 01:15:42,189
And that was the beginning.
1375
01:15:43,277 --> 01:15:45,584
I got hungry
to be back in the studio,
1376
01:15:45,802 --> 01:15:49,196
to be creative,
to put something down
for the fans to hear.
1377
01:15:49,414 --> 01:15:51,895
And about that time
that I got to feeling
that way,
1378
01:15:52,069 --> 01:15:55,942
my manager came to me
and talked to me about a man
called Rick Rubin.
1379
01:15:56,116 --> 01:15:59,380
Rick came back
after the show and said
basically to my father,
1380
01:15:59,555 --> 01:16:03,167
"I wanna make the music with you
that you've always
dreamed of making.
1381
01:16:03,341 --> 01:16:05,256
Let's focus on you.
1382
01:16:05,604 --> 01:16:08,215
Let's make this album
the most beautiful music
you've ever made."
1383
01:16:08,389 --> 01:16:10,348
When I said,
"What're you gonna do with me
1384
01:16:10,522 --> 01:16:13,786
that nobody else has been able
to do to sell records with me?"
1385
01:16:13,960 --> 01:16:16,441
And he said,
"Well, I don't know
that we will sell records."
1386
01:16:16,615 --> 01:16:19,313
He said, "I would like you
to go with me
1387
01:16:19,487 --> 01:16:24,928
and sit in my living room
with a guitar
and two microphones,
1388
01:16:25,102 --> 01:16:26,712
and just sing
to your heart's content
1389
01:16:26,930 --> 01:16:29,106
everything you ever
wanted to record."
1390
01:16:30,847 --> 01:16:33,197
I said,
"That sounds good to me."
1391
01:16:33,371 --> 01:16:37,418
The next ten years,
from 1993 to 2003,
1392
01:16:37,593 --> 01:16:41,553
by some, was claimed
the Second Coming,
some, the Third Coming,
1393
01:16:41,727 --> 01:16:45,209
some said it was
the Fourth Coming
with Johnny Cash.
1394
01:16:45,383 --> 01:16:47,428
He went into the studio
with Rick Rubin
1395
01:16:47,603 --> 01:16:49,126
and the first
American Recordingsalbum
1396
01:16:49,300 --> 01:16:50,780
was just my father
with his guitar.
1397
01:16:50,954 --> 01:16:52,477
Johnny Cash was that good.
1398
01:16:52,651 --> 01:16:54,479
He could just sit down
with a guitar and sing,
1399
01:16:54,653 --> 01:16:56,829
and it was powerful.
1400
01:16:57,003 --> 01:17:00,485
You can hear
the intimate story of the song.
1401
01:17:00,659 --> 01:17:03,140
You can hear the beauty
of my father's voice.
1402
01:17:05,011 --> 01:17:07,448
And if I didn't like
the performance on that song,
1403
01:17:07,623 --> 01:17:10,713
I would keep trying it
until it felt...
1404
01:17:10,887 --> 01:17:13,759
that it was coming out of me
and my guitar
and my voice as one,
1405
01:17:13,977 --> 01:17:16,283
that it was right for my soul.
1406
01:17:18,024 --> 01:17:20,810
Under the guidance
of Rick Rubin,
1407
01:17:21,027 --> 01:17:24,030
Johnny Cash took it
all the way back to the sound
that he had in the beginning.
1408
01:17:24,204 --> 01:17:27,686
Just the man and song
and guitar. Authentic.
1409
01:17:27,860 --> 01:17:31,559
That authenticity spoke
to an entirely different
generation of people
1410
01:17:31,777 --> 01:17:34,171
who had never heard
of Johnny Cash before.
1411
01:17:34,388 --> 01:17:37,827
It also spoke to a generation
of Johnny Cash followers
1412
01:17:38,001 --> 01:17:42,614
who longed to see him ride
the top of the sunrise
one more time.
1413
01:17:47,445 --> 01:17:51,405
But while everyone was
looking at John,
June slipped away.
