The story here is, I wrote this song just prior to Johnny Cash's death. Producer Bob Johnston (Folsom Prison Blues, Nashville Skyline) got hold of it, really liked the lyric though he 'didn't care as much' for the music. Anyway he optioned it and a whole lotta nothing happened soon thereafter --not to mention long thereafter too. Unfortunately, the great Johnny Cash passed away within weeks of my writing this. Tom Saputo put the music to the lyric. So at Bob's urging, I changed the lyric a bit to make it more of a retrospective. I've wanted to do a video for awhile and I'm glad that I finally did.
 
The 'man walking on the horizon' is from Kris Kristofferson's magnificent 'This Old Road' video (c) 2005 which by the way is a great song too. Wow, Shel Silverstein and Kristofferson. That's when they really wrote songs!

Cash Me Out (N. Ball/T. Saputo)

Well he didn't have a fancy trill
like lead singers of today.
His soul just trembled in his throat
and his gut would lead the way.
His songs were drenched in sorrow
like an Appalachian rain,
full of hardluck times and tell-tale signs
that tomorrow held more pain.

Chorus:
Cash me out today, we've lost ole Johnny.
He's up and joined his precious angel June.
If its darkest just before the light, don't it figure
that the man-in-black could light the darkest room?

While others tried to push their luck
with the same ole' borrowed style,
well he pushed himself from hell to hymn
like a man on borrowed time.
His voice had business with your soul
in an eerie sort of way,
not singing in the normal sense
--more like God-come-down-to-play.

Chorus:
Cash me out today, we lost ole Johnny.
He's up and joined his precious angel June.
If its darkest just before the light, don't it figure
that the man-in-black could light the darkest room?

If prison is a holding cell
for interrupted dreams,
John woke 'em up one Folsom night
to the sound of tracks and steam.
Well I've heard that train come round the bend
a million times or more.
It built a station in my heart
where a bar-stool was before.

His Sunday mornings sobered up
when John came down to the Lord.
No better pilgrim walked this land
nor preached a truer word.
But he never laid it on too thick.
He respected us too much.
He just preached his heart and dropped the stick,
an' he kept his common touch

Chorus:
Cash me out today, we lost ole Johnny
he's up and joined his precious angel June
if its darkest just before the light, don't it figure
that the man-in-black could light the darkest room?

Refrain:
No ring of fire could ring him in.
No straight line broke his stride
No hammer beat him down for good
No name could steal his pride

The line he walked well that was our line too,
though at times we couldn't see.
'Cause it takes a man to blaze a trail
and set his brothers free.

Chorus...

Copyright 2003, Norman Ball