Johnny Cash "Hurt" REACTION & ANALYSIS by Vocal Coach/Opera Singer

[@TheCharismaticVoice]

We just released merchandise! Check out the full line-up here: thecharismaticmerch.com

[@Ronnievinesings]

Cool just checked out the link and saw creators welcome merchandising at the bottom I'm at starting something cool right now for you romaine lettuce as well and trained but still trying to learnmy potential giftedvoice from my creator-mom,1stake on johnny cash to hear from hear where'sing tipshared can take it ?

[@Ronnievinesings]

The last one lost with out you i did the 4/5 octive note mom climed. Whent 2 times higher when i sang think im lost (away3/4th time but like 10000 angles all in harmony best voice ive ever herd .ill herd

[@Ronnievinesings]

P lrsr share

[@Ronnievinesings]

My last song lost without you please refer to away and I know she went two times higher I'm going to have to find this on and send it to you it'll blow your mind still today the best place I've ever heard like Ten Thousand Angels and Harmony but she went two times higher than than the note away lyric free third time away I know but she went to where three times higher than that which I don't even think it's humanly possible please share and I'll send you the Johnny Cash Hurt I'm just going to make sure I have it and send it that was first time I saying it Alpha just preparing a couple things you said about him and then you got me sucked in trying to sing like Chris Cornell oh my God it's almost too much I had to stop LOL it's on shower anyways you're very inspiring I love to hear you and see you the way you do what you do British singers in August lol again meant to say singers in all of us doing voice-to-text how to get back to work but here's hurt and let's see what we can do with your coaching thank you

[@Ronnievinesings]

Okay here it is I found it first try First Take Nine Inch Nails Hurt Johnny Cash now I'm going to listen again to your singing advice you did on him and see how I can do it better the second try from what I can learn from you God bless you thank you so much I just want to see how and what I can do singing for me and my mom Percy was the best opera and Jazz Singer I've ever heard still to this day and I miss her so thanks for helping me

[@SpencerKelly93]

There may never be a more legendary "final song" performed by an artist before their passing. This is legendary.

[@linkbloodelf9833]

It truly is.

[@sheekaloca]

Add "These Are The Days of Our Lives" to the final song list. Freddie gave us his last breaths to sing that.

[@BrottenGuy]

I’ve said the same thing. The true life behind it makes it even MORE haunting than his version already WAS. And we didn’t have long to enjoy it for how haunting it is on its own, before it went to that next level. I think he did it KNOWING this is exactly what was going to happen. The Man in Black planned it out this way. It was into his own will. But, in all seriousness…it’s an entirely amazing story itself

[@mikewhipkey6863]

couldn't agree more!

[@ilpostinomotociclista270]

@Ruben M Lazarus blew my mind when I first heard it. Still hard for me to listen to without crying. Also, My Only True Friend by Gregg Allman. Give it a listen if you haven’t already.

[@shannonlawhorn1674]

When Cash showed this to his daughter she said it "sounds like your saying goodbye" and Cash replied "I am".

[@rmp7400]

It is a blessing to have that opportunity - and to do it so well❤

[@julielythgoe1171]

That is just heartbreaking

[@stable_davefusion]

😢

[@MaadSteve]

Hopefully she knew the difference between “you’re”, and “your”.

[@elsensei5400]

​@@MaadSteve😂

[@jellybeansbud3610]

It doesn’t matter how many times I hear this song. It guts me every time.

[@wyattgwyon9484]

Every time.

[@PRC533]

Every. Time.

[@LeonardRoberts]

Yes every time, maybe because I am older and it seems more relevant then if I was a younger man.

[@tonykeen920]

I've never been gutted

[@Fenianboyo]

Hits me hard every damn time....

[@tido5]

I still don't think I've seen Elizabeth respond more emotionally to a song on this channel.

[@toriless]

She usually just tingles and flickers her eyes until an eargasm.

[@ticomuyrico1]

This song hits hard from the start

[@davidmarino1913]

You're dead if you dont.

[@stevenjohansen3827]

His daughter Rosanne Cash said, "It sounds like you are saying Good bye." Johnny replied, "I am."

[@haroldk724]

I remember him saying that :-( ...But He Knew and He was Ready.............................

[@NYPATRIOTBX]

That’s heavy stuff right there. It’s hard to hear this song without tearing up.

[@csp5813]

He also said that his wife died and later on she visited him and invited him home

[@cwilli26]

I saw Roseanne a couple of years ago. Never had the opportunity to see The Man in Black.

[@clarenceschaffner2342]

@@cwilli26 saw him and June live in the mid-late 90s drove several hundred miles for it. Worth every mile.

[@false-flagburner4184]

Trent Reznor's reaction to this cover says it all. After hearing it, Trent said something along the lines of "this isn't my song anymore, it belongs to Cash. It turns out that I wrote it for him and didn't ever know it"

[@cjwright79]

artists are conduits for the gods!

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Reznor wrote this song for Cash. And Cash gave us all a new prayer. May we all live to be worthy of these gifts.

[@snugbugxxx]

I can’t choose which version I love more, they’re just both so amazing in their own way. Trent’s version breaks my heart of a young person who feels their life is pointless and my teenage self felt that so strongly. This version makes me sad in s nostalgic way. What an amazing gift they both are.

[@jasonwise6099]

It's a life of wanting to please others and never feeling the achievement of that, and in the goal of that, you lose yourself. What a paradox ... of life.

[@kielyarger5283]

He said it after watching the music video with it. Initially he was against it, said it was like someone was "kissing his girlfriend."

[@EmpressMermaid]

I absolutely love the way they left the voice as is. Didn't try to over-produce or autotune away the way he sang. His voice is showing age, a bit weak, off pitch, trembling....but it's the most beautiful thing ever.

[@spacecat1974]

Those things added to the power of this performance imho.

[@DoJ79]

Major daps to Rick Rubin for recognising this, for bringing back on old friend, hero of the outcast, the broken, poor and disenfranchised.

[@_-_Michael_-_]

To put things to perspective, autotune was invented in 1998 and this was put out in 2002, so not a lot of people implemented it their work anyway. Mainly older generation of producers sure wasn’t working with “fix it in the PC” method at the time. Now they made new Rolling Stones album and vocals sound wierd with all that processing and autotune. Like we know Jagger is not perfect singer, let him be what he was for past 60 years!

[@jasonwilliamshuck]

That is Rick Rubin’s superpower. He only adds enough musical production to bring a the essence of the song out, and capture a performance in its pure sense. This is an absolute masterpiece by an American icon.

[@latenightnachos8710]

i also love how they left in the peaking vocal recording during the second verse/outro. Keeping it raw and I love it.

[@Johnthedagger]

Love the truth in this song. Am in my 60's with health issues, and I cried alone in my truck the first time I heard it. All men have regret, I have my own, we're all flawed as I am myself. When it comes on now I'm more equipped to handle it and maybe that's Johnny's legacy to us old men that tried our hardest to navigate the daily crush of being a man and are now faced with our mortality. It's difficult to see friends leave and know that we're not far behind them, but it's the yoke we must bear, so bear it, we will

[@slevinkelevra5901]

One of the very best comments I have every read ❤ I feel everything you said, deep in my bones ❤

[@johnpoore]

I can tell by your words that you did well. Don't judge yourself too harshly.

[@mojodoug3]

Well said, my brother.

[@elsensei5400]

If you can't be with the ones you love, love the ones you're with. We all must go someday, and that day too will be an adventure. Love truthfully, laugh loudly but genuinely and stay humble but ready.

[@ianjohnson7646]

Me too. Me too, John

[@masonr1666]

I heard that when Trent Reznor was asked about this cover, he said, "it is kind of like seeing your ex with their new partner, and realizing their new partner is perfect for them."

[@spddracer]

I know that feeling. Last I heard they had child together. I couldn't be happier. I hope to see them again.

[@megamage911]

@@spddracer Same, I have an ex who recently got married

[@rabbit2686]

Yeah, Trent hated it when he first heard it since it was such a personal song, but after giving it another go, he realized that Johnny made it his own and there was nothing to hate.

