Everyone is mostly right. Though it was written long after the worst of it, the song is definitely about Cash's drug use specifically. That said, no he himself didn't write it; his son-in-law, Nick Lowe (who also sang 'The Sopranos version'), did, for him.
And while it is about that in specific, in general, it can be about any personal demon that affects a person for the worse, whether it be anger, drug/drink abuse, phobias or simply under-confidence. Anything that you may have thought was 'done with', that wouldn't affect you again. Anyone that has had any issue (which is, basically, everyone) must be able to relate.
The best part of the song for me? The single acoustic guitar that most people accompany the song with. It highlights (1) the calm saneness of the person when 'the beast' is not around AND (2) just how fragile the person is, all at the same time.
Everyone is mostly right. Though it was written long after the worst of it, the song is definitely about Cash's drug use specifically. That said, no he himself didn't write it; his son-in-law, Nick Lowe (who also sang 'The Sopranos version'), did, for him.
And while it is about that in specific, in general, it can be about any personal demon that affects a person for the worse, whether it be anger, drug/drink abuse, phobias or simply under-confidence. Anything that you may have thought was 'done with', that wouldn't affect you again. Anyone that has had any issue (which is, basically, everyone) must be able to relate.
The best part of the song for me? The single acoustic guitar that most people accompany the song with. It highlights (1) the calm saneness of the person when 'the beast' is not around AND (2) just how fragile the person is, all at the same time.