Johnny Cash - Big River

Рет қаралды 5,025,599

Hippekuln

16 жыл бұрын

Grand Ole Opry, 1962

Пікірлер: 1 300

@brianmaricle9646 Жыл бұрын

I just woke to somebody driving by my house blasting this song from the radio in their vehicle what a way to wake up Johnny Cash still rocking in 2022

@Ducksoup67 Жыл бұрын

Might have been me. ; )

@brianmaricle9646 Жыл бұрын

@@Ducksoup67 who ever it was was driving an 85Dodge ram D 150 and left rubber from the stop sign and 100 foot up the road that 318 was pissed at something LoL 😂🤣

@phudoraps3374 Жыл бұрын

No better alarm clock brother

@benperez8424 11 ай бұрын

Brooo this gave me enough pride to blast on they way to work at 330 am too hahaha

@vandliszt 10 ай бұрын

That wasn’t my radio I’ve bought three versions of the song and I have em on repeat. I apologize for scaring you with an old here comes Johnny.

@jlm1693 5 жыл бұрын

"You want to be a songwriter? Listen to 'Big River' about 60 times, and you'll write something." - Tom Petty

@Oxley016 5 жыл бұрын

Orange County Punk I know, Jimmy Nail really creates N emotional masterpiece

@quincylancto7731 3 жыл бұрын

Challenge excepted

@markmoscatello9461 3 жыл бұрын

Wow. I'm not surprised. Tom loved these guys. He recorded with Tom. Merle haggards The Running Kind. I like it with Toms band.

@orbison 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, Cash doesn't get enough credit as a songwriter. From the early days of his career right up to The Man Comes Around before his death.

@cadenbariekman8851 3 жыл бұрын

I probably could write something then if I put my mind in that direction. I’ve heard this song over a hundred times.

@deweypug2636 10 жыл бұрын

He's handling that geetar like he's shootin' a gun! Love it!

@jozefhatert6231 6 жыл бұрын

deweypug that make him really look badass

@aidanmaxwell1019 5 жыл бұрын

Just like old George Jones did.

@Salu_TV 4 жыл бұрын

Geetar

@aidanmaxwell1019 4 жыл бұрын

Yes he did, Mr President.

@benmorales9246 4 жыл бұрын

So fucking cool

@jeramygonzales4461 8 жыл бұрын

His voice just screams.... "I'M AN OUTLAW!"

@mikecinquen 8 жыл бұрын

A bas ass dude no doubt

@Noway00141 5 жыл бұрын

Jeramy Gonzales yesssss

@rabokarabekian409 4 жыл бұрын

The only times he was an outlaw was when he was stumbling around drunk and high - at times unable to perform. It was after he got sober and law-abiding that he developed the MAN in Black brand. Once again, mythos it not pragmatikótita.

@TheAndersDanilet 4 жыл бұрын

Martha Stewart is more of an outlaw than Cash. Cash is still a legend though 😁

@plugmanjohnson7456 3 жыл бұрын

@@rabokarabekian409 Cash was a rebel. No one in country was getting high and drunk and thrown in jail every other day. He wasnt billy the kid or anything but his outlaw persona didnt come crom nothin.

@quinnmccully4689 9 жыл бұрын

F*ck yeah.....old school Cash with the head nods!

@gaged381 7 жыл бұрын

Quinn McCully fuck yeah it don't get any better Than that!

@lucilleblue2260 7 жыл бұрын

gotta be the speed ;)

@martymc58 6 жыл бұрын

When I was a kid I didn't know why he always jerked his head up like that. Then I started singing into an old style microphone. The inhale sounds awful. He was a perfectionist of his sound.

@30acreshop_time 3 ай бұрын

@@martymc58 or it’s because he’s high on meth and he’s holding himself together

@Rustoization 4 күн бұрын

@@30acreshop_time You might actually be right about this

@jrea424 5 жыл бұрын

The thing I love about these old country songs is that they flow, it's a musical short story, there's a beginning, middle and an end. Its brilliant

@scottchapman8044 4 жыл бұрын

Dim the songs were written like poetry not like the crap you here today

@danielcampbell9344 11 ай бұрын

@@scottchapman8044You mean to tell me modern country is absolute trash?

@JaxonBurn 5 жыл бұрын

This performance makes me realise how well Joaquin Pheonix emulated Cash in Walk the Line. The way he holds the guitar is an obvious one, but Pheonix also mimics the way Cash throws his head back between lines (I think it’s so you don’t hear him take a breath, but could also be part habit at this point). Great attention to detail.

@KeizerHedorah 3 жыл бұрын

It may also be the meth amphetamines.