[@kimberlysmith8206]

@@rabbit2686 - First time he just listened to it, he came around when he actually viewed the video.

[@DLMaston1]

Trent also said "This is 100% Johnny Cash's song now." And how can anybody argue against that? One of the most honest, raw, and powerful vocal performances a person will ever hear!

[@tweetdriver]

When you see his wife June in the video behind him, knowing she passed away just a couple of months later, the line "Everyone I know goes away in the end," really hits you.

[@nationalsocialism3504]

Then he followed her within a handful of weeks

[@OriginalPuro]

@@nationalsocialism3504 Men are 30% more likely to die within a short period of time after their wives do.

[@nationalsocialism3504]

@@OriginalPuro that's pair bonding... Men just do it harder than women, hence why they outlive us for years. A woman's brain is not really designed to love a man like a man's brain is designed to love a woman... Men are a tertiary part to a woman after kids & herself, while men are tertiary to themselves after kids & her.

[@bobthebear1246]

​@@nationalsocialism3504*months, but still...

[@jens9n]

Then to add she was checking on him to make sure he wasn't overdoing it, just adds another layer to it all imo

[@heidicross6878]

Trent Reznor has actually stated "This is 100% Johnny Cash's song now". His daughter called it "her Dad's goodbye".

[@Giganfan2k1]

Yeah at first Trent was kind of upset someone would cover a song so personal. Then he heard it was "F, this is now a Cash song". Funny story he this isn't the first song he covered where the person thought he hit it out of the park more than they did.

[@maddocks97]

@@Giganfan2k1 i think it takes a good artist to recognise when someone can adapt your own song and instead of feeling jealous or something, you can't help but respect it.

[@detritus23]

@@maddocks97 Dylan had the same reaction to Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower.” He commented that it was always Jimi’s song.

[@pattonsplace41477]

I don't care what he says... This song is Trent's song. Period. I love Johnny Cash... but this is Trent's song.

[@Fender1031]

@@pattonsplace41477 The way Trent does it is his song the way Cash did it was his. Trent let it go in the direction that Cash did it and Trent does the way he does it. Both important messages.

[@andrewjenkinson7052]

I am 78. I first heard this about a year ago and the tears flowed. I vowed to avoid hearing it again as it was so powerful and upsetting. Then I saw the KZbin video before this which explained it's origins and decided to see your reaction. I started crying after the third line and 20 minutes later I have not stopped! Thank you for your reaction. I am glad I watched. I think perhaps I NEEDED to "hurt myself today to see if I still feel". The emotional "hurt" of the song makes me appreciate what I have more. Thank you Johnny and Tent.

[@donnawolman150]

Too powerful for words

[@55tallanh]

Trent

[@kvl505]

Completely amazing..

[@Seca90]

i fear death and most importantly the decay of our bodys... im still young but got a heavy chronic illness wich changed everything..and i ask myself why? why at this young age, what did i do wrong? nobody can tell me i hope that i can reach that high age of yours, without any further disappointments of life, but that is impossible, i know that still i pull my hat before you and hope you have a decent life andrew

[@andrewjenkinson7052]

​@@Seca90Thank you for your kind words. I am very sorry to hear of your condition and hope that scientific developments come to your aid soon. I hope you are best able to make your life as full as possible. My life has been blessed to some extent and it is really not fair that you and others face lesser opportunities. I wish you well.

[@alienangel777]

I met him once. I was about 14 and didn't understand the concept of not approaching famous people going about their day, sorry. But he was in the grocery store, and I recognized him and was so excited that I asked him for an autograph on the back of my grocery receipt. He was so very kind, and asked me how I was doing. He was buying strawberry yogurt and red grapes. I'll never forget that moment, and I have his signature framed on my wall.

[@kylenolan8976]

It’s how you approach someone 🙌 you must of did the right thing

[@mrhbb6]

That is so fu#%ing cool to have that

[@Rune789]

More treasured than gold ♥️🕊

[@danielk7774]

Cash is from that generation that realized where their fame came from.

[@swingerinsure]

Waited on him at the hardware store during my college summer job.…. He was larger than life in a way…. He was tall and spoke with such a low voice…. I simply said, “Let me know if you need any help”. lol

[@drewm6008]

The lyrics of this song alone, are devastating. With Trent, you could hear the horrible self loathing. When Johnny covered it you could hear the massive regret. Both versions ripped your heart out.

[@malcolmellis9654]

there it is...what I was trying to put into words...

[@sportschool3537]

Johnny's is so much more devastating cause it could literally apply to every single one of us... you're a year away from dying, how many of us could say we've done all that we've hoped to do and have little to no regrets? Not many... this song by Johnny is the complete opposite to the other legendary "ending song" which is My Way by Frank Sinatra... a song about the end of a man with almost no regrets... a man who lived his live to the fullest and looked at everyone with a smile and said in all honestly "This was a wonderful life... I had a blast and I wouldn't change a damn thing about it... goodbye"... both are so emotionally perfect for different reasons... Personally I hate listening to Johnny's "hurt" cause it literally makes me feel miserable every time I listen to it but it's a gem of a song and some rare times I do listen to it just cause it's sung so wonderfully emotionally by johnny... Johnny and Frank... a man with a thousand regrets, another one with none... two legends in their own way...

[@freakylizard9699]

As an older person, I completely agree with you, yes regret and also just knowing life is almost over. So some of the flash backs are just realizing all that time has given you and what meaning your life has as a legacy, the memories. What has happened in your life because one day it will all end.

[@cardboardu6019]

For sure Drew, I reacted in similar ways to both versions, and I think Johnny Cash for sure had no idea the effect this would have on his legacy, because it would have been impossible for him to know, but what a great piece of work for any musical artist to have contributed to the world. Also, I imagine Johnny Cash was a guy that learned a great deal in the trials he put himself through in life, and I imagine he was more charitable to himself about his flaws than these lyrics, but he was interpreting a great piece of art by another writer and just did it in the most powerful way possible.

[@michaelcutcher8592]

Couldn't have said it better, ripped my heart out for sure.

[@ruaboutasize14]

"Once Johnny Cash covers your song, it's not your song anymore."

[@gotthatthangonme6644]

I totally consider them to be two different songs

[@0tt0z]

This is the best version!

[@faker2024]

@@gotthatthangonme6644 but lets be real if the original doesn't exist we will never heard this

[@gotthatthangonme6644]

@@faker2024 100%

[@maverickmac1797]

When Johnny Cash covers your song, it is your greatest accomplishment.

[@bjspeck4337]

I'm a 73 yr old widow after 48 yrs of having the love of my life and Cash's version of this is the one that resonates inside me. I know Trent agreed to let Johnny do this but it was such a personal song that he regretted it after hearing the audio. When he saw the video is when he said, "It's Johnny's song now." When his daughter heard it, she said, "It sounds like you're saying goodbye." He said, "I am." Both he and June died shortly thereafter, June in 3 or 4 months and Johnny in 7. Trent's version of this is of a life I've never known but Johnny speaks not only of his life but mine as well - every one I know goes away in the end. I don't hear this one without tears. The picture is of his mother-in-law, June is on the stairs behind him looking beautiful and troubled. The last scene where he closed the piano was the last time he played it.

[@jordenJRP]

your a beautiful soul.

[@bjspeck4337]

@@jordenJRP Thank you, my friend.

[@jmarine1933]

Him closing the piano at the end is really emotional to watch. It’s was almost like him closing the final chapter of his life and career. He was one of a kind.

[@lenkapankhurst9625]

He was metaphorically closing the lid on his own life/coffin 😞

[@akiraakai3316]

@@lenkapankhurst9625 That's how I've always seen it as well. Whatever it's original intent, to me it's closing the casket on his life.

[@kazahani]

The video was shot around the time that Cash and Rick Rubin had to stop recording music due to his declining health. It may have literally been the last time he played an instrument.

[@ancorey25]

Actually he told everyone after the end of this production that he would never play again and he never opened his piano ever again. His wife died a half a year later. He followed her three months later.

