CD Review: 16 Biggest Hits - Volume II - Johnny Cash
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Most of the albums that they were originally on are long out of print, so finding them to listen to has been a challenge.
"Don't Take Your Guns To Town" has a young man acting like a "man" because he can now carry a gun. His mother pleads with him not to carry his guns when going into town. He tells her he can shoot as straight and true as any man. He wouldn't use his gun without good cause and please don't worry. Of course - he uses his gun over a stupid incident and his dying words are "I shouldn't have brought my guns to town." "I Got Stripes" is a tongue in cheek song about life in prison. It goes through the various stages of prison life. He has his "stripes" to wear and continues to search for a way out, getting caught and in more trouble as time progresses. "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" has long been one of my favorite songs. I like the rhythm of the music and first heard it on a release from Johnny's daughter, Rosanne Cash. It is about a young man that travels around playing his "Tennessee Flat-Top Box." He has no real desire to earn lots of money, just wants to play music. He has a collection of women ready to listen to him everywhere he travels. "Busted" is another fun tongue in cheek song. He is talking about having many things he needs and his stack of bills that gets bigger each day. But he is "busted." He goes through the song trying various things to get money - but it seems everyone is "busted." "Green, Green Grass of Home" is an old favorite. Johnny definitely does it justice. A classic homecoming song, it makes you want to go back to the home of your childhood. "The One On The Right Is On The Left" is a hilarious song. It talks about people with different political stands should probably not try to work together. They were very talented musically and could have gone far. Big words are used to describe the problems that befell them with their different ways of thinking, which makes the song even funnier. "The Lady Came From Baltimore" is a ballad love song. He was a common thief and she was a Lady from Baltimore dressed in jewels and lace. She was prim and proper. She didn't know his background, and they fell in love and got married. He was there to steal her money. Take her rings and run. But he fell in love instead. "Blistered" has the classic Johnny Cash sound. He says he has blisters on his big, red, bloodshot eyes from watching her walk down the street. "She got a body (oh yeah), She got a motion (oh yeah), she done got me (oh yeah)" He is going crazy being in love with a woman with her looks and her love of running around. It is a very fun song. "A Thing Called Love" was written by Jerry Reed. It tells about a man that is 6'6"- a big, burly man knocked off his feet because of love. Love is the strongest thing in the world. It is a wonderful song to really sit and listen to what the words say. "Oney" is another really funny tongue in cheek song. After 29 years in the factory, today is the day to retire. Everyone is telling him how he should be glad "Oney" was there to keep him on track. He is spending the day thinking about the retirement party. At 4:30 he will be officially retired and can give Oney what he has wanted to for years. Oney was always right behind him telling him everything he was doing wrong. Oney is in for a big surprise. Waylon Jennings joins in on "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang." It has the two apologizing to their mother for them not learning life's lessons. They are in jail and telling her not to worry none, they are learning lots of things there. "Highwayman" is the hit song from Johnny, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Each one has a "part" and tells what they did and how they died. One was a highwayman. One was a sailor. One was dam builder. They say that they will always be around. "Over The Next Hill" is the final track on the album. It is a wonderful gospel tune. Johnny has help from Anita Carter and the Carter Family with the harmonies. Song List:
All graphics © Shelly Fabian, with the exception of the album cover, used with permission of Sony Nashville.
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