Liner Notes

Once more the great Johnny Cash offers a group of superb interpretations of some unusually interesting songs, many of them of his own composition. The folk ballad has a long and fascinating history, and from the genre have come some of America's finest songs, giving glimpses of history, of life as it was lived years ago and of many varieties of human experience. With the increasing speed and complexity of life these days, not many new ballads are being written, but among those that are, the ones from the pen of Johnny Cash stand at the top, and he presents some of his newest in this album, along with some old favorites for perspective.

Gifted with a voice particularly well suited for folk ballads, Johnny Cash also brings to them a special kind of understanding that heightens their impact. As he has demonstrated again and again, his warmth and sincerity build up a conviction that is shared by the listener, and, when he is singing his own songs, his performances are definitive.

He begins his program with Drink to Me, a kind of temperance message with echoes of Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes threaded through it; what is heard here is a more contemporary arrangement of the basic theme. In Five Feet High and Rising Johnny offers a singularly convincing ballad of flood waters and the imminent threat they provide, while The Man on the Hill is a ballad of hard times that might have originated in the dust bowls in the thirties. Hank and Joe and Me tells a story of waterless miners making their way across a desert, while Clementine is an outstanding example of the narrative ballad form. The Great Speckled Bird, which closes the first half of the program, is a widely-known ballad of the religious variety, with a mystic approach unusual in such music.

In the second portion, Johnny begins with I Want to Go Home, a lively number with a delightful, quiet humor, and then changes pace with The Caretaker, a mournful morality tale of a hermit who has withdrawn from the world. An air of authentic history is the special feature of Old Apache Squaw, while Don't Step on Mother's Roses is a sentimental tale told in terms of country music. My Grandfather's Clock, of course, is an old favorite, and Johnny concludes his program with the simple philosophy of It Could Be You.

Whether singing folk ballads, hymns or any kind of song Johnny Cash has proved himself one of the most versatile and popular artists of today. He comes naturally by his feeling for the ballad form, having heard many of them in his home town of Dyess, Arkansas, and having himself sung many of them to entertain his family and friends. As he gained experience, he also gained confidence in his singing and playing, and began to compose songs and ballads himself. When he took some of his work to record companies, his potential was recognized at once, and indeed his first four songs were all huge successes. Since that time, he has appeared as a member of the cast of the Grand Ole Opry, and has started out on an equally promising career in movies. In this collection of ballads, Johnny is heard at his finest, singing songs of outstanding interest in his inimitable and uniquely expressive style.

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Info

Personnel

• Johnny Cash - Arranger, Guitar, Vocals, Main Performer
• Al Casey - Guitar
• Luther Perkins - Guitar (Electric)
• Marshall Grant - Bass guitar
• Marvin Hughes - Piano
• Morris Palmer - Drums

 

Recorded:
July 24/1958, Bradley Film & Recording Studio, Nashville (1)
July 23/1959, Bradley Film & Recording Studio, Nashville (12)
March 12/1959, Bradley Film & Recording Studio, Nashville (2-11)

Charts

Singles - Billboard (North America)

One of Cash's earlier pseudo-concept albums, this doesn't exactly follow a specific theme like farming or hymns of the American land the whole way through. Rather, it's a collection of a dozen songs that generally are on the folkier and more Americana-centered side of Cash's repertoire, though of course such songs have always had a prominent place in his material. He bagged the songwriting credits for all but one of the songs on Songs of Our Soil, skillfully relaying tales of drinking, disastrous farm flooding ("Five Feet High and Rising"), the vicious circle of sharecropping ("The Man on the Hill"), death and burial ("The Caretaker"), Native Americana ("Old Apache Squaw"), and spiritual-like piety ("It Could Be You [Instead of Him]"). The death-in-the-desert tale of "Hank and Joe and Me" might get unintentionally camp with its rather jaunty depiction (complete with gospel-like backup choral vocals) of the narrator dying of thirst on a quest for gold. Although "J. Cash" gets the songwriting credit for "I Want to Go Home," in fact it's his version of the homesick sailor folk tale more commonly known as "Sloop John B," recorded elsewhere by the Weavers, the Kingston Trio, the Beach Boys, and others. It's a good set, though pretty short at 26 minutes, and lacking the hits or classics that decorate some of his other vaguely Americana concept albums. The 2002 CD reissue peps things up a bit with two bonus tracks, the singles "I Got Stripes" and "You Dreamer You," both recorded at the same March 12, 1959, session that yielded most of the songs on the original LP.

Re Issue Info

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Though not quite an overt concept album in the vein of the following year's RIDE THIS TRAIN, Johnny Cash's 1959 recording SONGS OF OUR SOIL is tied together by the theme of American folk music. One of Cash's earliest Columbia releases after his departure from Sun Records, this set features the Man in Black's typical gusto and the celebrated boom-chicka-boom shuffle of the Tennessee Two. Time-honored tunes include tales of "Clementine" and "The Great Speckle Bird" (sic), along with "I Want to Go Home" (more famously covered by the Beach Boys as "Sloop John B.").

