Johnny Cash's Favorite (And Least Favorite) Johnny Cash Songs

Johnny Cash didn't have famous parents. He didn’t grow up with influence or come from money, and he never pretended to be anything other than exactly what he was.

Raised in the small agricultural community of Dyess, Arkansas, in 1932, Cash transformed a life of heartbreak, rebellion, faith, redemption, and even jail time into some of the most honest songs ever recorded; songs that read like stories for the common man, penned by a common man.

Before artists meticulously crafted public messages and refined their personas for the camera, Cash, who passed away in 2003, built his reputation by being flawed, fearless, and, above all, real. Armed with a voice that sounded like it had lived through every lyric, the "Man in Black" became a force to be reckoned with in country music while also putting his stamp on rock, folk, and Americana.

Songs like "Ring of Fire," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "I Walk the Line" aren't just hits; they're ingrained in American "outlaw" culture. Across 96 studio albums, his raw storytelling still resonates with millions of listeners, each finding their own reasons to play his records on repeat. Some songs inspire. Others are rough and unpolished, echoing Cash’s own words about human nature being “part good and part bad.”

Behind the legendary catalog, Cash had his own opinions about his music. Some lyrics stayed close to his heart for decades, helping him grapple with mistakes and regrets; others became reminders of parts of his life he wasn't too eager to revisit.

It’s time to “walk the line” and smash the footlights on Johnny Cash's favorite (and least favorite) Johnny Cash songs.

JOHNNY CASH'S FAVORITE JOHNNY CASH SONGS

Cash had a slew of hits in his songbook: "A Boy Named Sue," "Hurt," and "Jackson," one of many fun and fiery duets he performed with his wife, June Carter Cash…the list goes on. With a vast collection of hits, finding a favorite seems nearly impossible, but Johnny always had one in mind.

During a 60 Minutes interview with correspondent Harry Reasoner at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, in 1982, the icon revealed that his favorite Johnny Cash song was "Pickin' Time," from 1957's The Fabulous Johnny Cash, praising its hopeful message.

The lyrics go: "I got cotton in the bottom land. It's up and growing, and I got a good stand. My good wife and them kids of mine. Gonna get new shoes come picking time. Get new shoes, come picking time."

The cotton is growing. The subject’s family is “good.” And since the crops are prosperous, they’re all going to get new shoes. 

"The message of the song is good times are coming for us all... Pickin' time," Cash shared. He also admitted to being a fan of his fan favorite "I Walk the Line."

JOHNNY CASH'S LEAST FAVORITE JOHNNY CASH SONGS

Cash never mentioned a "least favorite song," per se, but he did call out an album that showcased the "worst, evil" side of him: American Recordings, released in 1994.

"The way I see this album, it’s like showing the worst, evil side of me,” he told Guitar Player that same year.

"It’s showing the evil that the mind goes through from 'hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died' in 'Delia’s Gone' all the way to redemption… Then there’s a prayer, 'Why Me Lord?' It’s got everything in it that I feel, that I can remember feeling, the emotions that I can remember going through.”

Other songs on this record include "Thirteen," "Tennessee Stud," and "Bird on a Wire."

THE MAN IN BLACK AND HIS SONGS

In classic Cash fashion, the songs he cherished most were saturated with truth, grit, simple pleasures, and the lessons of a turbulent life. Those he preferred to leave behind exemplified how tangled fame and external pressures could become. Still, even the tracks he viewed as glimpses of his "worst" self became essential to his story. 

With the Man in Black, trials and tribulations weren’t footnotes; they were achingly human choruses, sung loud and proud. 

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