Johnny Cash's Nine Inch Nails Cover - Hurt (Reaction!)

One of the most heartbreaking videos I've ever seen. Flawless cover.
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Link: • Johnny Cash - Hurt
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[@Melly01]

Yes, that is his wife. She came downstairs to make sure he wasn't overdoing it while filming and they asked on the spur of the moment if they could film her, too. Part of this was filmed at his home and part was filmed at the Cash museum, which had been damaged by flooding and was closed to the public. It was fitting that he was also closed off and damaged is what I read somewhere. But there he was, surrounded by everything anyone could want on Earth, realizing that it was all a pile of dirt since ultimately that doesn't mean anything to you anymore when you die. (My interpretation.) They did the filming on the fly, no time to prep, no make-up, no attempt to look younger or hide his ill-health. Raw and vulnerable is how I see this. The juxtaposition between the younger man with everything and the old man wishing ... His wife lived long enough to see this, but not much longer. He lived long enough to see it nominated for a bunch of awards (that it, inexplicably didn't win) and died two weeks after the awards show. It's all incredibly evocative and painful, but almost impossible to ignore. If you haven't already, watch the end again, all the way to the part where he closes the piano lid and caresses it as a good-bye, you cut it off a little too soon. Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but it is said he never opened it again. It's very poignant. His daughter said it looked like he was saying good-bye and he replied that he was.

[@SebsDuran]

This comment and its story made me pay attention to that ending as you stated. And I’m in tears. I blame you.

[@Melly01]

@@SebsDuran 🤣

[@howrued1500]

@Melly I believe you’re 100 correct. Rosanne, his daughter w Vivian, said it was the last time he played😔 Believe also your tragically beautiful interpretation is spot on as well💔❤️‍🩹❤️

[@johng6018]

Thank you for this post

[@Gutslinger]

I always hear people say that his daughter said it was like he was saying goodbye and that he replied he was. But every time I ask where I can find that, no body responds. I watched a documentary where she talks about Johnny and June showing her the video, and she cried, but she didn't say that in the interview that I saw.

[@williamtauriello1581]

Trent Reznor said, flat out, once he heard Cash’s version, and saw the video, that this was Cash’s song. Greatest respect. RIP Johnny Cash.

[@sizzlechestmcmurphy4365]

It was when Reznor saw the video. He actually was pissed off just listening to the song.

[@craiggibbons8228]

The video coupled with the song explains it all. Once you see it and hear it, you know in your heart, that you wrote that song for him and not yourself. And to own that and give it respect is just love x

[@zmbiaccountant2812]

That’s not true - I wish people would stop saying that. He did love the Cash cover but it is a super personally meaningful song for Trent Reznor.

[@optiskeptic4746]

@@craiggibbons8228 No. @anitaslack9193 said it best - Trent wrote it for himself, as a young man... Johnny's video is about an old man, looking back. At the same time, Trent's recognition that "it's Johnny's song now" (and forever) is literally a gift... including respect, as you say. And gratitude, as Trent said, that he could make that contribution.

[@NOMnomAPROVED]

@@sizzlechestmcmurphy4365 not pissed just found it weird to hear someone els voice for his lyrics

[@anitaslack9193]

I still feel like Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is the purest expression of regret that I will ever hear. He compressed seven decades of pain and sorrow into four minutes of music. I've seen people say that Trent Reznor's version is a young man in the midst of addiction, realizing what he is doing to the people he loves and knowing he has to change. Johnny's version is an old man at the end of his life, looking back at all of his mistakes, all of the cruel and careless things he did, and knowing that he can never make amends because he is out of time.

[@craiggibbons8228]

Perfectly spoken mate. That is exactly what I hear and see whe I watch this too. Absolutely heartbreaking x

[@craiggibbons8228]

I would also add that its him saying that even if he had a miracle to get time, he would still ruin it again because it is who he is. Even though he does not want to ruin it and it's painful, he still would because it is who he is 😢

[@sandralybrand9425]

Johnny's version is more impactful.

[@optiskeptic4746]

In some sense, the acknowledgement of all you said by making this video, does make amends or at least makes a last, best, effort.