1414
01:17:54,104 --> 01:17:57,498
June went
through a heart valve
replacement surgery,
1415
01:17:57,673 --> 01:18:02,939
but the next night,
it, uh, it fails.
1416
01:18:04,984 --> 01:18:07,204
It was hard.
It was real hard for John.
1417
01:18:10,642 --> 01:18:14,907
As you get older,
you lose so many friends.
1418
01:18:16,430 --> 01:18:18,215
And every time
you lose a friend,
1419
01:18:18,389 --> 01:18:22,828
you feel a little piece
of your own life has been lost.
1420
01:18:23,002 --> 01:18:25,788
And when my mother
passed away, Dad came to me
and he said,
1421
01:18:25,962 --> 01:18:30,531
"You know, I was more in love
with your mom
than I ever had been."
1422
01:18:30,749 --> 01:18:33,099
When people
would come in to try
to comfort him,
1423
01:18:33,317 --> 01:18:37,190
he was comforting
them even more.
1424
01:18:37,364 --> 01:18:39,715
He understood the race
had been run well,
1425
01:18:39,932 --> 01:18:42,239
and that she was
in a better place.
1426
01:18:42,413 --> 01:18:44,241
He was still teaching us
about life
1427
01:18:44,415 --> 01:18:47,157
up until the very last day
he was on this Earth.
1428
01:18:50,464 --> 01:18:52,858
- Are you bitter?
- Bitter?
1429
01:18:53,032 --> 01:18:54,555
- Yeah. Angry?
- No.
1430
01:18:54,730 --> 01:18:56,470
You know, you're a young guy.
You're only 70.
1431
01:18:56,644 --> 01:18:59,125
No, I'm not bitter.
Why should I be bitter?
1432
01:18:59,299 --> 01:19:01,432
I'm thrilled to death with life.
1433
01:19:01,606 --> 01:19:03,390
- So you have no regrets?
- No regrets.
1434
01:19:03,564 --> 01:19:05,828
And no anger at,
"Why did God do this to me?"
1435
01:19:06,002 --> 01:19:07,873
Oh, no. No.
1436
01:19:08,047 --> 01:19:11,007
I'm the last one
that would be angry at God.
1437
01:19:11,181 --> 01:19:13,400
He was steadfast in that.
1438
01:19:13,574 --> 01:19:15,228
He did not waver in that.
1439
01:19:15,402 --> 01:19:20,364
He took what God wanted him
to bear, and he did.
1440
01:19:20,538 --> 01:19:24,150
I have unshakable faith.
I've never been angry with God.
1441
01:19:24,324 --> 01:19:26,979
I've never turned my back
on God, so to speak.
1442
01:19:27,153 --> 01:19:29,547
I never thought
that God wasn't there.
1443
01:19:29,765 --> 01:19:33,377
See, He's my counselor.
He's my wisdom.
1444
01:19:33,551 --> 01:19:36,162
Only good things in my life
come from Him.
1445
01:19:36,336 --> 01:19:38,034
- Looking back
at all that you've done...
- Ahem.
1446
01:19:38,208 --> 01:19:40,079
...do you have any regrets
about what you've done?
1447
01:19:40,253 --> 01:19:42,952
I used to,
but I forgave myself.
1448
01:19:43,126 --> 01:19:45,215
When God forgave me,
I figured I'd better do it, too.
1449
01:19:45,389 --> 01:19:47,739
Where do you think
we go, afterwards?
1450
01:19:47,913 --> 01:19:49,915
Where do we go?
1451
01:19:50,089 --> 01:19:51,830
- When we die, you mean?
- Yeah.
1452
01:19:52,004 --> 01:19:53,919
Oh.
1453
01:19:54,093 --> 01:19:56,095
Well, we all hope
to go to Heaven.
1454
01:19:58,271 --> 01:20:00,665
I ask him, I said,
"You mad at anybody?"
1455
01:20:00,839 --> 01:20:03,146
He said, "I'm not mad
at anybody."
