The legendary Johnny Cash’s 1969 live album Johnny Cash At San Quentin was undeniably a moment in country. That is, he recorded it straight from the maximum security prison, the San Quentin State Prison, which was also the oldest correctional facility in California. The whole performance was filmed by Granada Television and produced and directed by Michael Darlow. One of the songs included in the setlist was “San Quentin.”
Written by Johnny Cash, this song was one of the two he performed live on stage for the first time. The other one was the overtly Oedipal and humorist tale written by the later Playboy cartoonist Shel Silverstein, “A Boy Named Sue.” And he sang it not just once but twice, with the second one for the encore demanded by the audience.
Meaning Behind the Song
“San Quentin” is an original jailhouse ballad sung from the perspective of the inmates. According to Darlow, Cash opened his performance of the song with a short speech, saying, “I was thinking about you guys yesterday. I’ve been here three times before, and I think I understand a little about how you feel about some other things…” He then continued by saying that he tried to put himself in their place, and he believed the song portrayed how they felt about San Quentin.
Bob Wootton kicked it off with a guitar lick, and then Cash sang, “San Quentin, you’ve been livin’ hell to me / You’ve blistered me since nineteen sixty-three.” As soon as he finished the first verse, the audience gave him heartfelt cheers. And as the song progressed, the cheers went even louder.
For You
Then he asked, “San Quentin, what good do you think you do? / Do you think I’ll be different when you’re through?” To which the inmates responded, “No!” The loud cheers carried on all the way until the end of the song, and everyone was on their feet, which was actually against the instructions they had been given when they entered the hall where the concert was held.
After finishing the song, the audience cried for one more time. Of course, he obliged, but not without drama. Before doing an encore performance, he asked for water and then acted as if it had some cockroach or bug in it. He then crushed the imaginary insect, threw it on the floor, and then ultimately stomped on it. After that, he took his guitar and sang, “San Quentin, you’ve been livin’ hell to me.”
Listen to Johnny Cash live in San Quentin singing “San Quentin” in the video below. And here are some more Johnny Cash songs to tune in to!