[@jeffbrowning4684]

In his younger years, Johnny was a pretty avid user of various substances, like many of his contemporaries, and he did some real damage to those around him. He's singing about his reality of his life.

[@garrymoore2161]

You stopped it twice in a row before it ended. The last scene has him closing the piano and very tenderly and lovingly stroked it. The symbolism was powerful. He literally never opened it again. His wife died 3 months after the song's release and Johnny died 4 months after she did.

[@newgrl]

I kept saying "Wait wait... watch the rest". That last scene is just heart-wrenching.

[@scottdash]

That little monument has so much power. It says so much just a little goodbye to a old friend.

[@JacobG093]

My favorite part and he missed it twice. Oof!

[@GraphicallySpeakingMimi]

Yeah, missing the end…super frustrating to those of us who know the symbolism of it. Try this again on your own brother…and don’t miss the piano closing end.

[@ohiomcguiregirl361]

Agree 💯💯

[@thecottagemouse2713]

He suffered with different addictions his entire life. This is the reason he chose to sing the song

[@swbigfan1]

I think Julia Nilon put it best in her reaction to this. She said watching the scenes from his life then seeing him close the piano at the end, after music had been his whole life - it is like watching him die. It's almost cripplingly sad.

[@SebsDuran]

Yeah that’s deep and beautiful.

[@mameaument2175]

❤

[@rugbynimbus]

June Carter Cash was not a saint, but you wouldn't have known it based on the way Johnny worshipped her. And she, enduring years of his tours, addictions, arrests, and more, stood by him through it all. Her expression, looking at him as he sang those lyrics -- "I will let you down, I will make you hurt" - that is what true love looks like.

[@Shawn0428]

When they show his wife standing behind him, I cry, everytime. She stands as an angel standing sentinel over her husband.

[@radioactive_sunflowerz2450]

Exactly, she looks concerned and so loving watching (literally) over him. It breaks my heart that his lyric "everyone goes away in the end" becomes even more true since she preceded him in death, I honestly think her death probably was the last nail in the coffin for him. I can't imagine that kind of emotion, or the feeling of being that age and having lost so many loved ones.

[@seanstark5948]

She loved him so much

[@howrued1500]

@Radioactive Sunflowerz There’s a song by Heidi Newfield, formerly of One Trick Pony, I believe🤔 Anyway- the lyrics are beautiful. I always thought the title was Like Johnny and June, but I guess it’s simply ‘Johnny and June’. Your post made me think of it; you may want to check it out🥲 “ I wanna love like Johnny and June Rings of fire burnin' with you I wanna walk the line Walk the line 'Til the end of time I wanna love Love ya that much Cash it all in Give it all up And when you're gone I wanna go too Like Johnny and June…” They were somethin’ special to be sure. We should also remember how incredibly tough things must have been for Vivian, for so many reasons. I think Johnny did. And I think it’s part of why he treated June like the Queen she was. I also think June remembered- and it’s part of why she wasn’t ‘havin’ NONE of that, John Cash!!!’😆 People evolve. People grow. Well, hopefully😅. But I think there’s little doubt June saved Johnny’s life.❤️‍🩹

[@nathanwhite5920]

That’s who she was for him, his angel

[@NOMnomAPROVED]

@@radioactive_sunflowerz2450 yep he said i think it was in a interview or something that once she passes he will stop taking care of his diabetic problems

[@wdking8833]

After many years, Johnny's fame faded in the 80s and 90s. But then a producer approached him about doing this. He agreed and did a final album in which he covered several young artists and groups. The album was a hit. When his daughter heard this she said, "It sounds like you're saying goodbye". He replied, "I am". A final poignant goodbye to his lifetime fans (like me) and a fitting finale to a huge career spanning some 50 years. I cannot help but weep when I hear this. I grew up listening to Johnny. He was a staple in my home and my grandparent's home. There will never be another Johnny Cash. RIP, Johnny. Thank you for so many years of great music. I look forward to hearing you in concert in Heaven.

