The 10 Best Johnny Cash Songs of All Time
Despite there being many Johnny Cash songs about failing and being down on your luck, that certainly wasn't true when it came to the singer's career. From the second his debut album — With His Hot and Blue Guitar — was released in 1957, the country music singer/songwriter hit the ground running, dazzling fans with music that showcased the trials and tribulations of life.
Over the course of that life, he was married twice, most famously to June Carter Cash, who he often toured and sang with. The two were married from 1968 until the singer's death in 2003. They had one child together, John Carter Cash.
And musically, Cash had seen the release of 71 albums and 170 singles, winning 13 Grammys — including the Lifetime Achievement Award — along the way. On top of that, June 2024 saw the posthumous release of Songwriter, showcasing 11 songs Cash had written and recorded over the years as demos, but never completed.
"When he recorded this, with the way that it was recorded, I don’t know if he ever intended on it being an 'album'," his son John Carter Cash explained when asked why he chose to issue Songwriter. "But when you have these amazing vocals and the great presentation of all original Johnny Cash songs, and his guitar, that’s what we had. The question was, how do we under-produce it, to let it be an album that works in a way that’s right, without being trite, and add the music that he would’ve added if he was here?"
But what about the songs Cash did release in his lifetime? We've rounded up the 10 best Johnny Cash songs below!
10. "Man In Black" (1971)
Written and produced by Cash, this song references the singer's distinct on-stage costuming, which actually earned him the nickname "The Man in Black." The song was also the opening track of the 2020 posthumous album, Johnny Cash and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
9. "Ragged Old Flag" (1974): Johnny Cash songs
"Ragged Old Flag" might only be 3-minutes-and-8-seconds long, and largely consists of Cash talking over the background music, but it certainly is one of the singer's best. It appeared on the album Ragged Old Flag (1974), which addressed a lot of political issues going on at the time. It was written by Cash.
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8. "Don't Take Your Guns To Town" (1958)
Appearing on the album The Fabulous Johnny Cash, this song tells a captivating story about Billy Joe, on his journey to find freedom and independence. "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" reached number one on the country music chart and stayed there for six weeks.
7. "A Boy Named Sue" (1969): Johnny Cash songs
"A Boy Named Sue" was originally written by Shel Silverstein, but it was made famous after Cash recorded the song live on February 24, 1969 for his At San Quentin album. The song spent three weeks at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and is 3-minutes-and-44-seconds long.
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6. "[Ghost] Riders in the Sky" (1979)
Written by Stan Jones and sung by Johnny Cash, this song tells the story of a cowboy who needs to change his ways, or he will be doomed to joined a group of steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky. It is a beautifully written story, encouraging its listeners to reevaluate the path of life they're currently walking down.
5. "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (1970): Johnny Cash songs
Originally written by Kris Kristofferson, Cash debuted his version of the song during a taping of The Johnny Cash Show as part of a "Ride This Train" segment. Cash's take on "Sunday Morning Coming Down" reached number 1 on the Billboard country chart, and earned Cash a Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year in 1970. The track also appeared on the LP The Johnny Cash Show.
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4. "Cocaine Blues" (1968)
Johnny Cash famously performed the song — originally written by Roy Hogsed — at his 1968 Folsom Prison concert. During this performance, he actually changed one of the song's lyrics from "San Quentin" to "Folsom." He also decided to make the last line of the song "lay off the whiskey" instead of the original "drink all you want."
Cash would go on to preform the song again in 1969 at Madison Square Garden. That version appeared in the 2002 album Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden.
3. "Folsom Prison Blues" (1955): Johnny Cash songs
Written by Cash, this song was issued as a single prior to appearing on the 1957 album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!. Very fittingly, he performed this song for the Folsom Prison inmates during his 1968 live concert there. That version of the song reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. it won a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, at the 1969 Grammy Awards.
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2. "I Walk The Line" (1956)
"I Walk The Line" was Cash's first number one hit on the Billboard charts, and has remained one of his most well-known songs since its initial release in 1956. The song was written by Cash, and after it's very successful run as a single, it landed on the album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!. Filled with deeply personal lyrics , it's no wonder that "I Walk The Line" has remained one of Johnny Cash's best.
1. "Ring Of Fire" (1963): Johnny Cash songs
It's no surprise that "Ring of Fire" is the best Johnny Cash song. Originally written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore for June's sister, Anita Carter, and her 1962 album Folk Songs Old and New, it was Cash that launched the song into the stratosphere when he released it in 1963.
Cash's version remained at number one on the country charts for seven weeks and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. It's ironic that a song about falling into a ring of fire, and burning to the ground, could actually stand the test of time.
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