The Man Comes Around
Johnny Comes Around, Again
Judgment day is something everyone is going to experience one day in his or her life, whether done by himself or herself, or by some sort of higher power. Judgment, defined as “the ability to make considered decisions or come to a sensible conclusion” as well as “a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment”, is commonly referenced in a biblical sense. One artist that is not a stranger to being judged for music styles and lyrics is country music legend Johnny Cash. Cash is well known for his themes of sorrow, redemption and moral tributes. One of Mr. Cash’s songs “When the Man Comes Around”, recorded in 2002, was written one year before Mr. Cash passed away in 2003. Johnny Cash presents the idea of a Judgment Day through soft indifferent guitar tones, somber vocals, and scriptures from the book of Revelations. The first thing that grabs the attention of a listener of Johnny Cash is his voice. Cash is well known for his deep baritone voice, and his distinctive back band with rebellious, somber, and humble demeanor. His instrumentation plays an irreplaceable role in his song and to overlook that would be a terrible misjudgment. Although, the instrumentation is not what grabs a listener’s attention while first listening to the song, it is the introduction. Cash opens the song with the quote, “One of the four beasts saying/’come and see’ and I saw/ and behold, a white horse”. This quote is a reference to King James Version [Rev 6:1-62] of the bible. This part of the scripture from Revelations talks about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The tale of the four horsemen tells of a scroll in God’s hands that is sealed with seven seals. Jesus, God’s son, opens four of the seven seals and summons four being, symbolizing conquest, war, famine, and death.
Another line in Johnny Cash’s song, “The Man Comes Around” states “Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers/One hundred million angels singing”. In the book of Revelations 1:10 John
Judgment day is something everyone is going to experience one day in his or her life, whether done by himself or herself, or by some sort of higher power. Judgment, defined as “the ability to make considered decisions or come to a sensible conclusion” as well as “a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment”, is commonly referenced in a biblical sense. One artist that is not a stranger to being judged for music styles and lyrics is country music legend Johnny Cash. Cash is well known for his themes of sorrow, redemption and moral tributes. One of Mr. Cash’s songs “When the Man Comes Around”, recorded in 2002, was written one year before Mr. Cash passed away in 2003. Johnny Cash presents the idea of a Judgment Day through soft indifferent guitar tones, somber vocals, and scriptures from the book of Revelations. The first thing that grabs the attention of a listener of Johnny Cash is his voice. Cash is well known for his deep baritone voice, and his distinctive back band with rebellious, somber, and humble demeanor. His instrumentation plays an irreplaceable role in his song and to overlook that would be a terrible misjudgment. Although, the instrumentation is not what grabs a listener’s attention while first listening to the song, it is the introduction. Cash opens the song with the quote, “One of the four beasts saying/’come and see’ and I saw/ and behold, a white horse”. This quote is a reference to King James Version [Rev 6:1-62] of the bible. This part of the scripture from Revelations talks about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The tale of the four horsemen tells of a scroll in God’s hands that is sealed with seven seals. Jesus, God’s son, opens four of the seven seals and summons four being, symbolizing conquest, war, famine, and death.
Another line in Johnny Cash’s song, “The Man Comes Around” states “Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers/One hundred million angels singing”. In the book of Revelations 1:10 John