[@humpy936]

You need to do some more research, he did several albums with covers and originals, called “the American recordings”. I have all of them, Rick Rubin was the producer.

[@mburkitt7678]

Johnny also fought drug and alcohol addiction during his lifetime. The lady on the stairs is June, his wife. You should watch the last 10-15 seconds. The imagery of the piano is very profound.

[@TexasMagnolia]

This song was Johnny’s life. That’s why Reznor told him “this is your song now”

[@slithery9291]

Trent has often said in interviews that Johnny played it better than he ever could and the song now belongs to him.

[@yomo1690]

No he didn't.

[@jimwilson9371]

Yes I seen an interview with him saying it was no longer his song.

[@yomo1690]

@@jimwilson9371 context is everything and edited interviews and sound bites don't help. This is one of the most commonly misinterpreted inferred myths on KZbin. Reznor has never said Johnny played it better than he could, or that he can't play the song live anymore or that the first time he heard it he said the song belongs to Cash etc. Which you will find constantly in the comments. He hated it the first time he heard it. It only resonated with him when he saw the video (which is an amazing video and the real reason the song got so much attention). It reference to him saying it's not his song anymore, he was talking about the realisation of the power of music. The song was so personal to him, he could remember writing it and how he felt while writing it, he couldn't see a time when he could listen to the song and it not be that. The Cash version (with the video) made him realise that he could hear the song from a different point of view (Cash coming to the end of his life) and therefore let it take a new meaning, therefore no longer HIS song. That was a general statement about anyone covering his songs. Not that he was metaphorically handed over ownership of the song. That's why he said the songs is not his anymore and NOT the song belongs to Cash like people keep regurgitating. I can see how people want to infer it that way, it's got a nice sentimentality about it. He talked about it more for a NIN fan club reddit session. Personally I like the Cash version when I first heard it on the album. But didn't really hit me until I saw the video.

[@lylemorrison9811]

Yeah he did

[@yomo1690]

@@lylemorrison9811 maybe in your world

[@MojiBeau]

Rick Rubin is the unsung hero of this song. He convinced Johnny to do it, Trent to let them, he made the arrangement and did the production to make the song work for johnny, and chose the director for the video. This was very much his vision

[@johnnyb362]

The director, Mark Romanek, is another hero. He begged Rubin so much for the chance to direct it he told him he’d do it for free.

[@MojiBeau]

@@johnnyb362 agreed. The video he put together is a powerhouse. He did a really good movie called One Hour Photo. It stars Robin Williams on one of his serious roles, he does a great job

[@optiskeptic4746]

@@MojiBeau Yes, and no, IMHO. The producer gave him the space to do it 'his way,' and probably suspected the great potential - and of course the arrangement and all the pictures and video, by the director, was huge - but this was all Johnny, and I wouldn't be surprised if Johnny also laid out what he wanted the director and producer to arrange. The closing of the piano and caressing it with his timeworn hands, was brilliant and perfect.

[@newnamewhodis7534]

In case it isn’t gut wrenching enough when Johnny breaks down during the climax, watching him close the piano at the end makes me lose it every time. It’s like he didn’t want to stop playing, but knew he had to

[@LoganTravisDark]

Cash was an addict. He related to this song like few ever could.

[@brentdykgraaf184]

His wife coming down the stairs...2 weeks before she passed. She was crying because she knew...she knew this was Johns last recording. He lasted just months after her passing. She was a popular member of the Carter family of musicians..hence her name June Carter Cash.

[@NOMnomAPROVED]

... she passed 2 months after the music vid was released ... please do ur homework befor commenting also was not his last recording last music vid yes but he did a bit more music after

[@judecaplin1860]

The look June gives him when she comes down the stairs is heartbreaking. She knows she's losing the other half of her soul, oddly she went first followed soon by him

[@heidicross7255]

Hurt is how Johnny was feeling at the end of his life. He knew addictions, struggles, lies, deceit and love. He suffered along the same lines as Trent....he understood what Trent was saying so Johnny chose this as his goodbye song. Johnny recorded this song in February 2003. June (his wife on the stairs) died in May 2003. Johnny (71) died in September 2003.

