I never make resolutions because they will invariably set me up for disappointment. No one likes to make their own failure inevitable. But I did commit to making 2023 the year of getting back to reading more good books and spending less time reading online. I use to read a lot. I want that aspect of my old life back. So the first book of the year was a short, easy read to start things off: Johnny Cash – Forever Words.

Johnny Cash is an interesting man. Some of his music I love, while some I don’t. He is dichotomous in so many aspects of his music, writing, life, and character, and there is no denying the depth of emotion that certain phrases or songs from him can elicit.

The one constant throughout his life was that God was central to who he was; both in triumph and in failure. He suffered some early family tragedies, and struggled with addiction and relationships almost his entire life. Yet through it all he always came back to the One he loved.

This book is an easy read and gives the admirer of Cash a little glimpse into who he was through a small selection of his unpublished poetry. To be honest some of the selections were not to my liking and seemed somewhat remedial and not what I expected; while others you could almost hear being read in Cash’s growly, weathered voice:

Liquid, tablet, capsule, powder
Fumes and smoke and vapor
The payoff is the same in the end
Liquid, tablet, capsule, powder
Fumes and smoke and vapor
Convenient ways to get the poison in

The hidden gem is this book is the little introduction by John Carter Cash, Johnny’s son. It’s interesting to hear a son reflect upon both his father’s legacy; both the good and bad elements of his life, while also expressing a deep love and affection for the man he called “Dad.”

My favourite lines come from a poem called Does Anybody Out There Love Me?

It’s a long and endless journey
When you’re on the lost pathway
Today will not be different
Than a hundred yesterdays

But maybe there’s a new life
Dawning with the morning sun
And I’ll be a better man
For where I’ve been and what I’ve done

There are many other books on Johnny Cash that give much deeper insight into the man. This is not a ‘must read‘ by any stretch, but rather, a taste of who the man was behind those dark and brooding expressions. For good or for ill, maybe we can see just a little of ourselves in the “Man in Black” and the words he wrote in prose and song.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5