1456
01:20:03,320 --> 01:20:05,235
And I said, "Do you got
any forgiveness
1457
01:20:05,409 --> 01:20:07,193
you've not yet been able
to do with anybody?"
1458
01:20:07,367 --> 01:20:10,457
He says, "No.
I've forgiven everybody
1459
01:20:10,631 --> 01:20:13,896
and I hope everybody's
forgiven me that thought
that I should."
1460
01:20:14,070 --> 01:20:16,550
Everything inside me
felt peaceful
1461
01:20:16,724 --> 01:20:20,380
after that conversation,
that he settled up.
1462
01:20:20,554 --> 01:20:22,034
He was in good standing.
1463
01:20:24,341 --> 01:20:28,171
The final triumph
for him was the masterpiece
called "Hurt".
1464
01:20:31,652 --> 01:20:33,741
That was a big moment.
1465
01:20:34,090 --> 01:20:36,048
I think what was shocking
for a lot of people was
how frail Johnny was,
1466
01:20:36,222 --> 01:20:40,139
but at the same time,
how he still maintained
1467
01:20:40,313 --> 01:20:44,013
that strength
that we knew him for.
1468
01:20:44,187 --> 01:20:46,145
But more than that,
what struck me
1469
01:20:46,319 --> 01:20:50,628
was the bravery
that he was willing
to let it all hang out.
1470
01:20:57,678 --> 01:21:02,118
♪ I hurt myself today ♪
1471
01:21:03,206 --> 01:21:07,340
♪ To see if I still feel ♪
1472
01:21:09,125 --> 01:21:11,431
When he was recording,
I say, "You sure
you wanna do this?"
1473
01:21:11,605 --> 01:21:13,651
I said, "It's heavy. It's dark."
1474
01:21:13,825 --> 01:21:16,262
You know? He said, "It's real."
1475
01:21:16,436 --> 01:21:19,483
It just was true. It was true.
1476
01:21:20,701 --> 01:21:23,008
He was wearing his humanity
on his sleeve
1477
01:21:23,182 --> 01:21:24,314
for everyone to see.
1478
01:21:25,663 --> 01:21:28,318
That's where art is
at its most impactful,
1479
01:21:28,492 --> 01:21:30,407
is when it strikes someone
1480
01:21:30,581 --> 01:21:32,148
and they have to ingest it,
1481
01:21:32,322 --> 01:21:35,673
digest it enough to understand
1482
01:21:35,847 --> 01:21:38,197
"how does this make me feel?"
and "where am I in this"?
1483
01:21:40,417 --> 01:21:42,680
Dad was excited.
He was just like a kid.
1484
01:21:42,854 --> 01:21:45,639
He was just like,
"Man, this is great! It's gonna
be a big hit!
1485
01:21:45,813 --> 01:21:47,119
Everybody's gonna love it!"
1486
01:21:48,425 --> 01:21:52,255
The guy was as willing
to show up real as it gets.
1487
01:21:52,429 --> 01:21:54,692
To expose himself
that way,
1488
01:21:54,866 --> 01:21:57,260
at the age that he was,
and after the career
that he's had,
1489
01:21:57,434 --> 01:22:00,132
it was just all things at once.
1490
01:22:01,525 --> 01:22:04,310
♪ And you could have it all ♪
1491
01:22:06,486 --> 01:22:10,447
♪ My empire of dirt ♪
1492
01:22:12,275 --> 01:22:16,105
This is so honest that it's
devastatingly beautiful.
1493
01:22:16,279 --> 01:22:18,759
I mean,
it makes you emotional
just thinking about it.
1494
01:22:18,934 --> 01:22:20,587
Every artist wish
they could have
1495
01:22:20,761 --> 01:22:22,459
sort of a swan song like that.
1496
01:22:22,633 --> 01:22:24,809
But we have
to realize something.
1497
01:22:24,983 --> 01:22:27,420
He didn't necessarily
see it as a swan song.
