“Says it more for me and my life”: Johnny Cash on why ‘Pickin’ Time’ is his most meaningful song
Despite Johnny Cash passing away more than two decades ago, his legacy grows stronger yearly. Although Cash first began recording material in the 1950s, pre-dating iconic acts like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, the late singer-songwriter’s back catalogue continues to be discovered by new generations.
While Cash’s sound doesn’t feel particularly new, a timeless nature reverberates out of every recording he produced. Every artist with country or folk leanings has been shaped in some capacity by Cash’s teachings. Some were brought up in a household that was soundtracked by records. Meanwhile, for others, Cash is so deeply embedded into American culture that they don’t realise the scale of his influence on their work.
As his career and life become an even more distant memory, Cash’s legacy continues to look more bulletproof with every new summer. Cash wasn’t a typical country artist; he was a street poet who extraordinarily told ordinary stories. He was a passionate blue-collar champion of the working classes who quietly keep America ticking. Additionally, his work with those incarcerated who had stumbled on hard times is a measure of the man behind the songs.
Bob Dylan, who knew Cash better than most, poignantly wrote after the late singer’s death in 2003: “In plain terms, Johnny was and is the North Star; you could guide your ship by him – the greatest of the greats then and now. Truly he is what the land and country is all about, the heart and soul of it personified and what it means to be here; and he said it all in plain English”.
Dylan added: “I think we can have recollections of him, but we can’t define him any more than we can define a fountain of truth, light and beauty. If we want to know what it means to be mortal, we need look no further than the Man in Black. Blessed with a profound imagination, he used the gift to express all the various lost causes of the human soul.”
Cash suffered plenty of jubilant highs and devastating lows throughout his recording career. For many years, he was viewed as the voice of America’s voiceless, who could do no wrong. Cash even had his own TV show, which he used to entertain millions across the nation. However, the good times didn’t last forever. In the 1980s, he suffered a fall from grace as his popularity dwindled before Rick Rubin masterminded the mother of all comebacks in 1994 with American Recordings.
In 1982, when many people wrote Cash off as yesterday’s news, he was the subject of an illuminating interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes. At one point during the broadcast, reporter Harry Reasoner asks the country singer about his favourite song from his repertoire. Rather than picking one of his many beloved hits, he instead went with his heart to opt for a personal choice.
“I think I probably should say ‘I Walk the Line’, because it was my biggest seller, but the one that really means more to me that says it more for me and my life, I think, is ‘Pickin’ Time,'” Cash told the programme. “The message of the song is good times coming for us all- pickin’ time.”
‘Pickin’ Time’ is from his second studio album, 1958’s The Fabulous Johnny Cash, which wasn’t even a single but embodies his artistry within one song. In the track, the narrator explains how he’s not rich financially and works a tough manual labour job to put bread on the table. However, rather than seek sympathy, he’s proud of his place in the world because of the love of his family.
Cash sings on the track: “I got cotton in the bottom land, It’s up and growin’ and I got a good stand, My good wife and them kids of mine, Gonna get new shoes, come pickin’ time, Get new shoes come pickin’ time, Every night when I go to bed, I thank the Lord that my kids are fed, They live on beans eight days and nine, But I get ’em fat come pickin’ time, Get ’em fat come pickin’ time”.
The verse above demonstrates the universal sentiment that Cash poured into his work, which made him so appealing. Even today, ‘Pickin’ Time’ still feels relevant. The job mentioned in the lyrics may no longer exist, but the sentiment of love conquering all is as important as ever.