[@msuddie1237]

Correction - Johnny Cash released the Hurt song as a single in 2002. The video was shot in Feb 2003 and subsequently released.

[@ninochkalove]

He was an addict of the Nth degree for many years when he was becoming famous. June, his wife, got him clean and saved his life.

[@susandooley9630]

I came home from work one day, went to see what my grown son was doing…he was sitting in front of his computer, watching this video with tears just streaming down his face. All he could do was point & yes, I also cried realizing Johnny Cash was saying goodbye. He was 71 yrs old when he recorded this, just a little over a year older than what I am now. My son & both grandson’s love this man’s music.

[@SparkimusPrime]

One of my top 3 favorite covers of all time. I always cry when he closes the piano 😞🖤

[@TomBagwell]

Make sure to go back and watch the very end, where he closes the piano with a real reverence. He never opened it again.

[@galerios1]

Johnny Cash dealt with addiction throughout his life. He also spoke out against drugs because of what they did to him. Johnny was multilayered. He didn't want others to fall to the same addictions he did. And in his later years he really tried to be a better person and warn others against drug use. He also spoke publicly about what his drug use did to his wife June Carter Cash, and more importantly how she supported him through the worst moments of his addiction. They died only months apart. June supported him until the very end. It is literally the greatest love story ever. Romeo and Juliet don't stand a chance against Johnny and June.

[@makayllaalexander8566]

When ever I see this video and people ask why he ended his career on such a sad but powerful song it reminds me of his recording of "you are my sunshine" at the very end of the recording the people recording ask if he wanted to do another run of the song and he says "When I think my songs been sung than my songs been sung" making me think that when he finished this video he knew his songs have been sung and he was done

[@wdking8833]

Johnny's pain is real. He lived a very checkered life. He spent time in jail as a youth. He found fame and fortune but he also found pills and alcohol. During it all, June, his wife of some 35 years, stood by him, through the good, the bad and the ugly. She was his rock. Without her, I believe we would have lost him in his 30s. When God called June home he told his daughter, "All I have left is my music". But he could barely play due to the damage to his hands (arthritis). God in His mercy called Johnny home soon after, to be with his beloved June for eternity.

[@fibromyalgia_yarn_resin]

Johnny fought addiction through his lifetime. And the woman in the video is his wife. The love of his life.

[@tammyallen7188]

He knew he and his late wife were dying when he redid this sing. Knowing that it hits so much harder and profound.

[@richh650]

The rawness and unpolished realness of this song, the great lack of the usual overprocessing, makes it a gem worthy to be the most powerful song and video likely ever put together. Well done, Johnny. RIP!

[@grumpyowl3515]

Johnny didn't have to "cover" it. He lived it! It's the story of someone that lived the life and had the regrets. It's a warning message to all those too young to understand. What a powerful message for him to leave to us. Learn from his mistakes and focus on what matters while you can.

[@jasonwoolley5341]

Trent Rezner has said he did realize when he wrote this song that he was actually writing it for Johnny... He is the first to say that this song belongs to Cash

[@joelcarver8932]

You said "who would have thought Johnny Cash would have performed it in that sort of way?" A LOT OF PEOPLE. When I first hit the punk scene in the mid 90s johnny cash was beloved among everyone for being spoken out against the police and having that rebelious mindset. Dude is an inspiration to so many different genres, he actually did a lot of covers of newer bands hits that he liked...especially in the rock and alternative scenes. He released over close to 100 albums in his lifetime, and there's a lot of gems hidden in there that I think because of just having so many good songs that put them in the shadow that a lot of people will never know. But it's worth a dig to anyone interested. You'll feel rich in gems.

[@charlotteklatt8787]

He won an award on MTV posthumously for this song and video

[@maryannanderson2213]

I am an old woman, I was here when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I have been a Johnny Cash fan since his first hit record "Cry, Cry, Cry" which was released in the mid-1950's. He was such a huge part of my life that I felt almost like he was one of my brothers and when he died I cried for days. I don't want to go all Annie Wilkes about this but I love not only his music but I admire and respect him as a man. Back in Johnny's heyday, of every five records that was sold in this country, one of them was a record by Johnny Cash! He fought some addictions and he certainly wasn't perfect but he had an excellent heart and he was a good man. In my estimation, there will never be any other artist who will come close to Johnny Cash.

