My Dad was 9 years old and he remembered it too he lived about 30 miles north west of Alton Illinois in east Hardin ill then the one in the 80s destroyed my family's home place which is now under 20 feet of water filled with sycamore and cottonwood 4 feet thick. I loved your comment brought back memories. I went back 2 years ago to visit my cousins and aunts all of my uncle's are gone. There were 14 kids in my dad's family
I've nervously been singing this song to myself, over and over, during the EPIC "atmospheric river" rolling through SoCal right now.. February 2024 !!! 🌊🙏😰
I love the chord progressions in this song, as the water rises and it seems danger is increasing all the time. One of his great songs, along with my big favorite, Big River.
In 1919 my grand father moved his family to a farm on Corpus Christi Bay just outside the city. Two days later a hurricane hit and the the surge came over the tall bluff on the shoreface. My dad said they had to let the chickens out of their coop to keep them from drowning. Johnny singing about his chickens sleeping in the trees reminded me of that storm. The storm also washed out tracks north of town and all the grain for stock feed as well as their livestock were lost in rail cars before they could be unloaded. A song that must touch many old timer's memories here.
Comes to mind of Hurricane Camille of Sunday Aug.17, 1969. Had been watching it since Fri. Aug. 15 just S of W tip of Cuba. Had winds of 115 prior to going over the Isla de Pinos and then w tip. Sat. Morning emerged into Gulf, winds of 95mph. then it stalled over open water. Gained strength all day. At around 6 pm. on Sat. the 16th. started N, winds now 160mph. Storm traveled NNW through the night. Got woke up at 3:00 am by the sound of small boats that had been pulled up on beach. Got Coleman lanterns and went to check, boats afloat and tide up about 3-4 ft. Torrential rains began short while later, about 4:30 am. Went back to sleep, got up about 6:30 am. Rains continued, my two younger brothers and I began removing the deck boards of our pier and stacking them behind a storage bldg. beyond the house, maybe a football fields length from the bay. My dad, a devout Catholic, had never missed mass but he made the decision that we weren't going that day as too much remained to get ready for what they now call "a Cat. 5" they didn't give a log of advance notice back in 69. My dad got the family together, loaded a station wagon and right before they left for Mobile he told me "Don't you boys be late getting out of here because the waters going to go over the roads and bridges". We turned on the radio and learned that Camille, packing sustained winds of 160 with gusts to 175-180 was closing on Ala. and Miss. coast at 15mph. forward speed. I asked my 2 brothers if they wanted to stay to watch it, they said yes. We had no idea about a head on hit from a hurricane, let alone a cat 5. The day went on with us bragging about how bold we were and were like kids waiting for Christmas. At 3:00 pm. an intermediate bulletin cut in. Camille was a short distance off the mouth of the Mississippi River. Sustained winds had increased in the extremely warm, shallower inshore waters. Winds were now 190 mph with gusts estimated at 205 - 210mph. When they said due to the high water temps in the area that further strengthening is probable. We looked at one another and the brother next in age to me asked " did I hear him right". I answered " he said 190 mph. and risin', time to go". You ain't never seen 3 boys move so fast, packing, getting our dog "Baby" and heading for town. Most roads we tried already had water over them. The last one open was a narrow old bridge nearly overtaken by vines that ran past a "Memory store" run by an ancient Creole lady that among ourselves we called "The old voo Doo lady. Close call. Camille came in at around midnight with winds of 210 mph. and gusts of 225mph. They tried changing it after almost 50 yrs saying it was 190, then 180, then 175 finally 150. What they forgot or figured most people had forgotten was that the hurricane hunters refused to fly the last 2 missions. The barometric pressure at landfall was .900 milibars, Dorian in the Bahamas was 185mph with .918 milibars. The lower the milibars the stronger the storm. There were freighters in harbor on the coast that night that had aneometer readings of 180 knots. A knot is 1 1/6 mph. It worked out to 210mph. with higher gusts. The grass had been blown out of the ground. I asked a meteorologist in Maryland and she told me that "denuding of grass STARTS at 200mph. Mobile, 75 miles from where it went ashore had a ten foot tide and winds as high as 100mph. 190 miles an hour and rising.
I've heard this song but never seen this video. Hearing John tell what the song is about and why he wrote it adds even more charm to it. I wish more musicians like John did that.
I like how he says “how high is the water papa? SHE said it’s...” I thought it was a mistake the first verse but he kept saying it through the song, unless his father is replying to Johnny by telling him what his mother said, as in “your mom said it’s 5 feet high & rising”.
@@haadmah9498 no it was different. The woman was the first line in the dealings with the children. The father always reinforced her decisions in dealing with the children. That kept the family bond strong. Today's woman takes it on herself to do otherwise and the children sense this and try to play one against the other. And they succeed and the women are clueless of how to make a family work in harmony thinking it is her job to defeat the man's role in decision making, which never will work.
The voices of the families are one of the great things about this song. The listener can hear Papa, standing between Mama and child in the doorway of the house or the yard. You can see Mama at the side of the river, measuring the rise of the water minute by minute. You hear the scared kid where they put him in the safest part of the house. The quick decision to get into a homemade boat to cross the river. And the rest in another story.
Out of all johnny's great songs, which as we all know are numerous classics, this song is my all time favorite because of it;s simplicity and story telling lyrics of a disaster he actually experienced.. Johnny will forever be an Icon of Americana and a Giant of music and one of my biggest Hero's.
Can’t wait to see him singing in The Heavens one day!! I would definitely request him for a song or two for my “I died and went to Heaven” party!! ✨✌️😅✌️✨
gelmann Maybe to meet him to arrest him for Treason, but yeah- Johnny would have been on the side of #StandingRock, so I don’t think he’d be keeping any company with the likes of Trump.
So here in Reno, under emergency weather watch: "life threatening conditions" continuing through this Thursday"-----Here is us here in Reno!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@andrewkling9530 He lived for a few hours opened up from his collarbone to his bellybutton. Nothing the doctors could do for him. "Mama, can't you hear the angels singing?"
@@usafvet100 - In this case, yes. During his 'emaciated' period. Only David Bowie, in his most coked-up phase (mid-1970's), would seem to have weighed less than Cash at the nadir of his drug addictions. It was a matter of who looked more like death warmed over back then.
I never understood why he asks, “how high is the water papa” and he answers by saying...”SHE says it’s 3 feet high and rising”. Why does he say “she” said when he’s asked his papa?
Sadly, he was pretty high. He was one of the few that was finally able to clean himself up, and be a successful man. So many people do not. But he's one of the greats, from this era.
@@marilynmonroe2675 , no - it is repeatedly documented and verified by those who hung out with him and knew him well during his addiction years that Johnny Cash did not do cocaine or heroin - his drug of choice were pills - during the late 50s and 60s he did a lot of all sorts of amphetamines and when he needed to come down and sleep he did a lot of barbiturates. In the 80s he got in painkiller pills of various types. He would wash his pills down with alcohol (beer, wine, vodka, cognac).
Jesus Christ is my Savior ! Right so if you believe like me . Then Jesus , Father God should have brought my wife and myself together . One day I explained it to God . I said she might not have not have been attractive in the later years . Why maybe I took Her early . But Don't worry about that , cause if she was you would have to pray daily to Help me Lord to Give me that desire that I had when I first met ? Saying God Father God your Son gives my heart it's desires and you could give me that thought right back that I desire Her so much . So basically , Jesus, Father God I thank Y'all for giving me ,us , our desires and thanking you for it all making since to me . Cause it's the Most important thing . And I'm supposed to treat Her like you treat the Church . I thank you for giving me that desire . The most important thing , My Wife , and you thought it was your Idea? I hear Jesus . The King of Kings say .
@Silas Barnaby you are entitled to your opinion; however, if you truly listened to and understood the full depth and breadth of Johnny Cash’s very extensive discography and his live performances (both TV and live shows) you would realize that Johnny Cash was actually underrated, and that he was an amazing performer and singer and a very special and unique man - a very human man with flaws and weaknesses like most of us but very special and unique!. There are millions of people (in the USA and around the world) who know and understand how special and great a singer/performer he was and his music speaks for itself and will live on in time.