1498
01:22:27,594 --> 01:22:31,120
He saw it as just an accurate
statement about his life
1499
01:22:31,294 --> 01:22:32,817
and who he was
and where he'd been.
1500
01:22:33,035 --> 01:22:35,733
♪ I would keep myself ♪
1501
01:22:38,301 --> 01:22:42,609
♪ I would find a way. ♪
1502
01:22:50,269 --> 01:22:52,184
He was
always the realist.
He was always the artist.
1503
01:22:52,358 --> 01:22:56,319
He always wanted truth,
all the way until the end.
1504
01:22:59,148 --> 01:23:01,367
Johnny asked me
what I thought about the song.
1505
01:23:01,541 --> 01:23:04,501
I said, "I think
it's the greatest song
in your whole career,
1506
01:23:04,675 --> 01:23:06,633
because you poured out
your life.
1507
01:23:06,807 --> 01:23:10,333
The good, the bad,
and the ugly."
1508
01:23:12,291 --> 01:23:16,556
In an unusual way,
"Hurt" was a gospel song, too,
1509
01:23:16,730 --> 01:23:19,559
because it set up
what he wanted to say,
1510
01:23:19,733 --> 01:23:21,779
the way he looked at things.
1511
01:23:22,910 --> 01:23:26,001
I think
there was something
in Johnny's mind that said,
1512
01:23:26,175 --> 01:23:29,526
"I have to leave people
with a thought."
1513
01:23:29,700 --> 01:23:31,397
It makes perfect sense
1514
01:23:31,571 --> 01:23:35,358
that that was the last song
we remember Johnny for.
1515
01:23:37,534 --> 01:23:41,494
He grew old full
of grace and full of strength,
spiritually,
1516
01:23:41,668 --> 01:23:44,976
which kept him as long
as it did physically.
1517
01:23:49,198 --> 01:23:52,940
But "Hurt"
was kind of, I suppose,
the beginning of the end.
1518
01:23:53,115 --> 01:23:55,073
Didn't wanna admit it,
1519
01:23:55,291 --> 01:23:57,815
but I saw that light fading
in his eyes a little bit.
1520
01:23:58,033 --> 01:23:59,251
He was getting tired.
1521
01:24:00,948 --> 01:24:02,776
Family
would come and visit
1522
01:24:02,950 --> 01:24:07,738
and those visits,
they had an air
of finality to them.
1523
01:24:07,912 --> 01:24:11,176
He does not expect
that he's going to live.
1524
01:24:18,792 --> 01:24:23,014
He called me
over to his house one day,
just close to the end.
1525
01:24:23,188 --> 01:24:25,451
And he said, "Baby, sit down.
I gotta talk to you."
1526
01:24:25,625 --> 01:24:28,019
And when he said that,
I knew it was serious.
1527
01:24:28,193 --> 01:24:30,630
He said, "I wanna
ask you a question."
1528
01:24:30,804 --> 01:24:33,459
He said, "If you walked
on the shores of Galilee
1529
01:24:33,633 --> 01:24:36,941
and you looked up and you saw
Jesus walking toward you,
1530
01:24:37,115 --> 01:24:40,336
and you knew He was gonna say
just one thing to you,
1531
01:24:40,510 --> 01:24:43,295
what do you think He'd say?"
1532
01:24:43,469 --> 01:24:46,994
Well, chills went all over me.
I didn't know how to answer it.
1533
01:24:47,169 --> 01:24:48,648
I said, "Well,
I would hope He'd say
1534
01:24:48,822 --> 01:24:50,476
I'm doing
what He called me to do,
1535
01:24:50,650 --> 01:24:52,435
and that He's pleased
with that."
1536
01:24:52,609 --> 01:24:55,046
And Johnny looked at me
and he said,
1537
01:24:55,220 --> 01:24:58,267
"He would say to you,
'Feed my sheep.'"
1538
01:24:58,441 --> 01:25:00,225
I said, "Yeah, He would.