[@sandracollins3874]

Cash died on September 12, 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee from complications of diabetes. He was 71 years old. Cash was buried next to his wife, June Carter Cash, who had died 4 months earlier.

[@davidfarinella129]

He recorded this song as a goodbye to everyone but also this song paralelles his life. RIP Johnny Cash.

[@grammym8262]

Johnny Cash battled with addiction for years, too. I'm sure he could relate to this song.

[@wdking8833]

Johnny had arthritis so badly he could barely play. The shot clip, "You stay away from me..." is from one of many movies he acted in. A multitalented man.

[@distractedsquirrel]

The quote 'it wasn't my song anymore' says it all for me.

[@stephenrussell5269]

Him closing the piano at the end Breaks me so hard, I cry...

[@Fairbanks2417]

When he first played this song for his daughter, he asked her what she thought. She told him it was beautiful but she didn't like it. He asked her why and she said because it sounds like you're saying goodbye dad. He thought for a minute and then replied well, maybe I am.

[@chronobretz9511]

It’s amazing that a both the original and cover can both hit so different yet equally hard

[@christymckinley2928]

The great Mr. Cash was an addict .. most ppl don't know the June saved his life.. he toured with Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, the big bopper.. among others.. he is and will always be in our hearts..

[@michaelb1761]

Nothing spectacular about his voice...except he can make you feel every emotion deep down in your soul like no other.

[@aaronb4936]

I know this is a reaction to the song more so than the video.. but the video ends before a shot of Johnny closing the piano. It gets me everytime, like he’s acknowledging that his work is done and the end is near.

[@randipearson4930]

Nine inch nails guy wrote it but thought it would fit better for Johnny Cash .. Johnny won Grammys for this song !! He died only months after his wife fm a broken heart .. he couldn’t go on without her .. true love story !! You should watch the movie Walk the Line !! It’s awesome .. Reese Witherspoon won best actress Oscar for her role as June Carter Cash !! I thought Joaquin Pheonix should have won for best actor .. he did win a Golden globe for his part ..

[@richardfox1605]

How he closed the lid on the piano, as if saying a goodbye to an old friend he knows he will never see again

[@willracer1jz]

This song is one of my favorite covers of all time. Like Trent Reznor said Hurt became a Johnny Cash song. After Johnny's passing Trent played Johnny's version of Hurt on a piano on stage at an award show for County Music Television's, it was awesome performance it should be on KZbin.

[@NOMnomAPROVED]

Ring of fire also another great cover

[@dikdoc0079]

Best cover ever. His life. Her life. Getting old. Getting sick. Having seen better days, and bad days. And if you were his contemporary…very powerful.

[@juliacrabtree5198]

He's singing too June Carter Cash. His wife (they were inseparable) She died and he's ready to go to ✝️🙏💞

[@NOMnomAPROVED]

she was in the vid he was singing to everyone he hurt and everyone that kept by him

[@SmartCookie63]

You have to understand that everything he ever did, he did for her. She was dying of cancer, and he was dealing with the thought that he was going to lose her. And it says a lot that he only lived a few months after she passed.

[@rayrayglmj]

He was dying..please respect the man. ❤JOHNNY CASH

[@dougww1ectebow]

JC had his own struggles with addiction back in the day, so I believe this is why ther song spoke to him. Here he is now facing inevitable death due to ill health, and I can imagine that the old demons were shrieking loudly at him. I was so lucky to see him perform years ago with June, his wife, on a Grand Ole Opry tour. I've never forgotten it and was a fan from that day.

