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Johnny Cash trivia contest

**NOTE: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, shootgringoshoot, and thanks to everyone who entered. There will be more contests in the future, so stick around for more!

Johnny Cash American VI CD Cover

This week (Feb. 26 to be exact, which would have been Cash's 78th birthday), the final installment in Johnny Cash's American series - American VI: Ain't No Grave - will hit stores. We'd like to give a copy away to one lucky commenter, along with a copy of his Unearthed box set.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post naming your favorite song from any of Cash's five previous American recordings. Please also include a brief explanation of why you love that song. This comment can be as brief as a sentence or as long as you'd like, but it must be posted as a comment on this blog post.

Comments entered via ND's page on Facebook or Twitter will not be counted as entries in this contest. However, note there is another "Wear Black on Johnny's Birthday" contest on Facebook, about which you can learn more by clicking that link.

All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 1, 2010. The winner will be announced the following day. Good luck!

Tags: americana, contest, johnny cash, nodepression, trivia contest

Comment by Trish Chenard on February 22, 2010 at 7:10pm: It is a hard call between "Bird on a Wire" and "Long Black Veil". I know Johnny loved "Long Black Veil" and it is one of my personal favorite songs anyone could sing. But, my favorite song in this context will have to be "Bird on a Wire". Johnny's voice rings out with unashamed sentiment. Just him and a guitar. He's saying, "I know I've been bad to some people, I've been bad to myself, but I wasn't intending to hurt anyone. I've seen people do bad things to others on purpose for personal gain and drives of ego. They have no remorse. I was bad, yes, but I was just trying to find truth. I was trying to be free. Trying to understand and be my own man. My heart is in the right place"

I think having hearts in the right places meant more to Johnny than the actions of piety. When he met Rick Rubin, he thought he was a crazed alcoholic. Then he found his heart was in the right place. That is why Johnny could be hold court with anyone, from Billy Graham to Bob Dylan. He could see good in everyone, as long as their heart was in the right place. Since he could see the bad in himself, and since he knew his heart was right, he could easily forgive the bad in others. It is a sentiment that is few and far between these days.

If I have been unkind, I just hope you will let it go by. If I have been untrue, I hope you know it was never to you.

Comment by Scott McCool on February 22, 2010 at 7:13pm: "Unchained." Reminds me that I can always go home. Admit my faults. Be forgiven.

Comment by chris sweeney on February 22, 2010 at 8:03pm: Rosanne Cash was scheduled to appear at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Sept 2003. She cancelled when her father passed just before the festival. At Rosanne's time slot, they showed the Music Video of "Hurt" on the big screen. I'll never forget that moment, so Hurt gets my vote.

Comment by shootgringoshoot on February 22, 2010 at 8:17pm: I'm gonna have to go with When The Man Comes Around. Of all of the great, well chosen covers on American IV, still the one that was written by the Man In Black still sends the most chills down my spine.

Comment by Jason Paul Johnston on February 22, 2010 at 8:24pm: The Beast in Me - off the very first one.

Comment by Chris Jackson on February 22, 2010 at 8:57pm: "Country Trash" from American III... b/c I can relate.

Comment by T Hanssen on February 22, 2010 at 9:38pm: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Some of the songs that are radical re-workings I like, and it is kinda fun to hear Cash do Danzig, but really, the ones I enjoy most are this one and "In My Life" - so I'm giving the nod to Bridge.

Comment by TenLayers on February 22, 2010 at 10:00pm: Unchained.
My wife killed herself. A couple days after the fact I was sitting in Farley's, a coffee shop on Potrero Hill in San Francisco and they were playing that whole CD and when that song came on I started sobbing.
"Oh, I am weak
Oh, I am vain
Take this weight from me
Let my spirit be unchained"

My wife's spirit ached to be unchained.

Comment by Adrianne M. White on February 23, 2010 at 12:29am: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJlN9jdQFSc

Very powerful.

Cash learned lessons the hard way. I relate. He was a good man.

This song portrays a message at the end of his life that he wants his fan to hear. The collaboration of artists on the video is stunning as well, love the B&W. Johnny was about wearing black:

Why did you start wearing black?
Our first concert was in a church, and we talked about what we had to wear that was alike. We all had black shirts, so we wore black shirts. We went over well that night, so I've leaned toward black ever since.

Comment by james l bancroft on February 23, 2010 at 4:35am: man there all good but if i have to choose, it will be," on the evening train", having lost my mother, it strikes deep even after 22 years. johnny has a way of going deep with his interpretations. i am looking forward to listening to "aint no grave" as soon as i can get my ears around it.

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