Songs of our Soil

Songs of Our Soil
Studio album by Johnny Cash
Released Original: September 1959
Re-issued: August 27, 2002
Recorded July 24, 1958 - March 12, 1959
Genre Country, rock and roll
Length Original: 25:40
Re-issue: 29:34
Label Columbia
Producer Don Law, Al Quaglieri
Johnny Cash chronology

Hymns by Johnny Cash
(1959)		 Songs of Our Soil
(1959)		 Sings Hank Williams
(1960)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Songs of Our Soil is the sixth album by the singer Johnny Cash. It was originally released in September 1959 (see 1959 in music), and later re-issued on August 27, 2002 (see 2002 in music) with two bonus tracks.

The album is something of a curiosity in that a majority of the songs involve dying. Death concludes "The Man on the Hill", "Hank and Joe and Me", "Clementine" and "My Grandfather's Clock." "Don't Step on Mother's Roses" is about a family losing their parents to death; first Mother, then Daddy. "The Great Speckled Bird" is a spiritual about the Second Coming of Jesus. "The Caretaker" is the story of a cemetery caretaker wondering who will mourn for him when his time comes. Even "Five Feet High and Rising" ("the hives are gone; I lost my bees") and "Old Apache Squaw" ("...the next white man that sees my face is gonna be a dead white man") mention death in some way.

By his own admission, Cash was becoming fascinated by death during this time, in part due to his growing amphetamine and barbiturate dependence.[2]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Drink To Me"  Johnny Cash 1:54
2. "Five Feet High and Rising"  Cash 1:46
3. "The Man on the Hill"  Cash 2:09
4. "Hank and Joe and Me"  Cash 2:13
5. "Clementine"  Billy Mize, Buddy Mize 2:30
6. "Great Speckled Bird"  Traditional 2:09
7. "I Want to Go Home"  Traditional 1:58
8. "The Caretaker"  Cash 2:06
9. "Old Apache Squaw"  Cash 1:46
10. "Don't Step On Mother's Roses"  Cash 2:34
11. "My Grandfather's Clock"  Henry Clay Work 2:45
12. "It Could Be You (Instead of Him)"  Vic McAlpin 1:50
Total length:
 25:40

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1959 "Five Feet High and Rising" Country Singles 14
1959 "Five Feet High and Rising" Pop Singles 76

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ MAN IN BLACK by Johnny Cash, published in 1975

External links