@cin3madelight 2 жыл бұрын

@@KeizerHedorah fair point tbh

@lrn_news9171 2 жыл бұрын

He wasn't throwing his head back like this prior to 1960 or 1961, I think it was the amphetamines.

@CosminZeed 7 жыл бұрын

No auto-tune, special effects or other bullshit.. This is real voice and real talent right here. Respect Johnny

@vernerblaylock919 6 жыл бұрын

There's a slight delay effect if you listen closely, and possibly a compressor. Know what you mean though. Respect to Johnny

@watchman56able 5 жыл бұрын

Always amazing to hear people just walk up to a mike and start singing. And be good.

@Horus-Lupercal 5 жыл бұрын

You come off as pretentious using music you enjoy to beat music you don't.

@nikolatesla8108 4 жыл бұрын

@@vernerblaylock919 I mean no effects :-) listen to it dont be deaf and dumb :-)

@lilianflynn198 4 жыл бұрын

That's when artists can Actually sing

@swvacollings290 13 жыл бұрын

Just noticed something cool, stage-craft related. He's doing the Bill Monroe trick of tuning the instrument up a half-step. It makes the tension on the strings heavier and louder. Only noticed it when I saw the back up acoustic player playing in "F" which is the real key. Johnny's playing "E" shapes. Johnny always made fun of his playing in public, but he actually was an awesome rhythm player and had HUGE stage craft skills. Back when real musicians just had microphones. Incredible man.

@Dtqeel9 Жыл бұрын

Grandpa said: “Just look at this pal, fresh and smooth. God I loved his songs”

@MoparMarc426 Жыл бұрын

There will never be a better version of this song!

@redelephantsdotnl Жыл бұрын

Well. The opening to Madison Square Garden... A little short, but - man. That truly is the 'straight like a train, sharp like a razor' version.

@bradnoe5271 7 жыл бұрын

Whoever gave this a thumbs down, you must really suck to be around.

@dwigginsable 5 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah, well said, that's for sure. BTW, with that rhyme perhaps you might spend a dime and get one of those geetars to give us more songs with scars.

@rjn8001 8 жыл бұрын

Has there ever been a more badass song?

@eloquentpixellawl7841 8 жыл бұрын

+R JN no there has not and never will there be

@valkiss 8 жыл бұрын

+R JN folsom prison blues

@rjn8001 8 жыл бұрын

Good point.

@Brettsburg20 8 жыл бұрын

Maybe another Cash Song? Maybe not...

@xopowo69 8 жыл бұрын

Don't think so.

@GoalSubscribers-jj3nj 4 жыл бұрын

He has so much confidence in this video. It puts a smile on my face.

@lpgft 11 жыл бұрын

The only person to be inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame AND The Songwriter's Hall Of Fame !!! A TRUE one of a kind !!!

@anthonyjablonski4465 2 жыл бұрын

Real American country music right here. Mr. Cash was the very definition of a Legend.

@uglymoon78 16 жыл бұрын

Great to hear how crisp and great Luther's playing was in the 60s - sharp and accurate. The Man himself is always magic to watch. Always something unpredictable about him, like a snake or something...

@kevinwebb2480 8 жыл бұрын

What a performer, for so long. Sadly missed.

@anotherjoshua 9 жыл бұрын

i met her accidentally in st. paul, minnesota

@Stormblade02 5 жыл бұрын

I read this right as he sang it lol

@JA-rk9cg 5 жыл бұрын

MPQ 4CHRIST same hahahahaha

@casperingels2220 3 жыл бұрын

Dylans favorite piece of lyric

@rancorx 10 жыл бұрын

Best version of this song by far in my opinion

@DeadlyDan 4 жыл бұрын

^ THIS

@oneolddog8809 11 ай бұрын

Love Johnnys version ,I discovered this one after hearing the Grateful Dead’s cover . Dead Head for life as well as a Cash fan.

@StrangeScaryNewEngland 7 ай бұрын

Grateful Dead seemed to really admire Johnny. They also did their own version of Casey Jones, which was covered and made famous by Johnny. The original was done by Billy Murray and his quartet

@cheepasskid Жыл бұрын

Was riding in the car and played this song and a girl asked me why a lot of men like Johnny cash so much. It’s exactly because of the way he conducts himself in this song. So much charisma.

@Anarchsis 5 жыл бұрын

Back in the days when country and rock’n’roll were inseparable.

