Sometimes all you can do in a prayer is tell the truth.
Evidently, the “Man in Black” was as open and honest during his blessings as he was in his songs. Though the world lost the great Johnny Cash back in 2003, we’re still somehow hearing new stories about the country music legend all these years later. This is one that you’ve probably never heard before, but it’s not all that surprising that it happened.
In the book Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, written by Bono, the U2 lead man included a story of a lunch that he and Adam Clayton (U2’s bassist) had in 1987 with Johnny and June Carter Cash. The couple had invited Bono and Adam over for a meal at their house in Nashville, and though they had to travel from Ireland to get there, they kindly accepted the gracious offer.
At this point in time, the then 55-year-old Cash had gotten clean, much to the thanks of his wife June Carter. So the U2 bandmates, who had gotten to know the “Ring of Fire” singer in the early 1980s, expected to have a nice, cordial meal with the Cash family. As Bono describes it in his book, he and Clayton showed up to the home and were immediately thrown off, since they expected an intimate lunch and the dining room of the Cash home was set for forty people.
June Carter quickly defused their worries by letting them know there was a photoshoot for her cookbook later that day. So Bono, Adam, Johnny and June Carter ended up dining in the kitchen at a smaller table. With the food prepared on the table, the U2 lead man explained that Cash broke into a beautiful, all-encompassing blessing that covered the food, friendship, salvation and family… and then one other thing:
“The four of us sit down in the kitchen and bow our heads as Johnny delivers the most poetic grace I’ve ever heard. But then, smiling under his breath, as if June couldn’t hear or see, (Cash said) ‘Sure miss the drugs, though.'”
Seem pretty on par for the Johnny Cash brand.
I love to think that Johnny slipped that part in for two reasons. One, he probably enjoyed messing with his guests, and felt as though that was a great way to create a memorable moment at the Cash household (if this is the case, I’m sure June Carter got tired of him using the same line over and over again).
The other reason? I genuinely think Johnny Cash meant what he said, and was just being honest and open with the Lord in his prayer. He didn’t shy away from much throughout his illustrious career, so why would he change his ways while praying? It’s likely that no pastor or church would advise you to talk to God about missing your past drug use, but the “Book of Johnny” would probably say otherwise.
And while we are on the topic of U2 and Johnny Cash, I’ll go ahead and include the song the rock and roll band and country icon collaborated on in 1993 titled “The Wanderer.” If you’ve never heard of it, I’d advise you to go into with an open mind. It’s not your typical Johnny Cash song, but it’s still driven by the country singer’s incomparable vocals:
