Blood, Sweat and Tears is the eighth studio album by Johnny Cash, released in 1963 on Columbia Records and produced by Don Law, a concept album addressing the experience of American working men and women, organized around themes of physical labor, pride, and endurance, and reflecting the folk revival's engagement with working-class subject matter in the early 1960s. Cash wrote or co-wrote several tracks; 'The Legend of John Henry's Hammer', an extended narrative about the mythological steel-driving man, is the album's central piece, running over eight minutes and demonstrating Cash's ability to sustain the folk ballad form across a length that exceeds conventional radio-formatted songwriting. The album also includes 'Busted' (Harlan Howard), which would become one of the most covered country songs of the decade, and 'Casey Jones,' a reinterpretation of the railroad disaster ballad that aligned Cash with the American folk tradition of historical narrative song. Blood, Sweat and Tears reached the top ten on the Billboard Country Albums chart and reflects Cash's consistent engagement with American labor history and the folk documentary tradition that was simultaneously being explored by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, and others on the opposite coast. The album demonstrates the range of Cash's Columbia period: gospel (Hymns), historical narrative (Ride This Train), and labor folk (Blood, Sweat and Tears) all addressed in rapid succession.
Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of John Henry's Hammer | Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash | Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash | Don Law |
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| 2 | Casey Jones | T. Lawrence Seibert, Eddie Newton | T. Lawrence Seibert, Eddie Newton | Don Law |
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| 3 | Nine Pound Hammer | Merle Travis | Merle Travis | Don Law |
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| 4 | Another Man Done Gone | Vera Hall, Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Ruby Tartt, Johnny Cash | Vera Hall, Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Ruby Tartt, Johnny Cash | Don Law |
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| 5 | Busted | Harlan Howard | Harlan Howard | Don Law |
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| 6 | Tell Him I'm Gone | Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Don Law |
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| 7 | In Them Old Cottonfields Back Home | Huddie Ledbetter | Huddie Ledbetter | Don Law |
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| 8 | Waiting for a Train | Jimmie Rodgers | Jimmie Rodgers | Don Law |
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| 9 | Chain Gang | Harlan Howard | Harlan Howard | Don Law |
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| 10 | Born to Be a Roughneck | Sheb Wooley | Sheb Wooley | Don Law |
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Data note: Track credits compiled from Wikipedia and Discogs; should be verified against original liner notes. A concept album about the working man. 'The Legend of John Henry's Hammer' adapted by Cash and June Carter Cash. 'Casey Jones' is Traditional (attributed to T. Lawrence Seibert / Eddie Newton). 'Nine Pound Hammer' is Traditional/Merle Travis arrangement. 'Another Man Done Gone' is Traditional. 'Waiting for a Train' by Jimmie Rodgers. 'Busted' by Harlan Howard. 'Born to Be a Roughneck' by Sheb Wooley. 'Tell Him I'm Gone' by Johnny Cash.