[@randyruble5903]

johnny did 47 albums in his life- cash knew his time was up- june cash-his wife died before him-1 word "LEGEND" trent said it was johnnys now- repect to trent

[@levvellene570]

Your comment at 4.20: JC was an addict himself for so much of his life. Of course he'd recognize this, and he projects it so heart-felt and also understated. I love both his version of the song, and the video. Just look at the young man in various scenes, and then the old man (and his wife) re-living those again.

[@michealduval-l8e]

I knew him, he had a lot of regrets, and always said he would love to go back and changed things, his one positive thing in his life was his wife June,who he adored who also stood by him until the day she died. He could never get over his wife death, he said he felt that his soul was ripped from his body

[@KarlaElaine100]

Just watch Walk The Line movie…Johnny and June had a profound love story. Truth be told, he stopped “living” when June died. He died just a few months after June passed.

[@kmcca204]

It was his goodbye song. Looking back on his long career, regrets, making peace of prior mistakes and loss, and at the end of video he slowly closes his piano for the last time like he’s saying goodbye.

[@barkerz6]

He didn't just cover it, he lived it.

[@anthonylewis62]

jOHNNY AT ONE TIME WAS AN ADDICT, HE RECOVERD MANY YEARS AGO, BUT HES BEEN DOWN THAT DARK HOLE, AND KNOWS WHAT ADDICTION IS LIKE, BECAUSE OF JUNE, HE BEAT IT, BECAUSE SHE WOULDNT LET HIM FAIL, AND LED HIM BACK TO THE LORD, AND WHEN HE GOT OLDER AND SHE PASSED FIRST, HE BASICALLY ENDED UP DYING SOON AFTER, HE DIDNT WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT HER, HE LOVED HER SO MUCH, AS SHE DID AS WELL

[@celiagorleski2716]

Nine Inch Nails said this is Johnny's song now. He looks old due to a hard life. It wasn't over.

[@jlew13jl]

After Cash released this, Trent was asked about the cover of his song... "It's Johnny's song now"

[@weege7298]

I was raised on Johnny Cash. I actually felt like we were related because of the way my family loved him so. I enjoyed Trent’s, but it had a different meaning to me. Similar, but different. Johnny’s version broke my heart. I love his works still.

[@lt.spears1889]

Dude c’mon man, jokes about Cash’s age, that man is a treasure to most of us older folks, he lived a life that most will never experience

[@RobertClark-CAV-SCOUT]

The singer/song writer said that after he heard Johnny's version, it was now Johnny's song.

[@jeremyandrews3567]

NIN said it was meant for them to write the song but johnny cash to sing it. Him covering was him literally saying goodbye. His daughter said that was the last time the piano was closed. Also, his empire of dirt. He released all of his music as public right before he died.

[@xrodeoman]

Johnny cash is the all time great

[@Popson2wheels]

This song tells Cash's life story. He had addiction issues and was a rebel. This song is more powerful if you know his story. Great reaction and a new sub.

[@georgefisher1995]

When Trent Reznor (the author of the song) saw the video, he cryed! Nine Inch Nails anointed this as No longer their song! Probably the saddest, most perfect story of one’s life, and regrets, …. the realization, when it’s to late, what was truly important. I think changing the word “shit” to dirt lends more power to the feeling of loss and desolation.

[@sphillips88m]

This is the greatest swan song of all time just a great song and video a reflection of the life of Johnny months before he passed

[@jens9n]

Johnny Cash was a brilliant man, may he rest easy.

[@andrewbrekke6739]

That man right there Johnny Cash is more of a badass then most and his music is the standard all should try to strive for

[@GotWag]

Johnny Cash is def worth a deep dive; not just his music, but his life & the influence he had on SO many 'rock stars' over the past 50 years. ALSO, if you don't check out The Highwaymen, you are doing yourself a disservice (Cash, Waylon, Willie & Kristofferson)!

[@kimzwolinski9919]

I have not been able to watch this video without crying and I have seen it quite a few times.

[@johntiggleman4686]

Same here.