1539
01:25:00,399 --> 01:25:02,619
What do you think
He would say to you?"
1540
01:25:02,793 --> 01:25:06,013
And he said, "Oh baby,
that's easy."
1541
01:25:06,188 --> 01:25:09,234
He had tears
rolling down his face
and he said,
1542
01:25:09,408 --> 01:25:12,107
"Come unto me all you that labor
and are heavy-laden
1543
01:25:12,281 --> 01:25:15,545
and I'll give you rest,
for my yoke is easy
1544
01:25:15,719 --> 01:25:17,242
and my burden is light."
1545
01:25:19,244 --> 01:25:22,508
Johnny had many burdens
that he carried
throughout his life.
1546
01:25:22,682 --> 01:25:27,644
There's the burden
of losing his brother Jack
in a tragic accident,
1547
01:25:27,818 --> 01:25:31,126
the burden of the failure
of his first marriage,
1548
01:25:31,300 --> 01:25:35,260
the burden of the bad decisions
he had made throughout
his life and his career,
1549
01:25:35,434 --> 01:25:36,870
and the people that he had hurt.
1550
01:25:37,044 --> 01:25:39,743
But here's Jesus saying,
"Come to me,"
1551
01:25:39,917 --> 01:25:41,527
and as another translation
puts it,
1552
01:25:41,701 --> 01:25:44,400
"I will refresh you with rest."
1553
01:25:44,574 --> 01:25:47,098
Johnny was telling me,
"I'm going home.
1554
01:25:47,272 --> 01:25:49,492
You do what God calls you to do.
1555
01:25:49,666 --> 01:25:52,364
I'm going home. It's okay."
1556
01:25:54,671 --> 01:25:56,673
I went
over to his house
1557
01:25:56,847 --> 01:25:59,284
and I was about to go
on the road,
1558
01:25:59,458 --> 01:26:02,983
and I just wanted to go
check in on him, hug his neck,
tell him I love him.
1559
01:26:03,158 --> 01:26:06,073
And I had recorded
a song of his called
"The Walls of a Prison"
1560
01:26:06,248 --> 01:26:07,945
that I wanted to play for him.
1561
01:26:08,119 --> 01:26:11,470
And so, I played it for him
and I sat at his feet.
1562
01:26:11,644 --> 01:26:14,343
He put his hand on me and said,
"Excellent, son."
1563
01:26:14,517 --> 01:26:16,910
He said, "You got it."
1564
01:26:17,084 --> 01:26:18,956
I knew he didn't wanna
hang out too long,
1565
01:26:19,130 --> 01:26:20,958
so we talked a minute,
and before I left the room,
1566
01:26:21,132 --> 01:26:22,960
he said, "Is there anything
in this room you want?"
1567
01:26:23,134 --> 01:26:25,963
I said, "Just your love."
He said, "You got that."
1568
01:26:26,137 --> 01:26:27,834
And as I was about to leave,
1569
01:26:28,095 --> 01:26:31,447
he was sitting in his wheelchair
with his back to the window
1570
01:26:31,621 --> 01:26:34,450
and the late afternoon light
was coming in.
1571
01:26:34,624 --> 01:26:36,191
And I had my camera
all in my bag.
1572
01:26:36,365 --> 01:26:40,107
And I said, "J.R.,
let me take your picture."
1573
01:26:40,282 --> 01:26:42,197
And there was, like,
four frames,
1574
01:26:42,632 --> 01:26:45,243
and the first three
he just kinda looked
like this. I said, "J.R."
1575
01:26:45,417 --> 01:26:47,941
He reared up and he looked
like an old president.
1576
01:26:48,115 --> 01:26:50,117
And when I got the negatives
back,
1577
01:26:50,292 --> 01:26:51,641
I went, "There's the picture."
1578
01:26:54,774 --> 01:26:56,950
Before I left the room,
I said, "How's your spirit?"
1579
01:26:57,124 --> 01:26:59,388
He said, "Good." I said,
"You got plenty of rope left?"