[@rmp7400]

Yes making music on earth was closing for him - he did what he could.... the Invitation for remembering and living and doing... passes on to those who remain a while longer

[@billparrish4385]

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails called it an “unbelievably powerful piece of work.” “I pop the video in, and wow… Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps… Wow,” Reznor said. “[I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn’t mine anymore… It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning - different, but every bit as pure.”

[@woodywoodman2319]

Gives new meaning!!!

[@TheDragonsRose]

Trent was originally dubious and even a little unhappy, but after he gave it a listen he was definitely impressed.

[@jordanwolfson8378]

@@TheDragonsRose The video really helped, too...the video sells the song, and the song sells the video. You really need to experience both to get this cover.

[@TheDragonsRose]

@@jordanwolfson8378 That has nothing to do with what I said. X)

[@jordanwolfson8378]

@@TheDragonsRose Uh...yes it does? I'm saying the video helped sway his opinion as well. But ok. Lmao.

[@beardedzeus1337]

He releases this song, and "everyone I know goes away in the end" his wife passes and he follows 4 months after. This song will never fail to draw teary eyes.

[@showshowthecloneclown8428]

The piano closing in the end was the closing of Johnny's coffin lid . I have wondered what it would be like to attend one's own funeral.

[@CosmicIceCream]

@@showshowthecloneclown8428Wow, you are right. Guess I'll just go cry some more now.

[@scottrackley4457]

After June died, I knew it wasn't long for Johnny.

[@PeterParker-gt3xl]

He made it his swan song; some people (like me) can feel every bit of it.

[@andrewjuby6339]

I believe that video was in post when June passed away, so there's an added emphasis of his very, very recent loss in the edit.

[@dorothyrosenberg1301]

As someone who’s going through life’s ending, I’m able to say your “analysis” is spot on. I beg you to apply what you’ve said about this video to your own life now. Thank you for this gift.

[@robertroot9863]

Bless you. I wish you the deepest connections with those you love in this season.

[@mariod8252]

The Nine Inch Nails version is the pain of living and the Jonny Cash version is the pain of it all going away. Both are amazing!

[@Cascalonginus1]

Perhaps the most relevant song pair of what it is to be mortal and human.

[@unionproud1777]

Trent Resnor stated that once he seen the video he believed that became Johnny's song.

[@popviz3316]

Nailed it!

[@billymac23454]

A perfect analysis...

[@tomperkins5657]

Well said.

[@brandoncinpubadj]

He turned a twisted song into his final confession before death. This will forever be a Johnny Cash song in my mind!

[@ChrisJones-cs2zd]

Also apparently in Trent Reznor's mind...

[@DiZastur]

@@ChrisJones-cs2zd lol, he's realistic, you can't listen to that and think wow, trent's really got something there

[@SB_OHAGAN]

On a local radio station they played the NIN version and a listener text in to say he couldn’t believe they’d ruined a Johnny Cash song, the DJ pointed out that they wrote it so it was theirs to ruin 😂

[@johnellis5820]

The old house he looked at was where he grew up. Down the road from me in shitsville Arkansas Johnny is probably one of the all time best selling artist in the world and that was for one reason He lived it and he believed what he sang. And he made us believe it. Would he have made such an impact without the drinking an the drugs? Hell no.

[@dtyodeller]

It is indeed a Johnny Cash song.

[@raulvarelajr5822]

Yea, I cried. The world got a little darker when he passed. God bless him.

[@dstrawsb]

He changed the world, he touched people, what else could a man of God ask for in life.

[@StormbladeX69]

I get misty EVERY time I hear it. Especially when watching the video along with it.

[@NodDisciple1]

Reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson's quotes, "He was one of God's unique prototypes..."

[@K1ngzgamer500]

the man in black was no more. something had to get darker.

[@HeAD-CRuMBs]

Respect ❤

[@michaelkeller5555]

Hearing the age in his voice adds such a richness to the sound and the emotions, it's absolutely stunning.

[@fuckzogtube]

He conveys a lot of emotions, a long gap of his ride through life in very few words, yet they encapsulate this whirlwind of feelings and experiences so well that I would bet that this is one of the reasons why it manages to draw the cork out of our bottled up emotions.

[@skatasticgal]

"Everyone I know goes away in the end" *picture of June* I cry every. Time.

[@l.e.reslow8583]

I don’t know this for sure, but I think that’s a picture of Johnny’s mother.

[@allisonholmesmusic97]

@@l.e.reslow8583 it is. June is appears in the video in the flesh

[@CheeseCircus]

God, yes

[@johnnyfire3860]

Yes that is his mother’s picture

[@Pdstor]

@@allisonholmesmusic97 Yes, it is his mother. June was still alive when it was filmed (she's with him in the video, I think) but passed before he did, though they were not separated by long.

[@maineman9447]

I'll take an expressive voice over a pitch perfect voice any day.

[@RickReasonnz]

Singing's purpose should be to translate emotion from the singer to the listener. And Johnny did that perfectly here.

[@AnthemBassMan]

Absolutely! It’s one thing to enjoy listening to someone with perfect pitch. It’s entirely another, and even more amazing, when someone with a somewhat less than perfect voice just grabs your heart and soul and squeezes it while you listen to them.

[@metalnotemo]

100%

[@lorenzomeloni6088]

True, but I'd say Johnny was also quite pitch-perfect when he was in good health. When he recorded Hurt he was both aging and seriously ill.

[@nomchompsky2883]

Want to see something bizarre? How about a seven year old Norwegian girl singing Billie Holiday... Acapella. In front of judges.. it's not her best performance but it's so extraordinary soul I promise if you listen you'll seek her other songs.... KZbin Angelina Jordan I'm a fool Norway.

[@downtowndan9091]

The double entendre of a young man struggling with addiction and depression and an old man facing death are incredible. The “old familiar sting” of a needle can mean drug addiction for a young man, medical extension of life for an old man. “Everyone I know goes away” can mean the feeling of driving people away for a young troubled man, or friends dying off as an old man. Just incredible emotions for every generation. I’m not an emotional person but this song makes me tear up.

[@BigCool95]

And the fact that John struggled with addiction himself in his younger years also fits

[@aa-id7li]

It helps that Johnny Cash had his fair share of problems with drugs and the like as a younger man.

[@s3nsec0rruptr80]

Johnny also struggled with addiction his whole life. I think he understood the original meaning but added on his past addiction to everything else

[@6347-b8t]

@@BigCool95 detimimwthrrv be GP get Ee get

[@martindworak]

I think if this song does NOT tear you up, you MUST already be dead!

[@picklemat4619]

This is the greatest cover of a song. With the same lyrics it has a totally different meaning. With the closing of the piano, his story ended. He did it all and had it all but at the end everything he has doesn’t mean anything just like everyone else.

[@tomb1291]

I don't know if this is the greatest cover of a song, but he made this song his own and it's the definitive version of the song.

[@vicferrari9380]

That's my fear. That it mean nothing and no one will remember 😢

[@smackdowngod]

“when I heard Johnny sing my sing, I realized that it wasn’t my song anymore.” -Trent Reznor

[@andrewilliams4555]

A true artist. Good bless

[@Mike-zf4xg]

Trent is just being nice. In reality, the melody was so neutered into pop song, lacking its original dissonance, it's not the same song anymore.

[@randywissler9923]

@@Mike-zf4xg your right, its not the same song anymore! Its a more powerful, meaningful song now thanks to Johnny!!

[@Mike-zf4xg]

@@randywissler9923 I am sorry your sound palate is as complicated as kfc

[@randywissler9923]

@@Mike-zf4xg you have your opinion, I have mine. See, thats the great thing about this country, we can have different opinions, and the world won't come to an end.

[@justinpeterson9832]

When Johnny played this recording for his daughter, she said “it sounds like you are saying goodbye”. He responded with “I am”. He knew his time was near, and this was his way to really put a bow on an incredible life and career. No matter how many times I watch this video, the part that always gets me is where he closes and caresses the piano at the end. It wasn’t just him ending the song, Johnny was wrapping up his career and even his life right there.

