Johnny Cash and The Texas Cashmaster
There was a time when I wholeheartedly believed some things happened merely by chance. That was before I came to grips with the concept that YHVH had ALL things under His control. For the person that acknowledges Divine ownership of the universe by Father, "chance" or "luck" just doesn't appear on their spiritual radar screen.
Although fortuitous, it should not be considered happenstance that I found myself sitting in the old "Mile High Stadium" in the late 1980's where the Denver Broncos used to play, and hearing Johnny Cash perform at a Billy Graham crusade. Even though I was highly impressed, I was completely unaware of the role of significance the life of this "Man In Black" would come to play later in my own life.
Father had purposed long before I saw Johnny in Denver that I should be singing his tunes. In harmony with His choosing, this man that doesn't include the words, "luck", or "chance" in his vocabulary, would rather lean upon Scripture that says, "The steps of a good man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way". Psalms 37: 23
Approximately twenty or so years after that day in Denver, I was just beginning to realize the personal impact of this "outlaw country" singer. I started singing his songs at the behest of a karaoke KJ in Arizona that said my voice lent itself well to singing Johnny Cash. His comment was all it took to get me started. I went out that week and bought my "all black" outfit and started singing his tunes and saying, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash".
In the Spirit of the Scriptural understanding of Psalms 37: 23, it wasn't chance that had me walking past a book store window and seeing a copy of "Cash" by the Rolling Stone Magazine. This is a collection of stories and tributes to Johnny by family members and close friends after his death in late 2003. Of course, I purchased the book and subsequently bought other books about the "Man In Black".
The more I read about Johnny, the more I learned about his life, especially his love for gospel music. I learned how he wanted to record gospel from the very beginning. But, Sam Phillips at Sun Records refused saying, "I can't sell gospel music". Over the next few years, Johnny recorded a lot of secular songs, many of which went high up the charts. Even so, he never lost his love and desire for gospel music.
After leaving Sun Records, he spread his recordings over the next nearly four decades with several record labels, each with a stipulation that he would be allowed to record gospel music. Although he sang and recorded traditional church hymns and various southern gospel songs, many others, especially late in his life, showed a steady progression toward Messianic gospel themes.
One such song that quickly drew my attention was "The Greatest Cowboy of Them All". The lyrics begin with, "I've always had my heroes; I've loved a lot of legends. But, my cowboy hero hat's off to the Man Who rode a donkey..." Then, there was "The Man In White" with first person lyrics from the viewpoint of the apostle, Paul, on the road to Damascus--very powerful and compelling indeed.
Although recorded about 10 years before his death, his song, "Going By The Book", has chilling end time lyrics that have become extremely real and applicable to us today. His song, "When The Man Comes Around" is equally prophetic and very Messianic in nature.
The theme of this article is, "Johnny Cash and the Texas Cashmaster?". The question is, "Can Johnny and the Messianic lifestyles I now sing and try to live appear in harmony on the same page?" I believe that answer can be found in a very revealing quote from Johnny and cited by Dave Urbanski who wrote the book entitled, "The Man Comes Around--The Spiritual Journey Of Johnny Cash".
In his introduction to the book, Mr. Urbanski speaks of a particular writer that tried to "paint Johnny in a corner" by getting him to pick a favorite church denomination of affiliation. In the spirit of his secular song, "I Won't Back Down", Johnny was quoted as "laying down the law" to this writer:
"I--as a believer that Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew, the Christ of the Greeks, was the Anointed One of God (born of the seed of David, upon faith as Abraham has faith, and it was accounted to him for righteousness)--am grafted onto the true vine, and am one of the heirs of God's covenant with Israel".
As far as I can tell, I don't think Johnny ever referred to Messiah by His Hebrew name, Yeshua. Yet, his music and personal testimony strongly suggests the distinct possibility that Johnny would have been a spiritual giant in the Messianic community today had he not died nearly eight years ago. Yet, partly by his own personal early life choices, the enemy was able to cut him down far too soon.
There will never be another Johnny Cash, not even close. Yet, in my own little way, I am trying to use the talent Father has given me to pay tribute to the man whose life and music has been a great personal inspiration, and to lift up Israel's Messiah Whom he obviously loved as much as do I. In so doing, I am merely trying to carry on his legend in a direction of which I believe he would applaud, and would loved to have trod himself.
I once had a funny little story line enter my mind. I visioned Johnny and June in heaven standing next to Yeshua. Johnny tapped Yeshua on the shoulder, pointed toward SueJean and I and said, "See those two down there; they're messin' with our songs". Then, Yeshua slightly leaned in Johnny's direction and said, "Yeah, they're doing a pretty good job, don't ya think?"
My singing of his secular tunes hasn't been the purpose or conclusion of my journey. If still in this life and endowed with his singing prowess, I believe Johnny might well have taken his Messianic song writing to a whole new level--likely even doing greater than I. Obviously, he's the real Cashmaster. Without changing the integrity of his original songs, I have applied new lyrics to several of his songs to present a gospel theme that uplifts Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel Whom we both love dearly.
One such tune is a rewrite of "Cocaine Blues". Rather than a drug crazed killer with a "lovin' .44", and a very sad ending, the new lyrics for the song entitled "The Trial Of DannyLee" portrays a man in love with YHVH and His Torah, then finds himself locked in a battle with the enemy in the courts of heaven. Yet, with his Advocate Messiah (the Son of Man) at his defense, the man is judged not guilty and set free from his sin--with a very happy ending.
Another tune is a rewrite of "Folsom Prison Blues". Rather than a rebellious son that just wouldn't listen to his mother and wound up with a lifelong "sad" ending, its rewrite, "Satan's Prison Blues", is the story of a wayward son that wakes up just in time to be the recipient of a very happy ending.
"Ring Of Fire" became "Chain Of Fire". Rather than "Love is a burning thing and it makes a fiery ring", it's "Sin is a burning flame and it binds with a fiery chain". "Hey Porter" became "Hey Brother, Hey Sister". Rather than a homesick man making his way back home to Tennessee, it's a man longing to go home to Tsiyon--and asking others if they're ready to come with him.
Our pride and joy song is a rewrite of the Johnny and June duet, "Jackson". Rather than a man going to another town to "mess around", it became "Tsiyon Bound", a story about two people gloriously saved from sin that was "hotter than a pepper sprout", and bound for a singing jubilee around the Throne in Messiah's Kingdom.
These are just a few of the songs Father has allowed me to rewrite. In paying tribute to Johnny Cash by singing his secular tunes, I find people equally eager and receptive to the message of Messiah through my rewrite and other gospel songs.
Because the life of Johnny Cash was clearly on course toward Messianic thought, I believe the talent and message Father has given me makes a perfect "pass the baton" fit to pick up where he left off, and shows a distinct harmony with, "Johnny Cash and the Texas Cashmaster".
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