[@amandaculler5444]

All through his life, he recognized talent in other artists

[@billmonaghan5439]

After Johnny Cash recorded this song the Nine Inch nails said it is not their song anymore as Johnny Cash killed it

[@NOMnomAPROVED]

that was after the music vid Trent at first just hearing the song felt weird do to it was a song close to him

[@bobferguson2476]

That's a man trying to clear the slate and apologize for the bad shit he did in his life and to his loved ones and all the regrets welling up in him as his life was coming to its end.

[@1perfectpitch]

Cash had his bouts with addiction. When he sings "the needle tears a hole" he knows what he's singing about.

[@milhousevanhoutan9235]

There's also an implied double entendre over the song in that he had full blown cancer, as well as diabetes and other long term health issues. Much of the addiction and self harm imagery also has a certain medical context to it. The first lines of the song "I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel" not only describe emotional numbness as they would in self harm, but also numbness that comes from diabetic nephropathy which creates numbness in the fingers where one normally gets a sample of blood to check blood glucose levels. The needle tearing a hole and trying to kill it all away not only describes taking drugs to forget, but also the literal process of chemotherapy where you stick needles of poison into your veins to kill cancer, in the process killing YOU, the hope being it kills the cancer before it kills you. With this allusion especially we know it's a double entendre because of the line "the old familiar sting." That draws a comparison and creates a distinction, that current day him is battling cancer by injecting poison into his veins but he remembers what it was like to inject poison into his veins in the throws of addiction. Trent Reznor wrote the song, but there's a reason Johnny decided to cover it when he did and in the notes of American IV: The Man Comes Around he outright states that he chose this song because of the double meanings created from the context of an ill man singing that song at the end of his life who'd also experienced those issues.

[@melanieheathbeasley133]

My parents literally took me on vacation to outside Johnny and June Carter Cash’s house when I was a kid. I’m all in on Johnny, please watch his video of why he’s the Man in Black, he’s amazing

[@dennyclosser8456]

That is his wife June Carter Cash who died shortly before the release of this, this whole thing fits him perfectly as it interprets all of his regret that he has and the hurt he has instilled in the ones he dearly loved and to himself. And that whole closing of the piano dude which you cut off, is hugely symbolic as it was the last time he did that in his life he died shortly there after also. Hugely powerful.

[@p.j.morris]

I was never a Trent Reznor fan at all but i have a new respect for Trent when he acknowledged that this song was Johnny's song now. This is the best cover bar none. Trent said i was born to write this song Johnny was born to sing it. Trent gave this song to Johnny. I go to Johnny's grave every month nothing is more humbling than standing in the presence of greatness. When he closed the piano lid it was symbolic of the lid being closed on his coffin. awesome reaction bless you from the one and only Memphis Tn.

[@katrinaburks8188]

That was the last video before he passed away. He had already been through alot. Drugs, jail, divorce...but was still religious. Thanks to his wife June Carter Cash. ❤

[@noahbrown6970]

Johnny didn't personally choose the song, these were from his 'American' series of albums produced by Rick Rubin. For the first album, just called American Recordings, it was songs that Johnny always wanted to record but never had. Then for American II-IV (and then V and VI posthumously), Johnny's son John Carter Cash and Rick Rubin looked for songs they thought would fit Johnny's voice and general tone at the time. Some great covers on those albums, his versions of "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode (with John Frusciante on guitar), "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden (backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), and Sting's "I Hung My Head" are all worth checking out as well. And his cover of "One" by U2 will just break your fucking heart in a million little pieces, the extra perspective he puts on those lyrics is incredible! :)

[@taylorshelp5046]

If you are a kid of the 60's and 70's Johnny Cash was the king.

[@MaRoach7]

Walk The Line...A phenomenal movie about Johnny's life

[@lawerencebopp889]

A great Man, the world is a lesser place without him…..

[@kimterry9435]

After hearing Johnnys performance, Nine Inch Nails actually said this song was meant for Johnny to sing

[@scottdonohue3379]

Trent Reznor said that after hearing Johnny Cash’s version of this song that he considered Johnny’s song not his. Johnny Cash led a fascinating life, both good and bad. He was a no BS kind of guy that stood up for what he believed in regardless of anything.

[@yomo1690]

But he didn't though. It got misquoted and spreads through the comments like herpes.