@bobcat5844 7 жыл бұрын

johnny looks so bad ass , he's rocking country

@Tommy1977777 12 жыл бұрын

i like Johns voice. very calm. very deep. thats whats missing from us men today. God Bless Him,

@lrn_news9171 2 жыл бұрын

I've watched numerous live performances by Johnny Cash on youtube year on year. From 1958 to 1959 you can tell he had lost some weight and his face looks like he had aged a good 6 years. You can see the damage heavy use of Amphetamine, alcohol and barbiturates has on a young healthy man in his 20s in just a single years time. In 1959 he still looked great compared to how he would look just a few years later. By 1962 when he performed Big River (I believe grand ole opry), just 4 years into his addictions, he looked like he had aged 20 years. The man hadn't even reached 30 years of age, he looked like a 45 year old. Even then, 1962 was nothing compared to how he would look like in the following years, he still didn't appear too skinny in 1962. In 1964-1965 he looked like he had aged another 10 years, he looked like an alcoholic man in his 50s who had lived hard. At his lowest point in 1966 and early 1967 he was skin and bones, looked like death. He could not hide the damage and deterioration even when wearing makeup on professional photoshoots for his new material. Look at the album cover photo with June on the album "Jackson" 1966. One thing that is impressive is that despite all of the drug abuse and drinking, the 60s was Johnny Cash's most productive decade, it's in that period that he recorded most extensively, you cannot detect deterioration in his singing, his voice had remained essentially unchanged, he wrote and recorded numerous hit songs in that time period, some of which we consider to be his signature songs.

@raymond1849 9 жыл бұрын

This song surely is the grandfather of all rock'n roll songs.

@vanessak.1100 8 жыл бұрын

Johnny cash is the god of music. He made rock n roll hits, pop, country, gospel, rhythm, blues and much more.

@BeingRomans829ed 3 ай бұрын

Back when America understood, made and loved real music. Just turn on your radio today. (Well...on second thought, don't.)

@32251 15 жыл бұрын

This is as good as it gets. Live TV with Luther on guitar. The sound is just so close to the original record. Cash is just the greatest. I had to opportunity to play guitar for him on a symphony concert in Atlanta. He was as nice a person as you could imagine and he tore it up! Long live Cash. I am so amazed that the young crowd connects with Cash. He still has that appeal he had so long ago.

@rahul371990 8 жыл бұрын

Masterpiece. I met this video accidentally on youtube :-) Cant stop listening to it

@HuwDouglasEvans 8 жыл бұрын

What kind of soulless sub-human lunatics could give this a thumbs down?! I can't imagine anyone not loving this.

@stevenlfalkmd6906 7 жыл бұрын

HuwDouglasEvans ',,

@brandonbarnesmusic4810 7 жыл бұрын

HuwDouglasEvans believe it or not, some people have different opinions than you

@HuwDouglasEvans 7 жыл бұрын

Really? I thought everyone had come to their senses by now. Well, give 'em time, I guess.

@joshwhalen4830 7 жыл бұрын

Love it

@craig101.2 7 жыл бұрын

It's a thing called "Opinions" yes modern singers don't have the same talent but it's not up to you what others like it's up to them.

@charliemopps4926 8 жыл бұрын

His backup band looks so thrilled to be there... lol

@aldocorsi7686 8 жыл бұрын

+Charlie Mopps jajaja that's right!

@eloquentpixellawl7841 8 жыл бұрын

+Charlie Mopps because they are just there to hear johny lol

@Deltoidicus 8 жыл бұрын

Luther always looked like that. Johnny used to say on stage that "Luther died a couple of years ago; he just don't know it yet." Lol

@mastervolume1508 8 жыл бұрын

+Charlie Mopps They probably played this song 1000 times in a month and could do it in their sleep. Great song, but not exactly challenging. So they are probably thinking about other stuff, like did I leave my keys in my car or I forgot to let the cat out and so on. Etc.....with your most mundane thought while performing something you could do without thinking.

@RockandrollNegro 7 жыл бұрын

Contrast Johnny's band to Elvis's band. In Elvis's band, Bill Black was an absolute showman, jumping and hollering and slapping that upright bass. Scotty Moore always looked like an exquisite craftsman, performing a delicate operation on his guitar. And DJ Fontana learned how to work a crowd in the early days, banging on the drums in a strip club, working his toms to the pattern of the dancer. When WS Holland replaced him in Elvis's band, he had to learn to be a showman. When he switched bands over to the Tennesse Three, I think he helped inject a bit of fun to the live shows that wasn't always there when it was just Luther and Marshall that he picked up from being Elvis's touring drummer.

@TheIkaraCult 4 жыл бұрын

quite simply the greatest singer ever. And he wrote all his own songs too.

