Offered are Johnny Cash's handwritten lyrics for his song "Tears in the Holston River." Johnny wrote the song to memorialize the loss of Mother Maybelle Carter and Sara Carter, who passed away within just a few months of each other in October 1978 and January 1979, respectively. Johnny sang the song with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on their 2002 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III. The album was the third and final installment in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's decades long project of collaborating with a wide variety of players on traditional, bluegrass and country-western tracks in an effort to connect generations of musicians to each other and to the music they're celebrating.
The song is a heartbreaking dirge in the classic Johnny Cash style, with his singing balancing precariously on the edge of spoken word prose. It's at once eulogizing and celebratory concerning two giants of country music that were also part of Cash's family. Mother Maybelle was, of course, Johnny's mother-in-law, and Sara Carter was her cousin (and sister-in-law). Along with A.P. Carter, the trio formed The Carter Family in the 1920s, which is generally credited with rise of commercial country music in America.
The offered lyrics appear to be Johnny's original draft of the song. There are many corrections and parts scratched out, and the lyrics differ significantly from the final, recorded version. There are even chord changes notated in a few spots. Some lines are already set, such as the chorus which references each woman's passing, "There were tears in the Holston River When Mother Maybelle Died." It's amazing to see one of the greatest minds in popular music literally editing his own work, improving upon his already strong instincts, and dragging the work towards the perfection he just naturally demands of himself. The song was an instant classic, and Johnny was nominated for a number of awards for his vocals on the album.
The handwritten lyrics were acquired directly from Johnny Cash by Bill Miller, noted Cash expert and curator of “The Johnny Cash Museum” in Nashville. The are accompanied by a July 2, 1998 Certificate of Authenticity signed by Miller. The large unlined journal page measures 9 1/4 x 13 inches and presents with minor wear other than the abuse it took at the hands of the master scratching out words and smudging the ink. Excellent condition.