[@redshed2020]

@@yomo1690 The direct quote from Trent when he saw the video was “I wasn’t prepared for what I saw, and it really then, wasn’t my song anymore.”

[@yomo1690]

@@redshed2020 yeah that's what I said. And in the whole context of what he said (plus his other interviews) not just the LITTLE quote. And again he didn't say the song belongs to Cash. He has done more than one interview on it buddy

[@larryclark4297]

When Trent of nine inch nails heard this song he said it belongs to Johnny RIP

[@williamthomas7509]

Such an EPIC way to end his storied musical journey. It fits him in ways that many do not understand, he made a lot of mistakes early on ... he fought for his wife even though he was married when they first met (his first marriage was not exactly a great loving situation). Their love couldn't be denied even though at first she rejected him because he was still married. Eventually they ended up together and the love they shared carried them through good and bad times ... Johnny worshipped her. She was the reason he took a breath it seemed ... she came from Country music royalty and was extremely talented in her own right. This is probably my favorite reaction to this song, from Trent Reznor the man who wrote the song. " ... told Rolling Stone: "We were in the studio, getting ready to work - and I popped it in. By the end I was really on the verge of tears," Reznor recalled. "I’m working with [Rage Against the Machine's] Zach de la Rocha, and I told him to take a look. At the end of it, there was just dead silence. There was, like, this moist clearing of our throats and then, ‘Uh, okay, let’s get some coffee.'” " Read More: Country Music Memories: Cash's 'Hurt' Receives 6 MTV VMA Nods | theboot.com/johnny-cash-hurt-mtv-vma-nominations/?

[@rebeccalind8715]

Trent Reznor has said many times this was my song until he sang it … now it’s his

[@RichDoes..]

this simply HAS to be the best cover of any song in the history of music.. goosebumps every single time!

[@jonellamoore960]

Johnny Cash was an addict who overcame it to become a superstar performer. He married the love of his life. She died three months before he recorded this song. His heart was broken and he soon followed her in death. RIP Johnny Cash. ✨

[@glennburch1081]

Nine Inch Nails wrote it, JC owns it. JC himself had serious issues with drug abuse, that's one of the reasons why the lyrics are so fitting for him. The picture on the wall is of his mother, the woman standing on the stair case is his wife June Carter. The lyrics could not be more fitting as Johnny Cash looks back in retrospect.. It was his last recorded song b4 his death shortly after. Losing his wife just a few months b4 his own death pretty much signed his fate. He loved her MADLY! Thanks for reacting.

[@lexishaw742]

The last shot is the most important. He slowly closes the piano and pats the cover. He’s saying goodbye, to his music, to her, to us.

[@catherinehoffpauir6323]

I discovered this song about a year ago. Always loved Patty Loveless. The sad history of this part of the country is truly heartbreaking. Harlen, KY

[@firefighterchick]

Johnny Cash was open about his battle with addiction throughout his life. He fought for the underdog his whole life, including addicts and prisoners. Man In Black and Ira Hayes are great next choices. A Boy Named Sue is also a great funny one.

[@kevinmoore8904]

Reznor was initially unsure about Cash covering his song, fearing that it would be “gimmicky”, and he was not blown away when he first heard Cash’s version. But when he saw the video, this changed. With “tears welling, silence, goosebumps”, he recognized its significance. At the end of the video, Cash, silhouetted by a harsh yellow light, closes the lid of the piano and rests his aging hands on top of it. Reznor’s “valentine to the sufferer” at that point became Cash’s swan song. After watching it, Reznor said: “That song isn’t mine anymore.”

[@Ray1969.]

Johnny Cash lived a life of addiction, broken promises and pain between the moments of fame and fortune. He asked Trent Reznor if he could cover Hurt and used it as his confession, apology and goodbye. What an absolutely brilliant ending to a brilliant career. RIP to “The Man In Black.” Legend

[@tadzalaj1916]

June Carter, a professional singer, a wife, a beautiful human being.

[@claudeleblanc9257]

You have to watch it to the end. The statement he makes by closing the piano is powerful.