[@nieks.7326]

I don't even have to hear the song anymore to start tearing up 🙃

[@melissarose0126]

That gives me chills. I thought he was singing his requiem/his funeral song. Then seeing June looking down on him from the staircase like an angel, foreshadowing her passing before him. It grips me so hard still.

[@ralphjones7531]

what an honor for trent , wow. i meant tren once and he was such a good guy ...pretty much told these girls thy were being rude becuase he a talking to me and my friend....much respect! that was at the silo in Reading PA!

[@QuantumCat76]

The look that June gives him at 7:38 is always a gut-punch for me, no matter how many times I see this clip.

[@patrickma99]

I’d even go so far as to say that the piano almost looks like a coffin in some shots with the cover on it. The imagery throughout this video is just, wow.

[@badgershands]

"You can have it all, my empire of dirt". That one line kills me every single time. I have no idea why.

[@morgrath]

It's a powerful thing, the idea of spending your whole life building something only to come to the end of it and realise that it's all just things, and what really matters are the people around you and the relationships you've formed and nurtured. We're all just people, we all die, and we can't take anything with us.

[@worldofborriemoto2026]

The same thought is expressed by Solomon in Ecclesiastes when he says that everything is vanity, meaning worthless. Just as that is a hard book to read, this version of this song is hard to listen to.

[@tonyb7615]

me too bro

[@tonyb7615]

to have so much to some. i can go home. some dont have a home

[@SuperLifestream]

when you consider his medical conditions when he sung this song. it makes even more sense. He knows he's dieing soon

[@michaelconnor1542]

The way he closes, then caresses the piano. Is like he is saying goodbye to a lover. One last lingering caress.

[@cvabuck5489]

Trent Reznor created a masterpiece with this work. Johnny Cash aged it to perfection and bottled it.

[@antdujar]

Great way to describe the magic that both of them displayed.

[@Findnyou]

I've done a bunch of ...stuff to Trnt's music, but I remember hearing Johnny's version of this. I stopped cold in my tracks and listened to the end. I'm not going to try and say which is better. You can't create beauty without a solid base.

[@maxthreshold]

I like how you put it, well said

[@mk420m4]

Sevendust did a cover also that I think is pretty solid

[@timheath518]

captured it perfectly here, nice words.

[@michaelkratz]

Almost 20 years later, this still hits the feels hard, every. single. time.

[@reactor084]

Yes it does

[@Strict666]

Wow.....I thought it released like......5 years ago (when I just reacted to it without thinking at all) . My god my sense of time is terrible =p

[@johnpaulespinoza1213]

It hit me just like it did the first time

[@hitandruncommentor]

Indeed, so many too many artists of generation have followed him. RIP Johnny.

[@bucketheadistheman]

You said it, brother.

[@Ephem13]

The man in black had to hit us hard one last time before he left this world and frankly it caps off an amazing career and life.

[@foolsauce420]

Yeah, he decided to cover a Nine Inch Nails song.

[@okiejohn3925]

@@foolsauce420 - He OWNED a Nine Inch Nails song....

[@VanillaDin0saur]

I remember when he died, 99x(alternative rock at the time) in atl was playing hurt.

[@LeonardRoberts]

The man was always a great story teller.

[@garywaters6606]

Amen. A true Grand Master of his art.

[@voltaspeeder17]

This is easily the most incredible vocal performance I've ever heard in my life. Not for the technique. Not for the melody. Not even for the lyrics. But for the REALNESS. He put his whole self into it once more and for the final time ever, and he knew it while doing it. It was his final goodbye and all he had left was that one song. Only the greatest ever can express themself that way and Johnny was truly one of the greatest ever.

[@1982jeepcj8]

This is his last performance, his wife died soon after and he followed with in a few months, his daughter was at the recording and said it sounds like you are saying good bye, Johnny Cash said "I am"

[@vandermitch5146]

@UCHrmeDJpRG0chiqr2-CeQIg His wife was June Carter the women behind him in the stair she died soon after the filming of this video after a hearth sugery and Mr Cash followed her after a few month

[@rog2224]

If you look around KZbin, you'll find he was performing live almost until the end, well after this was done, and laid down the bones of American V, so it's far from his 'last' performance.

[@UltraSuperDuperFreak]

Also hes wife was not meant to be part of the video, she was sleeping up stair and came down during recording. They keeped it in the video for release. Plus the house burned down during renovation after hes death aswell. It really was the end of it all :(

[@Ratovx]

Not true about being his last performance

[@Antoniooooooooooooooo]

@@UltraSuperDuperFreak oh my...

[@blackdogfriday]

Still one of the saddest videos ever. Johnny was a one of a kind.

[@VauxhallViva1975]

I absolutely LOVE her facial expressions while she watches this. Pretty much my experience also. EDIT: I remember I also had to pause a few times the very first time I saw this - perhaps the BEST tear-jerker music video ever made. I was never a NIN fan, but I have started to investigate Trent's band a bit more after this.

[@mattjns]

Gets me every time.

[@a_diamond]

It is sad, but it is also absolutely beautiful.. when I listen to this, the feeling I feel is old grief. The kind that has had the time to change from overwhelming pain to bittersweetness when the good memories make you smile again.. ❤️

[@mattjns]

@@a_diamond It’s the second chorus of Comfortably Numb x1000.

[@TheMelbournelad]

The man in black had one more in him to send him off to the beyond.

[@blaynebrackett3377]

When his daughter heard his version of the song she told him that it sounded like he was saying goodbye... His reply was "I am." Gives me chills.

[@ZipGoodie]

...Oof.

[@bullypopful]

Her emotion had me teetering on the edge, this just finished me off. This song never fails to hit where it hurts

[@teresarose685]

The added overlay of the piano feels like the clock is ticking and time is running out. RIP Johnny. Hope you’re in a better place with June ❤

[@TroyBoyleAtheistAdvocate]

I'm only 54, but I know EXACTLY what Johnny is trying to get across by covering this song. It's an existential scream, no matter how quietly sung.

[@phoenix0153]

Cash was on Bio one night and his daughter was very upset watching it and said to her dad that it looked like was saying goodbye. To which he replied “I am”.

[@CraigfromOmaha]

Don’t go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[@MrHws5mp]

53 here - same. But then my family were older than those of my peers' so I watched them get to this point, and got a chance to think about it all, relatively early in my life.

[@pnhedgeezer]

I am right there with ya Tony. Been listening to Cash for a long minute and watched the bio on him and his love for June Carter-Cash. Most of the greats are gone now. That was a great exit song.

[@yungfleip]

He's singing quietly, but that piano, even though it's just one note, is the relentless passing of time that starts quietly but slowly builds until it cannot be ignored.

[@BigRiverJohn]

I just read that Johnny's piano was never re opened after he closed it during the making of this Video.

[@pa-r6169]

Idk why that hits me so hard, but damn. That just sliced me in half

[@youtubeconnollyfamily]

Wow….😢

[@warrenalchin7452]

@@pa-r6169 Hell yeah. "Wow" is an understatement. Not opening that piano is such a huge sign of respect. No shit, I'm short of breath at hearing that.

[@justinroach9344]

thats heavy

[@alexhollon7526]

I'd feel terrible for even touching the top let alone the keys.

[@JohnEvans-ix9nn]

When asked about Johnny's cover of his song, Trent replied, "It's not my song anymore, it's Johnny Cash's."

[@greyk610]

Not many people would even know about the song if Jonny didn't cover it, so I'm sure he was ecstatic that he did.

[@GrandeMastaSexi]

@@greyk610 everyone knows its trent reznors song... NIN was insanely popular my dude

[@samellowery]

@@GrandeMastaSexi NIN was popular but not this particular song most people i know thought NIN stole this from Cash.

[@ozoneswiftak]

John Evan's in Seattle? Great song my old friend.

[@Danielson1818]

@@GrandeMastaSexi You have a fair point, but I'm a rock fan from the 90's, and still was way more familiar with Cash's version. It wasn't a well known Reznor song. I hope both knew each other, and had a chat.

