Johnny Cash Quotes

I sang those old gospel songs for my mother, and she said, is that you? And I said, yes, ma'am. And she came over and put her arms around me and said, God's got his hands on you.

I'm so uncomfortable wearing colors in public. I really am. Even denim. If I've got a day off in a town, I want to go out for a walk I'll put on denim. But almost everything I've got the black on.

Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.

If you have political convictions... keep 'em to yourself

If I'm anything, I'm not a singer but I'm a song stylist.

After about three lessons [my] voice teacher said, "Don't take voice lessons. Do it your way. You're a song stylist. Always do it your way."

I was wearing black clothes almost from the beginning. I feel comfortable in black. I felt like black looked good onstage, that it was attractive, so I started wearing it all the time.

One day, I just decided I'm ready to go. So I went down with my guitar and sat on the front steps of Sam Phillips recording studio.

He went up to heaven, located his dog. Not only that, but he rejoined his arm.

Call him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer any more. Not the whiskey drinking Indian, nor the Marine that went to war.

God's the final judge for Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash too. That's solely in the hands of God.

Being rich means you get to worry about everything except money.

Sam Phillips always encouraged me to do it my way, to use whatever other influences I wanted, but never to copy...if there hadn't been a Sam Phillips, I might still be working in a cotton field.

When I was 17 - 16, my father and I cut wood all day long and I was swinging that crosscut saw and hauling wood.

I came to believe in a power much higher than I

I could wrap myself in the warm cocoon of a song and go anywhere.

San Quentin, may you rot and burn in hell. May your walls fall and may I live to tell.

[My mother] called [my voice] the gift.

I wear black for those who never read or listen to the words that Jesus said, about the road to happiness, through love and charity.

Canadian Railroad Trilogy is an extremely fine piece of songwriting.

I Walk The Line was my third record.

When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry.

He drank his first strong liquor then to calm his shaking hand, and tried to tell himself at last he had become a man.

When I was arrested I was dressed in black

It's all fleeting. As fame is fleeting, so are all the trappings of fame fleeting. The money, the clothes, the furniture.

Now that I know that I've needed you so, help me, Jesus. My soul's in your hand.

Of travel I've had my share, man, I've been everywhere.

I did [picking cotton] from - until I was 18 years old, that is. Then I picked the guitar, and I've been picking it since.

Understand your man, meditate on it.

I haven't been familiar with hard work. It was no problem for me. But first I hitchhiked to Pontiac, Mich. and got a job working in Fisher Body making those 1951 Pontiacs.

I wear black because I'm comfortable in it. But then in the summertime when it's hot I'm comfortable in light blue.

God gives us life and takes us away as He sees fit.

I love Bob Dylan, I really do. I love his early work, I love the first time he plugged in electrically, I love his Christian albums, I love his other albums.

You know, the man's best friend is his dog... if he's got nothing else.

I always loved those songs. And with my high tenor, I thought I was pretty good - you know? - almost as good as Dennis Day.

I wear the black for those who never read.

I had an empathy for prisoners and did concerts for them back when I thought that it would make a difference - you know? - that they really were there to be rehabilitated.

I developed a pretty unusual style, I think.

The hardest thing for me in Vietnam wasn't seeing the wounded and dead. It was watching the big transport jets come in, bringing loads of fresh new boys for the war.

Gospel music is so ingrained into my bones. I can't do a concert without singing a gospel song. It's what I was raised on.

However, neither he nor anyone else could have become the star Elvis was. Ain't nobody like Elvis. Never was.

When I record somebody else's song, I have to make it my own or it doesn't feel right. I'll say to myself, I wrote this and he doesn't know it!

When I get an idea for a song it would gel in my mind for weeks or months, and then one day just like that, Ill write it.

I worked there [on Pontiac] three weeks, got really sick of it, went back home and joined the Air Force.

Sam Phillips asked me to go write a love song, or maybe a bitter weeper. So I wrote a song called, "Cry Cry Cry," went back in and recorded that for the other side of the record.

It was kind of a prodding myself to play I Walk The Line straight.

My mother told me to keep on singing, and that kept me working through the cotton fields. She said God has his hand on you. You'll be singing for the world someday.

My mother always told me that any talent is a gift of God and I always believed it. If I quit, I would just live in front of the television and get fat and die pretty soon.

I say I'm not a singer, so that means I can't sing. But - doesn't it?

Sam Phillips responded most to a song of mine called, "Hey Porter," which was on the first record.