Perhaps most notable, however, are the Cash originals "Five Feet High and Rising," a story of rural woe in the form of a flood, and "Old Apache Squaw," protesting the plight of Native Americans, a theme which Cash would later revisit. Clocking in at less than 30 minutes, this short-but-sweet album captures the country legend as he hits an artistic stride that would last throughout much of the following decade.

Lyrics

1.
DRINK TO ME
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

(Drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me)

A rose a carnation the lily and an orchid make such a pretty bouquet
But only the orchid was worthy of you so I threw all the others away
Then you took the orchid and you breathed on its petals and after a day or two
The flower still blooms but it scents not the orchids it carries the savor of you

(Drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me)

So if you're gonna drink to me drink with your eyes and I'll never cry for wine
Or leave a kiss in an empty coffee cup then pass it from your lips to mine
Cause I've got a thirst burning way down in my soul and honey from a sugar tree
Is not half as sweet as the air that you breathe
Honey come here and drink to me drink to me drink to me
(Drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me)
**********

2.
FIVE FEET HIGH AND RISING
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

How high is the water mama two feet high and rising
How high is the water papa she said it's two feet high and rising
But we can make it to the road in a homemade boat
Cause that's the only thing we got left that'll float
It's already over all the wheat and oats two feet high and rising
How high is the water mama three feet high and rising
How high is the water papa she said it's three feet high and rising
Well the hives are gone I lost my bees chickens're sleepin' in the willow trees
Cows in water up past their knees three feet high and rising
How high is the water mama four feet high and rising
How high is the water papa she said it's four feet high and rising
Hey come look through the window pane
The bus is coming gonna take us to the train
Looks like we'll be blessed with a little more rain four feet high and rising
How high is the water mama five feet high and rising
How high is the water papa she said it's five feet high and rising
Well the rails are washed out north of town we gotta head for higher ground
We can't come back till the water goes down five feet high and rising
Well it's five feet high and rising
**********

3.
MAN ON THE HILL
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

Will we get cold and hungry will times be very bad
When we're needin' bread and meat where we gonna get it dad
We'll get it from the man in the house on the hill
Yes we will from the man on the hill

Ploughin' time is over still the fields are bare
How we gonna make a livin' with twenty acres to share
I'll beg for more land from the man on the hill yes I will
I'll ask the man on the hill

I ain't got no Sunday shoes that I can wear to town
Papa reckon the boss has got a pair of hand-me-downs
I'll go and ask the man in the house on the hill yes I will
I'll ask the man on the hill

Maybe he will help us maybe we'll get by
But who's gonna pay the dyin' bills if we all should die
We'll leave it to the man in the sky when we die
Yes we'll leave it to the man in the sky
**********

4.
HANK AND JOE AND ME
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

In the desert where we searched for gold the days're hot the nights're cold
Hank and Joe and me walked on so bold and brave and free
For days and days we fought the heat I got so thirsty and I got so weak
And when I fell cause I couldn't go I heard Hank say to Joe
He's dyin' (dyin' dyin') for water hear him cryin' (cryin' cryin') for water
Well lay him down in the dust and sand he said Joe you know he's a dyin' man
Leave him there and let him die I can't stand to hear him cry for water
I don't remember how long I lay but when I awoke it was the break of day
Buzzards circled miles ahead I knew Hank and Joe were dead
My eyes were dimmed but I could see a bed of gold nuggets under me
Now I know that it won't be long till they decorate my bones
Cause I'm dyin' (dyin' dyin') for water can't help cryin' (cryin' cryin') for water
Well they laid me down in the dust and sand he said Joe you know he's a dyin' man
Leave him there and let him die I can't stand to hear him cry for water
He couldn't stand to hear me cry for water
**********

5.
CLEMENTINE
(Billy Mize - Buddy Mize)
« © '59 Central Songs, BMI »

(Oh my darling Clementine)

She knew that Cody was the man she wanted but she had waited nearly all her life
Just one more trip to town to tell the boys goodbye
Then he'd be back to take her for his wife (don't you worry) Clementine

Cody saddled up and left his darling then rode to town to celebrate his plan
He told 'em this would be his last carousing
I'm gonna settle down boys if I can (with my darling) Clementine

Someone said it must have been past midnight when Cody had to face a jealous man
Another story goes that no one really knows
But it seems there was a dancehall girl called Nan (don't you tell) Clementine

We do know that the shot or two was heard from some back room
Then there was a silence in the place
Just one more trip to town but all his chips were down
They found Cody lyin' on his face (softly callin') Clementine

So buddies make a monument to lay down at his head
Sure you hate to leave your pal behind
Mother help your daughter put her weddin' dress away
Cause Cody won't be ridin' back this time (to his darling) Clementine
**********