[@guyfarish9944]

This video played at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on a contiuous loop for a while a few years ago, I remember standing in the exhibit with tears streaming down my face more than once. Thank you Mr. Cash for your interpretation of this song, it was nothing short of moving. ❤

[@jaremisajkowski2417]

"you don't need to have perfect vocal technique to be a fantastic singer" .. BINGO!

[@grumpyguss]

I love aged voices. Louis Armstrong's voice (near the end) was raspy like a box of rocks but it was just so rich. I can appreciate a beautifully vibrant voice but also a seriously aged, distilled voice just the same.

[@IsaacShnow]

Thom yorke

[@KomradeKrusher]

The thing is, he was old and frail and close to death when he sang this (which certainly aided the emotional impact), but damn, ole' Johnny had a voice like hardly another when he was in his prime.

[@hunterwilliams2833]

It’s like how having imperfections in cgi is what makes it more real.

[@AuspexAO]

@@IsaacShnow I see your Thom Yorke and raise you a Tom Waits! Ha ha.

[@andrewdias6890]

The way he closes the lid of the piano, the same way you close the lid of a coffin, saying goodbye one last time.

[@jbdragon3295]

From what I hear, he never opened that piano ever again.

[@TheCharismaticVoice]

That's truly powerful and makes me misty inside.

[@hobbitpeddler4267]

Also the shot of him as a younger man on stage with the stage lights darkening. Beautiful

[@jbdragon3295]

@@hobbitpeddler4267 There were all kinds of shots as him younger throughout the video.

[@hobbitpeddler4267]

@@jbdragon3295 the one at the end when the stage lights are going down.

[@gingeedome9812]

Nine Inch Nails’ version expresses the pain and suffering of a young man. Johnny Cash’s expresses the pain and suffering of an old man. Absolutely marvelous.

[@tcrijwanachoudhury]

Agreed ❤

[@chrisnsc1135]

Full circle of life....that's the world we live in, hurt and be hurt, but we all go away in the end.

[@therickroller2358]

One of the more amazing aspects of it too is all the choices in the music reflect that too, cash version is a very full song with multiple instruments working in concert to create his version where you can hear the whole chord much more clearly than the NIN version, but the NIN version definitely puts you in the shoes of a hurt confused young man, the way it sounds like reznor is holding everything back the entire performance and just beneath the surface is a cacophony of chaos just waiting to break out, which it does at the end and slowly fades into more chaotic noise, it's absolutely crazy that you can do two drastically different emotions with the exact same song just by re-aranging things and making slightly different choices

[@TexaSurvival]

I think both encapsulate pain and suffering by way of regret, the rub though is Trent’s version of regret almost seems hopeful because youth can get past it but Johnny, in the winter of his life, carries regret but you know he won’t shake it. Brutal.

[@ea32da32]

Bookends

[@AuthenticGadzooks]

This is one of the few songs that make me cry every single time. The pain in his voice is incredibly palpable.

[@zenabowli]

I'm 78 years old. Johnny Cash has been the father of my musical heart since 1957. This moves me deeply every time I listen to it. What we feel keeps us real. The supreme technique in singing... is hangin' the right emotion on every word. Thanks for sharing your sense of it.

[@MrBeav1982]

This is my favorite part of the internet. Despite the negatives, I feel it has really brought generations together in a way that didn't happen in the past. I'm a borderline millennial that just turned 40 this year, seeing this and my own grandfather on my mom's side (just turned 78!) and grandmother on my dad's get connected in the same way brings me joy. If you find the right places there are some great communities out here.

[@yqwgjsg]

I’m 68 now. When I was in 9th grade we had a field trip to the Ryman to watch the Johnny Cash TV show. As a kid country wasn’t my thing but Johnny and Ruth were there along with Kenny Rodgers. I was so impressed with Burning Ring and Kenny doing Just Dropped In. This song is like the ending of that era.

[@Williamottelucas]

I was born in 1957 I hear you

[@manysharptongues133]

You remind me of my dad, but with his love of Dylan. I pray that you stay in good health and happiness. But I mostly pray that you seek Christ, and love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Just fall to Him, recognizing the full seriousness of your sins, and the fact that He sent you a savior so that you will never perish but have everlasting life. He will never leave you nor forsake you, because He loves you so much. Check out the Living Waters KZbin channel. It has helped me learn and to grow in my faith. I love you.

[@zenabowli]

@@manysharptongues133 Dylan too. Prayers appreciated.

[@Matthew80631]

The woman in the picture was his mother, his wife june carter is standing on the staircase behind she died shortly after this was made and he followed a few months later

[@unfurling3129]

Thank you

[@raggarbergman]

And spiritually he pretty much died with June.

[@bobn3553]

Thanks Matt. I was getting ready to say this but you have said it so much better. It is nice when when younger generations find this music.

[@ricklepick9148]

Yeah, she was the last one Johnny had to see go away in the end.

[@thetrytro]

@@raggarbergman You ain't wrong.

[@Teknophreak]

When he closes the piano and runs his hands over it one final time, knowing what it meant, so powerful and deeply sad.

[@horrorwood1331]

that power only grows when you hear that the same piano hasn't been opened since.

[@Milanvaneijk]

@@horrorwood1331 Pfff really?! wauw. that is powerful indeed.

[@redragonalpha]

several musicians have done the same thing and it is understood as a universal sign of farewell, and, "I'm done". his producers tried to get him to do further performances, and he said no.

[@jschaibly]

Is the power of it is betrayed in the symbolism of the piano. It is supposed to not only be a piano but resemble a coffin or a casket

[@jaredmatijevich3238]

Your unbridled empathy shines through in all of the content you produce. It is a breath of fresh air in a world that feels to be in a narcissistic race to the bottom. So thanks 😊

[@daviddinhof2305]

In my opinion, Trent sounds like someone who doesn't want to die jet and Jonny's version feels like he accepts and even welcomes death. Both versions are freaking amazing.

[@marcosorbetti7639]

Very well said David. Never thought of it like that before. Awesome observation.

[@rolandgunslinger37]

When his daughter heard this song and saw the video she said it's as if you're saying goodbye. He replied "I am."

[@LowpsCP]

Trent said it was odd hearing Cash covering his song.

[@mattroxursoul]

That is a difference of age though. Hard to convince someone in their 20s that they are actually mortal in a lot of cases. It gets a lot different once you cross over into 30s and stuff. I am 40 and feel like a totally different person than just 15 years ago. Cannot imagine what I would feel like if I was 60 instead, or 75

[@marcfournier823]

I'm 64 and depressed after I retired and seeing how my own body is failing. Regrets. Regrets are what I have been dwelling on. But this song and your reaction helps me in a strange way. You would think it would make me more depressed but it has not and you have not. Life is a series of transitions that we have to move into with grace and gratitude. We need to let go of the past in order to move into the future. With Covid and the prevailing sentiment of nastiness and intolerance that pervades we carelessly waste so much precious time in the present. I don't know if I'll live one more day or 30 more years. I just know now each day is precious and worth living well. Thanks for your tears. May you move through life with grace and gratitude.

[@jeremyc9229]

Well said brother!

[@jacobmarkham1969]

A lot of people needed to hear this. Thank you for your kind and inspiring words!

[@jlyo1991]

29 almost 30 here. 430 lb and dealing with depression too much to lose weight but don’t see myself affording therapy for another year or more. Regrets I know all too well.

[@frizankrizizzo]

@@jlyo1991I don’t know if you’ll read this or care but seek help when you can. Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to now. And find foods that are good for you that you like. Don’t force yourself to eat food you hate cause it’s “good” food. If it’s an improvement and it’s not the “best” food it’s still progress. You’re not too old. You’re not too far gone. I’m a few years older and still struggling myself. You can take baby steps. Even baby steps made me feel better. Like almost immediately. I’m still growing myself. But there’s too much time left to start thinking about regret now.

[@andrewmainman4520]

Thank you for those words Marc. They are an inspiration to me.

[@tesla-spectre]

Trent Reznor said in 2005:"this is not my song anymore". Never did anyone leave a final farewell in such a brutally honest way than Cash did with this out of this world cover.

