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| "The Man Comes Around" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Song byJohnny Cash | ||||
| from the albumAmerican IV: The Man Comes Around | ||||
| Released | May 24, 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:26 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Johnny Cash | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Johnny Cash singles chronology | ||||
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"The Man Comes Around" is the title track fromJohnny Cash'sAmerican IV: The Man Comes Around, released in2002. It was written several years prior to the release of the album; however, Cash updated it for the album. It is one of the last songs Cash wrote before his death.[4] Both sung and spoken, the song makes numerousBiblical references, especially to theBook of Revelation.[5]
There are numerous biblical references in the lyrics.[5] A spoken portion fromRevelation 6:1–2 in theKing James Version[6] introduces the song.[7] The passage describes the coming of theFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse, each heralded by one of the "four beasts" first mentioned inRevelation 4:6–9. The musical portion then begins with Cash reciting that "the man" (Jesus Christ) will one day come topass judgment. The chorus indicates that these events will be accompanied bytrumpets (as inRevelation 8,9,11), pipers (Rev. 18:22), and "one hundred millionangels singing". The voice of the Lord in Revelation is often likened to the sound of a loud trumpet (Revelation 1:10; 4:1; and 8:13).Revelation 5:11 states thatJohn saw that there are millions of angels in Heaven.
The song also alludes to theParable of the Ten Virgins from theGospel of Matthew (25:1–13) with the lyrics "The virgins are all trimming their wicks," a reference to the virgins' preparation of theSecond Coming of Christ. The phrase, "It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks" citesActs 26:14, wherePaul the Apostle describes meeting Jesus whiletraveling to Damascus. It is a reference to a Greek proverb where a kicking ox only injures himself by attempting to kick against agoad, intended to represent the futility of resisting the Lord.
Elsewhere, the song mentions the wise men who bow before the Lord's throne, and cast their "golden crowns" at the feet of God. Revelation 4 refers to elders who worship the Lord and "lay their crowns" before Him (Revelation 4:10). "Alpha and Omega" refers to God himself (Rev. 1:8, 11;21:6,22:13), but also to the cries of the newborn and the dying. "Whoever is unjust… etc" is a quote from Revelation 22:11.
The arrangement of the song is sparse (although not so much as in some of Cash's later recordings, such as "God's Gonna Cut You Down"); two guitars, piano (played in the bass register), and anelectric organ.
Of the album's fifteen tracks, only three were written by Cash, with "The Man Comes Around" the sole song specifically penned for it, and the only song Cash wrote in its entirety.
The song was inspired by a dream Cash had about QueenElizabeth II in which the Queen compared Cash to "a thorn tree in a whirlwind." Haunted by the dream, Cash became curious if the phrase was a biblical reference and eventually found a similar phrase in theBook of Job.[8]
An alternative "early take" of the song appears on theUnearthed box set (2003) andThe Legend of Johnny Cash (2005). The "Legend" version omits the spoken word intro and outro.
The song was listed as the 296th best song of the 2000s byPitchfork.[9]
In 2025, the British bandPulp released a cover of the song as a single.[10]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
one of his last original compositions
