The 1967 Johnny Cash Poem About June Carter Cash That Brad Paisley Turned Into a Song 50 Years Later

Technically, Brad Paisley never had a writing session with Johnny Cash, but he ended up sharing a co-writing credit with the Man in Black on one song released in 2017. Originally written by Cash in March 1967, “Gold All Over the Ground” was left on paper as a poem and never finished or set to music.

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With the blessing of Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, Paisley was given the lyrics and added some music to the song more than 50 years later. It became the first of Cash’s poems to be put to music.

Getting Dad’s Approval

“His son, John Carter Cash, is a good friend of mine and decided to dig up some old songs that were unfinished by his father,” said Paisley. “He brought one to me that was just a lyric and wasn’t really in song form, and he said, ‘If you want to finish this and turn it into a song, I think Dad would approve.’”

At the beginning of the song, a clip of Cash’s voice plays, and returns at the end of the song, with his reflections on how his wife, June Carter, helped keep him alive.

If I had you at my mercy, there’s no telling what I’d do
But I’d sit and make you listen for an hour, maybe two
And then you’d know I need you
Every day that rolls around
And your feet would walk on velvet
With gold all over the ground

All your trails would be downhill
A soft breeze at your back
A sky full of diamonds
And your nights would not be black
Yes, you would really love it
And if you’re ever down
I’d give you rows of roses
And gold all over the ground

“I tried to write this song the same way I would, as if it were [Johnny Cash] himself walking into a room saying, ‘Here’s a song idea. What do you think?’” said Paisley. “It felt very spiritual to do. It felt like Johnny was there.”

It felt very spiritual to do. It felt like Johnny was there.

Brad Paisley

‘Forever Words’

“Gold All Over the Ground” was featured in the 2016 book of Cash’s poems, Forever Words: The Unknown Poems. Paisley’s song also appeared on the 2018 compilation Forever Words, a collection of artists—Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Chris Cornell, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, and more—recording Cash’s poetry and songs.

In 2017, Paisley also released the song on his album, Love and War, alongside collaborations with Mick Jagger, Bill Anderson, John Fogerty, and Timbaland. Though “Gold All Over the Ground” was never released as a single, it served as Paisley’s quiet homage to the country legend.

“It felt just as if my father was alive as he ever was,” Cash said of Paisley turning his father’s poem into a song. “Brad connected deeply. Sometimes when music is that powerful, it has a life of its own, and it’s going to be heard. It was magical.”

Photo: Catherine Powell/FilmMagic