[@patrickreynolds9853]

Would you expect anything less from him. He was always 1 of the most brutally honest song writers and performers in the business.

[@willdobbins295]

As someone who was a junkie 40 years ago, Trent's version rings so true for the reason of continuing on that downward spiral. The harsh, vulgar, rawness of the music and vocals captures that hopeless life perfectly. Then today as I'm reaching the final stage of life, Johnnys version couldn't portray the regret, remorse and loss of time to correct the past more perfectly. Especially when Johnnys daughter said "it sounds like you're saying goodbye." and he said "I am." Geezus! As you say, this song has nothing to do with tonal quality. Just raw emotion. I can't listen to either version without ugly crying. It is perfection. And I praise both men for giving of their souls to us.

[@crabbypanda]

he recorded this song while in excruciating pain and while knowing his wife June was terminally ill. the day of this video shoot his jaw pain was really bad and June who usually didn't go on set for his videos came downstairs because she was so worried about him and not planning to be in the video. so her expression is real. she passed a few months after this video shoot and Johnny died a few months later.

[@johnfoxe2000]

Yes! That moment in the video (07:37 here, 02:34 in the original video) when June looks down and and watches him is for me perhaps the saddest moment in the video.

[@tomrodgers6629]

He did not sing it he lived it. His performance came straight from his soul.

[@markrogers4084]

I'm a 60 years old combat vet and can't keep a dry eye every time I hear this song. (Version)

[@FirstnameLastname-qe3ry]

thank you for your service!

[@Hiven-N-Thriven]

Salute!

[@levalpat]

i know the feeling... I am a 68 years old who has been in Iraq, plus the southern sudan and Liberian civil wars... and this song brings on the tears... sad but makes me feel not jaded and human again.

[@monkeybone129]

@@levalpat thank you for your service. I hope you have a great day

[@johnsteiner2204]

I can't understand how anyone who loved Johnny's work could possibly not be emotionally gut-shot by this song. And thanks for being tough enough to admit that you cried. Why we're brought up with that "big boys don't cry" BS I'll never know. Thanks for your service Mark.

[@kristieroybal4888]

The piano closing at the end felt like the closing of a casket to me. A punch to the gut.

[@rogerd.miller1095]

This is brilliant story telling. As a 75 year old man closing in on the end of my own life, this song resonates with me. Late in my life I found the love I wished I had found when I was 35. But I was not ready for that love yet. I've told my partner that if we had met earlier she would not like me because I did not like myself at that point. Great song, great reaction.

[@larrytanksley1119]

I'm 71 and the feeling of great regret probably haunts us older folks. Nothing we own at life's end compare with the loss of those people we treasured; nothing salves the pain of the hurts we inflicted on those people either.

[@rogerd.miller1095]

@@larrytanksley1119 It is absolutely true. I try to console myself in believing that there are no mistakes, only experiences. But if you live long enough, there are regrets. Bonne vie my friend. I think you have to get to a certain age or level of experience to realize this.

[@charlesgallagher1376]

@@rogerd.miller1095 I think Trent was a very young man when he wrote it, so age isn’t relevant. I got it then and even get it better now at 65 with Johnny’s version.

[@jaredswanson2448]

I’m pretty sure this song is about dealing with heroin addiction

[@rogerd.miller1095]

@@jaredswanson2448 Johnny's interpretation is about remorse.

[@strangetimes4591]

One year before his death, but only days after learning June was getting worse, so they rushed the recording to be able to have one last trip together. One love.

[@kmarklandes8630]

She was not supposed to be in the video. She was upstairs resting but got worried about Johnny so she came downstairs to check. They caught the moment on film and you can the love, caring and warmth in her face.

[@blarghinatelazer9394]

@@kmarklandes8630 Yep, those are tears. There are tears here now.

[@hammer9856]

He's not only lamenting all the people he has lost over the years, but all his failures, missed opportunities and sins, and now finally realizing that all his success, riches and awards amount to nothing, compared with what really should have mattered in his life. That's pain and regret and it comes through in spades in his singing. I've also been told that this was mixed dry, with no effects, which I think leads to its sheer rawness and power in his playing and vocals.

[@guitaristdotcom]

I don't think he actually felt that way about his life and legacy. I think he was letting us know that he knows that kind of pain and suffering, and that those going through it are not alone. In a way, this music is a final act of love.

[@hammer9856]

@rezargamer He also had drug and alcohol problems. Though he hid it for years. You're right that he didn't write the lyrics, but I think he "made them his own" in performing it in the way he did. So much heart and feeling in the words and images.

[@looptidooptid]

@rezargamer 🙄

[@thedankens]

The first time I heard this song, not long after it debuted, I had a feeling in my stomach that this was Johnny's goodbye. What a way to go out. He made you feel the pain that he felt in that moment over his regrets and the way he spent his younger years. After listening to this, one can only hope the man found peace and reconciliation before he passed.

[@RamblinAround]

In any art form, conveying your true emotions to others should be the number one priority. You could feel this song pouring straight from his heart. Johnny was a true legend.

[@ossiehalvorson7702]

Which is funny considering how skeptical it was when he was first presented with the opportunity to cover it. He had to be prodded a little bit into just giving it a try.

[@mrtoestie2707]

@@ossiehalvorson7702 Two sides to that very thought. The song is basically him saying goodbye. I bet he just knew how he was going to do it; just felt it. A big commitment to follow through with something like that

[@Not_A_Cat]

Johnny feels every word that Trent wrote. Johnny has already LIVED it. That's why this rendition transcends all musical genres and hits straight to the heart of the listener.

[@c.blakerockhart1128]

VERY WELL SAID.😎🇺🇸

[@slamdancer1720]

Johnny has long had fans in many genres...one could say he was punk or metal before either existed.

[@meikusje]

You know you're dealing with a legend when The Charismatic Voice actually forgets to analyze and just gets swept up in the emotion of the song.

[@patrickreynolds9853]

This is t a song you can get all technical with. It’s based in pure emotion. Very little technical nuances in this … just tons and tons of honesty and emotions … everything from sorrow to regret to finality to love.

[@crystalwinter-powers5208]

The music had to be equally compelling...and it was...an jhonnys touch was all over it as well

[@robertkimber822]

I've seen this video dozens of times and it always produces tears. Absolutely astonishing performance.

[@davebevin]

This song used to bring me to tears back when I was a drug user and felt like I had no one. It made me realise that no matter how much I talked my life up to others and myself, it was empty, devoid, a pile of dirt. This was always going to be my funeral song. On a brighter note, 10 years clean, married, and life is amazing. This song reminds me of just how lost I was.

[@andymania13]

That is an amazing turn around. Kudos to you and I hope your life is full of lots of happiness and fulfillment now.

[@angelobrannon2736]

My brother dealt with addiction like that. Started off with cigarettes, then weed, eventually graduating to meth. It hurt us seeing him tear himself apart. He’s 3 years clean. It may not mean much from a stranger, but I’ll say the same thing I said to my brother. I’m proud of you for every single day. I’m glad you turned it around.

[@davebevin]

@@angelobrannon2736 thanks dude, and kudos to your brother. Never again will I walk that road.

[@juliafox7904]

❤️

[@tuxedomoon2]

I feel you , that place you have been Know it too well

[@JimFinley11]

Listening as someone who is old enough to know almost all my life is behind me, watching the things I can do and the people in my life slip away one by one, this is both beautiful and feels like a sledgehammer to the chest.

[@velraven8944]

You know what they say, "ain't over til it's over". Every person you meet is a life you can touch, up to the second they close the lid on you, and sometimes even after that.

[@tric5122]

Agreed, and looking back at times intentionally and unintentionally I hurt those people I'm memories that keep coming up does the same. Cannot take back those moments, no matter how justified it felt at the time.

[@ReachForTheSky]

My Dad passed away 2 months ago at the age of 83. He lived to see most of his friends pass away. He was adopted; his mother left him when he was four, and we still don't know who his real father was. But he meant the world to at least a single person - me. You don't have to be related to someone to have value to them, though. One of his best friends, a gentleman called Mervin, lives alone after his wife passed. We still keep in touch, and I enjoy speaking to him, and listening to his experiences. The meaning of life is that which you give it.