1580
01:26:59,562 --> 01:27:01,825
He said, "I got plenty of rope."
I said, "All right.
1581
01:27:01,999 --> 01:27:04,436
I'll be home in 10 days,"
whatever it was.
1582
01:27:04,610 --> 01:27:08,571
I didn't think it would come
while I was gone on that trip.
But it did.
1583
01:27:11,226 --> 01:27:14,011
It's the death of a legend,
our top story this half hour.
1584
01:27:14,229 --> 01:27:15,708
Johnny Cash is gone.
1585
01:27:15,926 --> 01:27:17,232
The country music world
is saying goodbye
1586
01:27:17,406 --> 01:27:19,799
to the legendary Man in Black.
1587
01:27:19,973 --> 01:27:23,194
I was on the way home
from a concert
on the East Coast.
1588
01:27:23,368 --> 01:27:25,283
And at three in the morning,
1589
01:27:25,501 --> 01:27:28,199
somebody pulled the curtain
back in the bus and said,
1590
01:27:28,373 --> 01:27:29,896
"Johnny Cash died."
1591
01:27:32,943 --> 01:27:35,337
I cried and cried and cried,
1592
01:27:35,511 --> 01:27:37,948
I felt the cutting of the pain,
1593
01:27:38,122 --> 01:27:40,994
and then I quietly
said goodbye,
1594
01:27:41,212 --> 01:27:43,083
"so long, in Jesus' name.
1595
01:27:43,301 --> 01:27:47,697
Dark bird, watch you fly
1596
01:27:47,914 --> 01:27:51,657
Dark bird, to another sky
1597
01:27:51,875 --> 01:27:56,706
And I'll bet you were a sight,
when you hit that cloud of love
1598
01:27:56,880 --> 01:27:59,012
And flew out the other side
1599
01:27:59,230 --> 01:28:00,797
In the form of a dove
1600
01:28:02,059 --> 01:28:03,452
Dark bird."
1601
01:28:05,845 --> 01:28:08,195
I know
we'll see him again.
I know we'll see him again.
1602
01:28:08,370 --> 01:28:10,459
And that's my blessed hope.
1603
01:28:10,633 --> 01:28:14,071
That was a hard time. It's hard.
1604
01:28:14,245 --> 01:28:16,116
I can live in a world
without "Johnny Cash,"
1605
01:28:16,291 --> 01:28:17,553
but I miss my brother.
1606
01:28:19,032 --> 01:28:20,425
I sure do miss him.
1607
01:28:23,428 --> 01:28:28,651
On his tombstone,
Johnny Cash had Psalm 19:14
written down,
1608
01:28:28,825 --> 01:28:31,218
which says,
"Let the words of my mouth
1609
01:28:31,393 --> 01:28:33,830
and the meditation of my heart
1610
01:28:34,004 --> 01:28:38,138
be acceptable
in your sight, O Lord."
1611
01:28:38,313 --> 01:28:41,185
You know, David, in his Psalms,
would write about his doubts,
1612
01:28:41,359 --> 01:28:44,493
his struggles,
the challenges that he faced,
1613
01:28:44,667 --> 01:28:46,103
and he would cry out to God.
1614
01:28:46,277 --> 01:28:48,018
Well, Johnny wrote
about those things, too.
1615
01:28:48,192 --> 01:28:51,543
He sang about trains
and murder and betrayal.
1616
01:28:51,717 --> 01:28:55,199
But he also sang about faith,
hope, and redemption.
1617
01:28:56,853 --> 01:29:00,813
To me, Johnny Cash is
the face of Redemption.
1618
01:29:02,206 --> 01:29:05,383
All of us who are believers,
have sinned,
1619
01:29:05,557 --> 01:29:09,082
we've all needed
that redemption. I know I have.
1620
01:29:09,256 --> 01:29:11,084
He showed us the way to go.
1621
01:29:11,258 --> 01:29:12,869
He gave us an example.