6.
GREAT SPECKLED BIRD
(Roy Carter - Guy Smith)
« © '36 Songs Of Universal, BMI »

What a beautiful thought I am thinking concerning the great speckled bird
And to know that my name is recorded on the pages of God's holy word
Desiring to lower her standards they watch every move that she makes
They long to find fault with her teaching but really she makes no mistakes
[ guitar ]
I am glad I have learned of her meekness I am glad that my name is on her book
For I want to be one never fearing the face of my Saviour to look
And when he come up descending from heaven on a cloud like he said in his word
I'll be joyfully carried to meet him on the wings of the great speckled bird
**********

7.
I WANT TO GO HOME
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

We sailed on the ship John B my grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night got into a fight
Well I feel so homesick I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B sail see how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore let me go home
Let me go home why don't you let me go home
Well I feel so homesick I wanna go home

The first mate he got drunk broke up the people's trunk
Constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone why don't you leave me alone
Well I feel so homesick I wanna go home

Then the cook he caught the fits threw out all of my grits
Then he took and ate up all of my corn
Let me go home why don't you let me go home
Well this is the worst trip since I have been born

So hoist up the John B sail...
**********

8.
CARETAKER
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

I live in the cemetery ol' caretaker they call me
In the wintertime I rake the leaves and in the summer I cut the weeds
When a funeral comes the people cry and pray
They bury their dead and they all go away
But through their grief I still can see their hate and greed and jealousy
So here I work and I somehow hide from a world that rushes by outside
And each night when I rest my head I'm contented as the peaceful death
But who's gonna cry when old John dies who's gonna cry when old John dies
Once I was a young man dashing with the girls
Now no one wants an old man I lost my handsome curls
But I wanna say when my time comes lay me facing the rising sun
Put me in the corner where where I buried my pup
Tell the preacher to pray then cover me up
Don't lay flowers where my head should be maybe God let some grow for me
And all the little children that I love like my own
Will they be sorry that old John's gone
Who's gonna cry when old John dies who's gonna cry when old John dies
**********

9.
OLD APACHE SQUAW
(Johnny Cash)
« © '58 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

Old Apache squaw how many long lean years you saw
How many bitter winter nights shiverin' in a cold teepee shiverin' in a cold teepee
Old Apache squaw how many hungry kids you saw
How many bloody warriors runnin' to the sea fleein' to the sea

Well now they tell me that you saw Cochise when he made his last stand
He said the next white man that sees my face is gonna be a dead white man
Old Apache squaw how many broken hearts you saw
Have you had misty eyes for years could that mist be tears could that mist be tears

Well now they tell me...
Old Apache squaw
**********

10.
DON'T STEP ON MOTHER'S ROSES
(Johnny Cash)
« © '59 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »

We all were called to come back to the old home on the farm
Mother's passed away what a mournful day
And as my daddy watched his eyes were filled with pain and hurt
When someone stepped upon a rose and crush it in the dirt

Don't step on mother's roses daddy cried
She planted them the day she was my bride
And everytime I see a rose I see her smilin' face
She made my darkest days look bright round the old homeplace

Don't step on mother's roses let them grow
The way they did since many years ago
They'll bloom for me each year and I'll have mother near
Don't step on mother's roses let them grow

Years have passed away and how the old homeplace has changed
Daddy had to go we all miss him so
Children pick the roses as they go along the way
But when their petals are abused I hear my daddy say

Don't step on mother's roses...
**********

11.
MY GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK
(arr. Johnny Cash)
« © '56 House Of Cash, BMI »

My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf
So it stood ninety years on the floor
It was taller by half than the old man himself
Though it weighed not a penniweight more
It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born
And was always his treasure and pride
But it stopped short never to go again when the old man died

Ninety years without slumbering his life second's numbering
It stopped short never to go again when the old man died

My grandfather said that of those he could hire
Not a servant so faithful he found
For it wasted no time and had but one desire
At the close of each week to be wound
And it kept in its place not a frown upon its face
And its hands never hung by its side
But it stopped short never to go again when the old man died
It rang and alarmed in the dead of the night
An alarm that for years had been dumb
And we knew that his spirit was plumbing for flight
That his hour for departure had come
Still the clock kept the time with a soft and muffled chime
As we silently stood by his side
But it stopped short never to go again when the old man died

Ninety years without slumbering...
**********

12.
IT COULD BE YOU (INSTEAD OF HIM)
(Vic McAlpin - Glenn D. Tubb)
« © '59 House Of Cash, BMI / Unichappell Music, BMI »

If you should meet some lonely soul who on this earth can't reach his gold
And he's travelin' down the road so dark and dim
Lend the hand say a prayer give a smile that he might share
But for the grace of God it could be you instead of him
(But for the grace of God it could be you instead of him)

Be friend each stranger in the night help to make his burdens light
Lift up the fallin' ones and be a friend
Shed a tear share a sight Share his fears don't pass him by
But for the grace of God it could be you instead of him
(It could be you instead of him)

Shed a tear share a sight...

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