Blood, Sweat and Tears (album)

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Blood, Sweat and Tears
Studio album by Johnny Cash

Publication
(s)

1963

admission

June 7, 1962 - August 22, 1962

Label (s) Columbia Records

Genre (s)

Country music

Title (number)

9

running time

29:33

occupation
  • Johnny Cash, vocals, guitar
  • Bob Johnson, guitar, banjo

production

Don Law, Frank Jones

chronology
All Aboard the Blue Train Blood, Sweat and Tears Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash

Blood, Sweat and Tears is the 15th studio album by the American country singer Johnny Cash . It was released on Columbia Records in January 1963 and produced by Don Law and Frank Jones. It is a concept album that addresses the difficult life of workers.

Content of the songs

The musical work begins with the almost nine-minute long epic The Legend of John Henry's Hammer , which tells the story of the American folklore hero John Henry, who has to work at an early age because his father repeatedly ends up in prison and therefore not in the Is able to feed the extended family, which in the lyrics consists of about a dozen children. Henry later loses his job as machines become more and more important to industry. He takes up the challenge and competes against the machines and wins, but pays with his life for it.

Tell Him I'm Gone is a bluesy number that is about a worker who quits his job and moves away. Cash sings Another Man Done Gone a cappella with Anita Carter . The play tells the story of a prisoner who breaks out of prison and is hung from a tree. Casey Jones is based on the real train accident of 1900 , which is also an adaptation of a tradition from the States. Nine Pound Hammer is about mine workers who dream of simply quitting their work, while Chain Gang tells the story of prisoners who are chained together.

The song Busted , written by Harlan Howard , was later covered by Ray Charles and is about a desperate farmer who has no prospect of recovery. His hens no longer lay eggs, his cows no longer give milk, and after he has made up his mind to ask his brother for help, he must realize that he is in the same situation. He is now afraid of becoming a criminal out of desperation, but he is convinced that God will stand by him.

An old Jimmy Rodgers song, Waiting for a Train isthe sad tale of a day laborer who hopes to hop on a train to get home but is kicked out by the train driver in Texas. The conclusion is marked by Roughneck , who is about a man who intends to become a good-for-nothing and never achieve anything in life.

Track list

  1. "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer" (Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash ) - 9:03
  2. "Tell Him I'm Gone" (Cash) - 3:03
  3. "Another Man Done Gone" (Vera Hall, Alan Lomax , John Lomax , Ruby Tartt) - 2:35
  4. "Busted" ( Harlan Howard ) - 2:17
  5. "Casey Jones" (Cash) - 3:02
  6. "Nine Pound Hammer" ( Merle Travis ) - 3:15
  7. "Chain Gang" ( Harlan Howard ) - 2:40
  8. " Waiting for a Train " ( Jimmy Rodgers ) - 2:06
  9. "Roughneck" ( Sheb Wooley ) - 2:11

New recordings of individual pieces

Cash would re-record three songs from the album years later. Busted and The Legend of John Henry's Hammer reappeared on Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Waiting for a Train was recorded during the American Recordings sessions in 1993/1994 , but did not appear on Unearthed until after Cash's death in 2003 .

Chart placements

year title Single charts position
1963 Busted Country 13

Web links