[@wildmanbenenate255]

Yes. Its a very real emotional cover...

[@chevy7180]

i too have most of my life behind me and softly say yes jim yes

[@eoinwestman6222]

Johnny Cash’s rendition of Hurt is one of the most poignant and powerful songs I have ever listened. If you don’t feel some kind of emotion when listening to this song then you haven’t felt “Hurt” yet. Thank you

[@donnovan6578]

You can just hear in the song his pain his regrets and that he knows he’s fading he knows his time is coming to an end. The whole song is him saying sorry to June and all his friends and family along the way that he hurt at any time. It’s also him devaluing his legacy and saying he doesn’t care about it anymore he just wants his family and friends back. June had passed not long before this song was recorded which is why she’s seen in the way she is so much.

[@BR4IN1N4J4R]

This song is on my "Depression" playlist. When I'm feeling that lost and empty feeling, I'll listen to this and sing along and just cry. Strangely, helps out a lot

[@jonathanwiggins5366]

Same. What else you have on there?

[@thorstenlone9207]

Yip, feel you. When you're really sad or depressed, happy music doesn't help, you listen to sad and depressed music to feel understood and somewhat comfortable, even tho it doesn't really help. Kinda.

[@BR4IN1N4J4R]

@@jonathanwiggins5366 45, Sound of Silence, Dear Agony, Failure, House of the Rising Sun, Wrong Side of Heaven, Green Fields of France. Stuff like that

[@fatslick70]

@@BR4IN1N4J4R you should share your Spotify playlist if you don't mind. This song brings tears every damn time!

[@normanwilmoth7404]

Listening to something that's about depression or loss helps if you are. It helps you realize when even you're feeling your lowest there's someone else who's been there too. That gives you hope✌

[@keithdean9149]

The closing of the piano, almost like the closing of a casket. Johnny Cash's daughters spoke shortly after this song was released. The conversation went something like: "Have you heard Dad's new song yet?" "No. I haven't." "Brace Yourself."

[@davidisaacson5806]

Yeah, the closing of the piano always gets me...

[@Broccoli_Highkicks]

@@davidisaacson5806 it's not so much the closing, as the gentle caressing of the lid - like a final goodbye to a beloved friend.

[@ozzy7109]

@@Broccoli_Highkicks agreed

[@danneumann3274]

what a great comment. im so glad i know this now. thank You

[@markreyes3864]

@@Broccoli_Highkicks as if he knows he would never play it again.

[@SparkimusPrime]

This song makes me bawl like a baby every time.

[@michellegreene81]

same

[@billgappmayer7911]

If this song doesn't make you feel something, there's something wrong with you.

[@BrokenGodEnt]

the song is emotional, but the video always makes me tear up. him hammering at that piano with his finger while we see footage of his life passing by... oh man.

[@lucamorgagni619]

I think we all do. Every human being does. ♡

[@lassehakala968]

Try James Blunt - monsters (official vid.)

[@mad1316]

Possibly the best compliment I ever got as a singer was after singing Johnny Cash's rendition of Hurt. Someone walked up to me and said "Thank you. When you were singing I was able to just close my eyes, and he was back again, just for a little while."

[@paulxaviercyr]

His voice in this song makes me think of a single candle, flickering to the end of it's wick, alone on a table in a dark room.... I always tear up.

[@michaelradzichovsky9366]

Excellent imagery

[@the_crooked_crone]

Wow. That is such a powerful, evocative image you conjour up there. Beautiful

[@FirstLast-il6ok]

That is art my man. Perfect description.

[@ellenmarch3095]

I love this.

[@mcfear1991]

Goddamn it. Now I'm all depressed thanks for the imagery. Music is emotion, pure and simple, you just put a visual to the emotion

[@JonTimi]

Normally when I watch Elizabeth's reactions I can't look away from her. For this, I can't look away from Johnny Cash. Wow

[@ligma6496]

Oh yhea. Same

[@ARMYStrongHOOAH17]

I love seeing music impact someone to the deepest parts of their soul. It reminds me that I'm not alone with my overwhelming, unexplainable love of music. Needless to say I couldn't take my eyes off her as the song just punched her right in the feels 🤣.

[@DaveyWilliamsPantzNotRequired]

When she saw him closing the piano , all of it came right then

[@normanwilmoth7404]

This song gets me in the feels everytime I watch it. I love his version so much but it's also very hard sometimes to watch because of it's powerful emotional impact it brings over you!!! Rest in Peace Johnny Cash😪

[@TeemarkConvair]

indeed, i to was drawn to the visual of cash

[@bluesoulsession]

“And you can have it all, my empire of dirt” as the camera shows footage of all the awards he received during his life, as if to say that these, in the end, actually mean nothing. Maybe today’s self absorbed celebrities should take a moment to ponder that very simple statement and image.

[@harrymatthewsmusic]

Earthly wealth won't matter when we get to Heaven

[@karlkgraff]

Not just celebrities but all of us. What really matters?

[@tomrose6292]

100% correct

[@patwheeler4940]

Very true words indeed very thoughtfull.

[@fishhuntadventure]

@@karlkgraff A celeb that comes to mind that embodies that Cash contemplation is Amy Grant. A couple more wise souls: Paul Newman, Sandra Bullock, Jay Leno…

[@thomasfioriglio]

Wow! What a genuine response. I was crying as I was watching too. So special. Thank you.

[@chrismcmurran1697]

It's a photo of his mother who he adored. His wife is in the video. She passed not long after and he followed her.

[@kmikl]

And as a sad addition, June Carter's daughter (that Johnny Cash raised along with his kids) died not long after that as well.

[@TobiasKryze]

His mother in law

[@Angry__German]

Watch his last concert, roughly a year later, I think, the love he still had for June is heartbreaking in the best way.

[@SmittyJOM]

I'm not crying, you're crying. Ok we're all crying.

[@t.rexsymonds7969]

Damn onions!

[@DrSkeff]

We are indeed. The song is a masterpiece but the video then tears open my heart and stomps on it.

[@howardnelson2942]

Salty rivers of respect and gratitude. R.I.P.

[@oscarparedes4033]

Cutting onions jutsu

[@lokidecat]

Yep. Bawling... for the 1500th time listening to this version..

[@bodisci]

I'm an older man when Johnny sings the words "I remember everything" those are not just words in a song. You will remember every hurtful word or deed that you have done and wish you could go back and make things right. It's important then to remember the good you have done to balance out the regrets. I asked my friends and family that are around the same age to see if it was just me beating myself up. Some of them said no they thought it was just them and felt, as I did, relieved they were not alone. Make sure your kindness out weighs the hurtful deeds. If you wrong someone make it right then. One more thing. Getting older is a whole new life so grab your ass and hold on for the ride!

[@chadbennett7873]

I, too, have a few dusty years on me and you are most certainly not alone. I write prose and poetry and I listened to this song about 25 times one day, watching all the reactions and ended up writing my own version to the tune. When I share it with those close to me, I have to tell them that I wrote it from a future point of view so that they don't worry about me. Since I was a young man I've always had a love/hate relationship with time ... always seeing my relationship with the ticking clock as a hunter/hunted one ... as a young man chasing time to experience life and as an older man trying to escape time's ravages. the more you know about Johnny, the harder this hits. Bless you, my friend.

[@autohmae]

The human mind is cruel in that sense. Our memories are imprinted the most by emotions. Especially bad emotions, it seems like this is probably a survival instinct from many generations ago, maybe primal from even before humans existed.

[@ellenmarch3095]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

[@bodisci]

@@chadbennett7873 Thank you Chad. May we both age gracefully.

[@chadbennett7873]

@@bodisci Indeed, my friend. Indeed!

[@jasonself9000]

I think we all felt in awe of this songs delivery, just incredible.

[@gmctech]

The closing of the piano and his caress goodbye always punches me right in the feelies,,,, I never was a Cash fan, didn't really like his stuff, but when this song was released it literally stopped me right in my tracks... I really don't think I've ever experienced a song by ANYONE who's been able to muster even an eighth of the emotion this song did and continues to evoke in myself.