1622
01:29:13,913 --> 01:29:15,698
Even though my father
didn't necessarily
1623
01:29:15,872 --> 01:29:20,050
always live every step
correctly and true,
1624
01:29:20,224 --> 01:29:23,532
he knew the truth,
he believed the truth,
1625
01:29:23,706 --> 01:29:25,534
and he could speak the truth.
1626
01:29:25,708 --> 01:29:27,536
And just
because you have faith
1627
01:29:27,710 --> 01:29:29,581
doesn't mean you always make
the right decision.
1628
01:29:29,755 --> 01:29:33,803
But what it does guarantee is,
you'll have that foundation,
1629
01:29:33,977 --> 01:29:36,980
something that,
when you do fall,
something that will catch you.
1630
01:29:37,154 --> 01:29:39,504
And it's easy to point
to someone like a Johnny Cash,
1631
01:29:39,678 --> 01:29:41,811
and say,
"Oh, that guy took drugs."
1632
01:29:41,985 --> 01:29:44,814
Well, we all screw up,
every last one of us.
1633
01:29:44,988 --> 01:29:48,470
But God gave him the strength,
God gave him the grace,
1634
01:29:48,644 --> 01:29:51,429
and good people around him
to encourage him.
1635
01:29:53,300 --> 01:29:55,259
He tried,
to his last breath
1636
01:29:55,433 --> 01:29:57,435
to live right
and do the right thing.
1637
01:29:57,653 --> 01:29:59,829
But he was a human being
along the way.
1638
01:30:01,613 --> 01:30:05,138
Johnny's story is--
If that's not proof
that there is hope,
1639
01:30:05,312 --> 01:30:08,185
then I don't know
where else we can find it.
1640
01:30:10,883 --> 01:30:13,538
The strength
to get up and keep going,
it took more than energy.
1641
01:30:13,712 --> 01:30:16,367
He didn't have any energy.
It was faith.
1642
01:30:17,977 --> 01:30:21,067
I have had
many people come to me saying,
1643
01:30:21,241 --> 01:30:23,809
"I'm born-again
because of Johnny Cash,
1644
01:30:23,983 --> 01:30:27,596
because of his life
and his stand for Christ."
1645
01:30:27,770 --> 01:30:30,033
He gave them
something to believe in,
1646
01:30:30,207 --> 01:30:33,819
hope that there's a better way.
1647
01:30:33,993 --> 01:30:37,649
I don't think
that you can find a musician
over the last 50 years
1648
01:30:37,823 --> 01:30:42,393
that hasn't been influenced
in some way by Johnny Cash.
1649
01:30:42,611 --> 01:30:45,527
The Bibletells us
that the Christian life
is like a race.
1650
01:30:45,701 --> 01:30:48,094
There were
some stumbles and falls,
1651
01:30:48,268 --> 01:30:51,271
but the key is,
he ran his race to the end,
1652
01:30:51,446 --> 01:30:53,491
and he finished well.
1653
01:30:54,492 --> 01:30:55,885
That's what I love
about Johnny Cash,
1654
01:30:56,059 --> 01:30:58,931
is the fact
that he's willing to say,
1655
01:30:59,105 --> 01:31:01,412
"You know, I'm just a guy."
1656
01:31:04,981 --> 01:31:07,026
I think a lot of people
are realizing
1657
01:31:07,200 --> 01:31:10,029
what a great man he was
and what a good man he was,
1658
01:31:10,203 --> 01:31:12,771
and that he was a Christian
throughout it all.
1659
01:31:14,599 --> 01:31:17,428
He would want people
to see his story
1660
01:31:17,602 --> 01:31:19,430
and find a way to strengthen
their own life,
1661
01:31:19,604 --> 01:31:21,519
to show love.
1662
01:31:39,189 --> 01:31:41,104
He was a man
after God's heart,
1663
01:31:41,278 --> 01:31:45,456
and that's who John R. Cash
from Arkansas was.
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