Every man has to come to a crossroad somewhere along the way.
Johnny Cash came to his crossroad in a place called Nickajack Cave.

Little white pills and whiskey
Honky tonks and smoke
One night stands with his country band
Had him strung out on the ropes
Well, he cried out to Jesus
He said, "Jesus, I think I'm too lost to save."
He already had one foot inside the grave
As he stepped into the mouth of Nickajack Cave

Everything was darkness
Wasn't no light at all
Just the cold dank air and the pitch black dirt
And the spiders on the walls
Well, he laid down beneath a ledge
And curled up there to meet his judgment day
The shivering came upon him wave by wave
Well, he could feel the breath of death in Nickajack Cave

Then high above him shone a light
He never would forget
Then he heard a voice say, "Johnny Cash,
I ain't through with you yet.
Get up, I ain't through with you yet.
I ain't through with you get Johnny Cash,
Get up."

Then he crawled out from beneath that ledge
And felt a gentle breeze
Tears and dirt smeared on his face
As peaceful as could be
Well, he knelt down upon the ground
Raised his eyes up to the light and prayed
He said, "Lord, I'll be your servant from this day."
That's how he became "The Man In Black" in Nickajack Cave

That's how he became "The Man In Black" in Nickajack Cave

Get up Johnny Cash, I ain't through with you yet
Get up


Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings

Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash's Redemption) Lyrics as written by Jamie O'hara

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash's Redemption) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

0 Comments

sort form View by:
  • No Comments

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.