Johnny Cash: The Life in Lyrics

In this satisfying outing, music historian Stielper and record producer Carter Cash (House of Cash) delve into the stories behind 125 of Johnny Cash’s songs. In commentary that runs alongside the song lyrics, Stielper delves into Cash’s ruinous issues with addiction, his Christianity (an ordained minister, Cash expressed his “fervent” faith in such songs as 1959’s “It Was Jesus”), and his romance with fellow country superstar June Carter Cash, whom he met in 1956 and fell in love with when both were married to other people (she wrote “Ring of Fire” to express her “torment” over their early relationship; they married in 1968). Occasionally, the book introduces readers to real people Cash fictionalized in his songs, such as H. Ballard Harris, who inspired 1967’s “Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station.” Elsewhere, Carter Cash offers candid reflections on both of his parents, including his father’s advice to him when he fell into addiction (“Finding peace and salvation is in your blood, son, and you’ll find it too”). Supported by a wealth of photographs and Cash’s handwritten notes, this catalog provides solid—if not entirely groundbreaking—insight into the country music singer’s much-mythologized life and creative genius. Though some may balk at the tendency to tip into hyperbole—as when Carter Cash calls “Route 1, Box 144,” a song about a soldier killed in wartime, the “greatest argument for peace ever devised”—devoted fans will find their sentiments echoed and their listening enhanced. Illus. (Nov.)