Cash film sends inspiring message

The one of two times I got out of the house over Thanksgiving break was to see the movie “Walk the Line” starring Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix (the other time was venturing to a wedding in Charleston, S.C. for a night).

I was not expecting to enjoy the film because I didn’t have much faith in the actors, but the acting made that movie exceptional. On the contrary, though the acting was superb, the personality of Johnny Cash, his life of struggle, and his belief in God, left an impression.

In his childhood, Cash lived with a Christian mom, a discouraging dad, and seven siblings, one of which (a close brother) died young. The death of his older brother led to the “Man In Black” image. When Cash was criticized for looking like he was going to a funeral, he replied, “Maybe I am.”

Before his turning point in 1967, Cash was addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates, and he drank heavily. “It was a vicious cycle, taking the amphetamines to bring me up and barbiturates to bring me down,” he said in a “60 Minutes” interview.

Many other stars like Judy Garland and Cash’s good friend, Elvis Presley, experienced this same cycle usually because of round-the-clock work hours and high demands from the industry.

In trying to please everyone around them, they lost control of themselves and their lives. These stars tried to fill a void with instant pleasure instead of turning to God for relief, and it took them down a hard and miserable road.

A striking moment in the movie occurred when Cash was so high on drugs and alcohol that he busted stage lights of the Grand Ole Opry with his microphone. Needless to say, he wasn’t wanted back.

“I misjudged how high I was,” Cash said in the interview.

Yet through all the suffering and pain, Cash sung about God. He sung both songs of darkness and songs of love. I guess this is what I loved most about him -- he recognized that man has two sides, one good and one bad. And that being a Christian doesn’t mean sin flees from you. Cash put up no “Godly, holier than thou” fronts.

In fact, he was the opposite — a man who appealed to the “sinners,” the outcasts of society. The song that gained him recognition was, “Folsom Prison Blues.” He wrote the song after he saw a movie about Folsom Prison.

He became a favorite among prisoners because he sang about their pain, anger, and bitterness; they related to his songs. He performed at various prisons like Folsom and San Quentin, and he wrote songs demeaning the system and the prison itself.

This sort of thing had never been done before. Who in their right mind would sing for such horrible people, people placed in the same category as detested present-day murders like Scott Peterson or Rae Carruth?

Cash sang to these people, wrote about their feelings and alleviated some of their pain. His “Man In Black” song gives his reasons for wearing black all the time and tells of the types of people he was singing to/for:

“I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,

Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,

I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,

But is there because he’s a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read

Or listened to the words that Jesus said,

About the road to happiness through love and charity,

Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,

For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,

I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been,

Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day,

And tell the world that everything’s OK,

But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,

‘Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.”

Cash’s love for the underdog reminded me of Jesus who was different from most because he associated with those who were cast off by society: the tax collectors, adulterers, the poor. He wasn’t afraid to befriend these people because he loved them and had a soft place in his heart for them.

I think God blessed Johnny Cash with a soft heart for the little guy. Cash tried to alleviate their pain through song, just like Jesus shared with them God’s word and befriended them.

Cash suffered from loss and drug addiction among other things, just like we all suffer at times. But he didn’t pretend to be a perfect Christian; he didn’t pretend to have it all figured out and he didn’t pretend to be walking in the path of Jesus. He was an indication of God’s love because he loved those who weren’t (in society’s mind) worthy of it.

Cash was a real testimony of the good and evil lurking in man’s body and how giving into one or the other either destroys or saves you. To me, that’s what being a Christian is all about -- constantly trying to give into the good and constantly trying to root out the bad in order to become closer to God.

— Weslie Jarvis is a senior in journalism and electronic media. She can be reached at wjarvis@utk.edu.