[@robbob5302]

Same here. I was like Johnny Cash? So what? Then this old-timer comes back, a Country singer of all things, comes back, walks into the studio, and says "Stand back boys. This is how you make a hit ROCK song." And then knocks it out of the park, with his eyes closed.

[@declangoldstein7753]

Nutshell by Alice In Chains is also a song that’ll kill you for me it hits harder than this song

[@akiraakai3316]

That part is always hard for me to watch.

[@Blunt44]

I first heard this song in the movie Columbia as a kid. Managed to crack my hard heart for the first time in yrs. Hadn't shed a year in yrs. Now when I hear it I have to keep from crying

[@ValhallaAMV]

Agreed that this is in first place, and for me, the closest thing to a second place is Disturbed's take on The Sound of Silence

[@zipadeed00dah]

I'm a little bit younger than he was when Johnny Cash made this video, and, let me tell you, being that age has a profound effect on you. I wasn't 'rode as hard and put up wet' as often as he was, but I can still see the end in sight. I've lost my parents, of course my grandparents, all my aunts and uncles - even some siblings. I have grandchildren I will be lucky to see graduate from high school. The best way I can explain it to you young folks is that sometimes advanced age has that claustrophobic feeling like being in a crowded elevator in a power outage. It's hard even for me, but never live a day, good or bad, that you don't appreciate.

[@jeremyriddell7868]

Hearing you say you can see the end in sight is heartbreaking. I’ve never heard anyone describe it like that. Enjoy every day!

[@alvatrous]

Im 27 but i work with 90 year olds. I just have to not think about it because it’s unreconcilable.

[@Galaticape]

Find peace in knowing it's not the end.

[@soandrei8785]

Thank you for sharing

[@JediwitaRedeye]

“You could have it all, my empire of dirt” is one of the deepest lines ever written. It hits so hard and cuts so deep.

[@DrewNorthup]

It was one of the lines from the original that Cash insisted upon changing.

[@Mrmikey0909]

Yes. Perfect.

[@thezyklonbeast]

@@DrewNorthup you sure? The only change I see is crown of thorns.

[@DrewNorthup]

@@thezyklonbeast That might be the case with the published lyrics. In the Trent Reznor versions I've heard he's quite fond of "shit", a word Cash refused to use.

[@DrewNorthup]

@@thezyklonbeast Also, it is worth remembering that Walmart refuses to sell CDs containing meaningful amounts of expletives. If the lyric you're reading was transcribed from one of those CDs then it is going to be less "shitty" than the original.

[@leadvox8147]

When Johnny showed this video to his daughter, he asked her what she thought. She said "Dad, it sounds like you're saying goodbye" He said "I am" RIP Johnny Cash A True Legend 🤘🤘

[@SkyWriter25]

Anyone who can listen to Johnny's version of this song without holding back tears has no soul.

[@JaimeSellaoH]

i totally agree... trent composes it (without knowing) this for johnny...

[@Gandorhar]

:(

[@hedonistic_goblin7390]

This song is my go to "bad day" song

[@ichibanb]

Brings me to tears nearly every time I hear it.

[@Raydaruckuz]

Hoping you haven't heard the way some of NIN's more toxic cult-like fans react in regards to Johnnys version even EXISTING, let alone if it has any quality or the emotions it evokes....they are more protective/obsessive of Trent's work than Trent himself... He even said something to the effect of "once I heard it I was like wow, I just lost my song..it is now a Johnny Cash song with how he made it his own". You would think with that stamp of approval from the original artist himself, they could at least try and appreciate what was done, and guess what, you are allowed to enjoy both for what they are....but no, I heard some of them literally say stuff like, "that Trent qoute was saying the song aint his anymore cuz he destroyed it and he doesn't want to be associated with it now"......."soulless" you say? Any way, immature edgelords aside, Johnny took a already great song, and without changing the lyrics(other than a meaningless word change or two) gave the same song a whole new meaning, and the emotional gut punch is the stuff of legends. Both songs are very sad and dark, but for different reasons. And this is all coming from someone who's closer in age to Trent and able to relate with him being in the dark space of addiction/self destructive impulses, ..plus I'm more of a hard rock/metal fan, more so than a country fan.. but, obviously there will never be another Johnny Cash in the MUSIC industry let alone country artists.. He transcends genres and is timeless. Plus the man he was and the stuff he stood for, with unpopular stances/decisions that could've ended his career, forget just hurt sales... I put him in a very small club of my musical heroes that inspire me with thier music as well as the lives they lead..Bob Marley is another.

[@terywoodsr.8690]

The first picture was his mom... His wife, June, is in the background in a coupe of shots. Please understand from a Fan from the 60's, yes I'm that old...LOL. He had a problem with addiction. June Carter-Cash, on more than one occasion, saved his life by drying him out the hard way, cold turkey. He had a private reserve in Jamaica, where she would take him and have armed guards to stop any of the drug dealers from getting on the property. It was so bad that she would plan these trips anytime he had to go to the doctor or dentist. If he started taking any pain meds, he would end up going all in again. Trent wrote this song from a point of view, J. R. Cash (his real name was JR Cash) AKA Johnny Cash, lived this song until his dying day. He and his daughter Roseanne Cash, have both said in interviews that this was his goodbye letter to his fans. Side note, the Colombia Tower on music row in Nashville was paid for by the profits from his music. If you look at the clips and know his song list, you can see where those songs come from. Johnny Cash never said he was a singer, but he was a performer. His wife was the singer of the duo, well known in her own right from the Cater family singers, and the Carter Sisters of Grand Ole' Opry fame.

[@teeevans8718]

Closing the piano gets me bad.......the close of his life in one small act. Just DAMN!!!

[@kmarklandes8630]

Someone on another video reaction compared it to closing a coffin of a loved one. Saying goodbye to one of the loves of his life - music.

[@foreseenst0rm167]

I cry every time I listen to this song. It just hits me so hard. Ive gone through so much in my 23 years of being on this earth. I legit can’t even keep myself collected. I come back to this song at least a few times a year to never forget his words.

[@GDub83]

The Johnny Cash version is one of the most perfect songs ever. It hits harder and harder as you experience more in life.

[@LetoATX]

"The perfection is in the flaws" absolutely describes Johnny.

[@huwtindall7096]

Music video is an underrated art form. The closing of the piano lid in silence at the end is heart breaking.

[@christiankakara1136]

I thought the same. Very symbolic.

[@theartisticvampire2598]

That when it shows his wife who is clearly also in pain and when you see breifly johnny crying with his fists in his face... those all get me

[@datapusher-]

Yes. The montage of this entire video makes oneself evaluate their own life choices. When I watch this I feel like material items and all the BS in our life are meaningless. The broken frame with the record, and the empty case shelves in his museum make means so much. Its sad that videos are not produced like this that much anymore.

[@perryallan3524]

He never reopened that piano and played it again.

[@AndrewGaw]

This such an incredibly moving performance. He’s basically recalling his life; the highs, the lows and most importantly, the loss.

[@baldeagle13x]

This young lady knows how to listen to, and ‘hear’ a song. In her heart, where all great music resonates.

[@julianlatt4363]

She held her emotions well during it lol

[@bpo9230]

“The perfection is in the flaws” You get it...

[@Focusfin100]

Johnny Cash did in this song what he did his entire career, crossing over music genres and generations to appeal to old, young, black, white, rural, urban. The everyman.

[@KrawmKruach]

He was The Man in Black.

[@AugustusTitus]

Trent wrote the song as a fictional nihilistic arc on an album. When Cash performed it, it instills a sense that he lived it, which gives a different dimension to the song.

[@teemusid]

The morning show of a Bay Area station was talking about him the day after he passed. The Irish member of the show said that the Irish loved Johnny Cash. The host was surprised, and he asked why they loved him. It was because he was a badass. After his wild years had passed, he strove to live to a code of ethics and didn't care if that pissed off people in power. Badass in the best way possible.