No
|
Cover |
Song |
Album |
Notes
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1
|
 |
The Beast In Me
|
American Recordings
|
Written by Nick Lowe. This song has all the necessary attributes. Slow, mournful and open-hearted. The lyrics are pitch-black. "The beast in me / Is caged by frail and fragile bars".
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2
|
 |
Thirteen
|
American Recordings
|
Written by Glenn Danzig (for Johnny Cash) in 20 minutes. A mournful dialogue of a life blighted by bad luck and misery. "I was born in the soul of misery / And I never had me a name / They just give me a number when I was young".
|
3
|
 |
Redemption
|
American Recordings
|
Written by Johnny Cash. A hymn about being freed from captivity through the blood of Christ. Jesus was pierced by a spear. "From his hands it came down / from the side it came down / from the feet it came down and ran to the ground".
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4
|
 |
Spiritual
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Unchained
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Written by Josh Haden. Original music written by Charlie Haden. This song is about a man who has lost it all and only has God left in him. "Jesus / I don't wanna die alone / Jesus, oh Jesus / I don't wanna die alone". |
5
|
 |
Southern Accents
|
Unchained
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Written by Tom Petty. The song refers to both the literal Southern drawl of the narrator and the deeper, symbolic meaning of Southern identity, pride, and the often-contradictory cultural aspects of the American South. "There's a southern accent, where I come from".
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6
|
 |
Unchained
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Unchained
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Written by Jude Johnstone. The song is a prayer for liberation from physical and spiritual burdens. "I am weak / Oh, I know I am vain / Take this weight from me / Let my spirit be unchained".
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7
|
 |
Solitary Man
|
American III: Solitary Man
|
Written by Neil Diamond. The song describes a man who, after failed relationships where partners left him for his friends, chooses to remain a "solitary man". "I'll be what I am / A solitary man / Solitary man". |
8
|
 |
One
|
American III: Solitary Man
|
Written by U2. The song explores themes of unity, division, and the complexity of human relationships, particularly in times of struggle and hardship. "Did I disappoint you? / Or leave a bad taste in your mouth? / You act like you never had love / You want me to go without". |
9
|
 |
I See A Darkness
|
American III: Solitary Man
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Written by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. The lyrics convey a sense of darkness, despair, and mortality. "Did you know how much I love you? / Is a hope that somehow you / Can save me from this darkness".
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10
|
 |
The Mercy Seat
|
American III: Solitary Man
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Written by Nick Cave. The song tells the story of a man about to be executed by the electric chair. In this version (as opposed to Cave's) you can actually hear the lyrics. "And the mercy seat is waiting / And I think my head is burning". |
11
|
 |
Wayfaring Stranger
|
American III: Solitary Man
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Traditional. Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. This version is ranked no. 1 on my list 10 best versions of "Wayfaring Stranger". "There is no sickness, toil, nor danger, In that bright world to which I go".
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12
|
 |
The Man Comes Around
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
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Written by Johnny Cash. Stuffed with biblical references. "And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder / One of the four beasts saying, / 'Come and see.' and I saw, and behold a white horse"
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13
|
 |
Hurt
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
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Written by Nine Inch Nails. The song deals with drug addiction and self-destruction. Cash's version deals with regret, loneliness, and reckoning. "I hurt myself today / To see if I still feel / I focus on the pain / The only thing that's real".
|
14
|
 |
I Hung My Head
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
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Written by Sting. The song deals with accidental violence and its fatal consequences. Very well to be sorry now. "Then it came to me yeah just what I've done / And all for no reason, just one piece of lead". |
15
|
 |
Personal Jesus
|
American IV: The Man Comes Around
|
Written by Depeche Mode. It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. The song is open to many interpretations. Johnny Cash meant it literally. "Your own, personal, Jesus / Someone to hear your prayers / Someone who cares".
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16
|
 |
Streets of Laredo
|
American IV: The Man Comes Around
|
Traditional. In the song a dying ranger tells his story to another cowboy. "Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story, / For I'm shot in the chest, and today I must die".
|
17
|
 |
God's Gonna Cut You Down
|
American V: A Hundred Highways
|
Traditional. The lyrics warn evildoers that they cannot avoid God's judgment. Great arrangement. "He spoke to me in the voice so sweet / I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet" |
18
|
 |
Further Up On the Road
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American V: A Hundred Highways
|
Written by Bruce Springsteen. This version is better than the original. The song is about a man who finds himself experiencing the darkness on the edge of town. "Where the road is dark, and the seed is sowed / Where the gun is cocked, and the bullet's cold". |
19
|
 |
Four Strong Winds
|
American V: A Hundred Highways
|
Written by Ian Tyson.The song has a clear Canadian context and subtext, including an explicit mention of the province Alberta as well as references to long, cold winters. "Four strong winds that blow lonely / Seven seas that run high".
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20
|
 |
Ain't No Grave
|
American VI: Ain't No Grave
|
Written by Claude Ely. Recorded shortly before Johnny Cash's death in September 2003. Majestic arrangement. "There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down / When I hear the trumpet sound / Gonna get up outa the ground". |
21
|
 |
Redemption Day
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American VI: Ain't No Grave
|
Written by Sheryl Crow. "I've wept for those who suffer long / But how I weep for those who've gone / In rooms of grief and questioned wrong / But keep on killing".
|
22
|
 |
Redemption Song
|
Unearthed
|
Written by Bob Marley. From the cd box set "Unearthed" featuring outtakes and alternate versions of songs and more. "How long shall they kill our prophets / While we stand aside and look? / Ooh, some say it's just a part of it / We've got to fulfill the book".
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