Ring of Fire-Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash is one of the best musicians of all time. Starting out as a poor Christian boy on a farm, Johnny Cash developed into a man who wrote influential lyrics to millions. Getting signed in 1954, Johnny Cash quickly became a hit with many people. By 1958, he had sold over six million records for his label. In 1960, Cash met Bob Dylan, and the two recorded together for Dylan’s album Nashville Skyline, and Cash covered several of Bob Dylan’s songs. Johnny Cash is best known for being a country singer, but he dappled in other genres, such as rock and roll, blues, gospel, and folk music. In the 1960s, Johnny Cash married June Carter, and the happy couple revived Cash’s career. Together, they did duets on multiple songs, and made millions. Cash’s lyrics provided inspiration for many people, and lead to his thriving career. Cash’s song “Ring of Fire” contains a number of poetic devices, showing off just one of many of his amazing songs.
When Johnny and June got married, she wrote songs with him, as well as about him. “Ring of Fire” was written by June Carter Cash about her love for Johnny. The mix of her lyrics with his voice allow for a huge country hit. The quote “love is a burning thing” is both a metaphor and personification. It is a metaphor because it is a comparison without using like or as. It is personification because love does not actually burn. “I fell into a ring of fire” is an example of hyperbole, because June did not actually fall into a ring of fire. There is also imagery, because the reader can picture a ring of fire that keeps progressing and getting larger. The “ring of fire” in itself, and the whole song, is symbolic of their love, and how they fell in love while they were both married to other people, and were thrown into a crazy life. An example of personification is “the taste of love is sweet” because love does not have a taste. The line “I fell for you like a child” is a simile because it compares her love to the how children fall in love using the word like.
The key device in this song is symbolism. It is used throughout the entire song to accentuate the chaos of June and Johnny’s love for each other at a hectic point in their lives. Imagery is also used throughout the song to picture the flames burning higher and higher. Although June was the one to write this song, Johnny Cash’s singing brings it to a new level, and the fact that it was written about their real lives makes for an even better song. Together, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash made amazing songs that rocked the country world, and brought country music to a completely new level.