Dark as a Dungeon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dark as the Dungeon is a song written by singer-songwriter Merle Travis. It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in an Appalachian shaft mine. It has beecome a rallying song among miners seeking improved working conditions.
The song achieved much of its fame when it was performed by Johnny Cash in his Folsom Prison concert (At Folsom Prison). Fittingly, he took his voice to its deepest basso profundo while singing the song. During this live performance, one of the prisoners in the background was cutting up, and Cash started to chuckle. He gently admonished the man, "No laughing during the song, please!" The man yelled something about "Hell!" and Cash answered, "I know, 'hell'!" When he finished the song, Cash made a comment that was largely repeated, somewhat out of context, by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2005 film Walk the Line: "I just wanted to tell you that this show is being recorded for an album released on Columbia Records, and you can't say "hell" or "shit" or anything like that."
Other notable recordings included Dolly Parton's 1981 cover and a strong punk version by the band Wall of Voodoo in 1985.
