I listened to this while I was taking a walk today, and after a slow opening forward by his son, Johnny Cash's poetry stunned me. This short collection of poems illustrates in a very palpable way the power of poetry, for if anyone were to look at Mr. Cash and then at me, they would see no shortage of differences. But some of his poems could have been written by me. It's such a fantastic avenue to illustrate how words can unite people, no matter how different they may seem: everyone knows Johnny Cash. He's a legendary figure! And reading his poems, seeing oneself in them, drives home the wonder of verse for bringing out the similarities between people.

A delight to any true Cash fan!

Beautiful collection of words and poetry from Johnny Cash. Everything can be read so distinctly in his voice it’s like he is reciting his work in front of you. These poems span years of Cash’s creative life, touching on subjects like war, poverty, substance use, love, spite, jealousy, touch, and tenderness. Reading it truly made me feel like i’m the cowboy now. Good for a laugh or a cry, but I love that Cash’s rich and sardonic tone is present throughout.
Favorite poems: Ballad of Johnny Capman; Forever; Going, Going, Gone (version 2); I Heard On The News, I Wish You A Merry Christmas; I’ll Still Love You; I’m Comin’, Honey; Let’s Put It To Music; Silk and Denim; You Never Knew My Mind

He’s lucky he’s a better singer than a poet.

What is so wonderful about this book of work from Cash is that one has never heard of any of these poems.

They are Definitely in the Cash style but more poetic than lyric with more depth. They are a fun and interesting read for any Cash lover.

I wouldn’t say the poems are profound in nature but interesting into Cash’s nature.

This is a collection of unpublished and unrecorded songs and poems by Johnny Cash with a Forward by Johnny Cash's son and an Introduction from the editor and compiler of the selections, Paul Muldoon.

In the book, full page pictures are given of the actual papers, scraps, and scribbling of Johnny Cash along with typed, edited versions. For several poems, Johnny Cash wrote multiple versions, so Muldoon edited them together and made a "finished work"

None of the poems are great writing. There is a reason Johnny Cash kept them unpublished and unrecorded. Many are not "finished works". There are some wonderful lines and ideas within the poems and give insight to who Cash was and where he came from and where he hoped to go.

In the introduction, Muldoon speaks of the worry that publishing these writings would diminish Cash's reputation. I don't think so. Instead, I liked the real life look into song writing especially after reading [b:Daisy Jones & The Six|40597810|Daisy Jones & The Six|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551887263l/40597810._SY75_.jpg|61127102].

This is a really fast read, 10-20 minutes or so.