Friday, September 12, 2003 :::
 
The Internet gives us instant access to news we would prefer not to hear, and a delayed arrival at the office brought news that came to late for the newspapers: Johnny Cash has passed away after a weeks-long battle with complications from diabetes. The news is hardly surprising: his comings and goings at the hospital were widely reported. And, of course, his beloved wife June passed away four months ago. It is normal for people in their seventies to follow their spouses within a year, but it does not make it any easier to accept.

Readers of A Mind That Suits know that Mr. Cash was one of this writer's very favorites. The press of other business today, and the freshness of the news, mean that I will probably not be able to give it the attention I would like to until Sunday. Until then, readers who are interested may check out the archives for August 10, where I have a selection of the best stuff that has appeared on this blog. There you will find my eulogy to the lovely June.

Mr. Cash is well-represented by recent compilations of his work, especially the Love-God-Murder boxed set, and he has done some of his best work in the last ten years, in the four "American Recordings" albums. Do not miss June's last album, Press On, where you will find "The Farside Banks of Jordan," the couple's favorite song in their sunset years. Its famous closing:

I'll meet you on the farside banks of Jordan,
I'll be sitting drawing pictures in the sand.
And when I see you coming,
I will rise up with a shout,
And come running through the shallow waters,
reaching for your hand.

Lousy theology, perfect sentiment, one of the great public love stories of our time.

RIP, Johnny.



::: posted by A Mind That Suits at 10:00 AM


0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

What doesn't kill me, makes me laugh... usually.