@huntercraig993 2 жыл бұрын

Ring of fire was written by june Carter

@srubbercleanz 2 жыл бұрын

Hint hint ELTON JOHN

@2222thebeast Жыл бұрын

No. He wrote a lot of songs, but he played plenty that were written by others.

@cobweb7412 6 жыл бұрын

god i love how he holds his guitar like a loaded gun

@patriot4786 5 жыл бұрын

single dads club vevo he served in the air force.. soo

@ImmortalLlama 5 жыл бұрын

@@patriot4786 yeah but he didnt fight in the battlefield, he rose to the rank of Staff Sergent and became a Morse Code operator. Apparently, he was the first American to hear about Stalin's death.

@bedfastskate1823 5 жыл бұрын

My grandma met him and didn't know

@ImmortalLlama 5 жыл бұрын

@@bedfastskate1823 Haha same, my grandma met him twice in the hospital when he was older. Apparently he had a really bad flu, and she snuck in there and gave him tea that he asked for, which should have gotten her fired.

@bedfastskate1823 5 жыл бұрын

@@ImmortalLlama She gave him his breakfast and didn't know it was him He tipped her extra because she didn't make a fuss about it

@pegcage 13 жыл бұрын

Johnny made a complete transformation when he married June and found the Lord. You can just see the difference in his eyes, his demeanor, and his talent just took big leaps. Compare this to later renditions, and his T.V. show in he 70s.

@agy234 Жыл бұрын

Not being high also helped

@user-kaiethirteen 7 жыл бұрын

I wished I lived in the 50s and 60s

@SpuzzyLargo 6 жыл бұрын

I did: born 1954. And I continue to be thankful when I wake up to a new day..... and we all shine on....

@Gutslinger 5 жыл бұрын

I wish I was a young adult in the 50's. The 60's looked like a shitty time with all those brain dead, acid ingesting hippies. So I'd pass on the 60's.

@cowboah2518 4 жыл бұрын

We all a little

@Getrhythmgausdal 10 жыл бұрын

Love Luther Perkins' solo! :)

@billbishopboyiscool 10 жыл бұрын

More than half a century later AND almost 2 million views. Pretty good. This generation has to keep up the old music and pass it farther. When I have kids, they'll be sure to hear Cash at times.

@Getrhythmgausdal 10 жыл бұрын

I agree!

@PursuingHeaven 2 жыл бұрын

5 million at the point - Miss you John, see you in heaven singing with June and the angels

@newmanhiding2314 Жыл бұрын

Sup

@OSleeperTactical 11 жыл бұрын

king of country, godfather of alternative rock and the uncle no one talks about of pop, there's a reason he's in 3 hall of fames

@Katzeleine 13 жыл бұрын

This is a great Song. Johnny Cash is a great singer, guitar player and songwriter!!! Johnny Cash is the BeST! He is a Rock´n Roll, Country, Rockabilly & Gopel singer. Wow.. Johnny Cash Forever!

@Jowisz2010 7 жыл бұрын

Wielki Johnny Cash jak a szkoda że Cię brak ale w naszych sercach jesteś wraz z tymi pięknymi pieśniami . Bądż Pozdrowiony

@princevinegar9668 3 жыл бұрын

Still sounding great 59 years later, a real toe tapper.

@cheepasskid Жыл бұрын

I was talking abt how fucking rad Johnny cash was to my gf and how his name is so awesome. Like he is so cool. He’s Johnny cash money. Cash is king type shit and she said that has to be a stage name. I said no this man was born John R. Cash fucking champ this guy. Lives up to all the hype

@anthonywhittle8135 4 жыл бұрын

This is my favorite Cash song of ALL time!!!!Johnny Cash could be the coolest man ever to live!!

@mikebrown6187 2 жыл бұрын

Simply the greatest artist country music has ever produced.

@Lordcerii 12 жыл бұрын

Johnny Cash makes everything look incredibly well. nuff said

@thisrandomgeordieguy 11 жыл бұрын

johnny cash is a legend dont care what no one has to say on the matter

@kevinwebb2480 7 жыл бұрын

One of Johnny's very best. He composed this in the back of a taxi.

@mrchickenchop93 10 жыл бұрын

awesome voice, awesome song, Legend.

@Jowisz2010 9 жыл бұрын

Wielki Johnny Cash bądż pozdrowiony w tym Niebie .słucham Cię całe życie i dziękuję Ci za te piękne pieśni .

@dangerousmike818 3 жыл бұрын

Man I sang this karaoke at a bar in Texas, some some drunk ahole gets up and destroyed Sunday Morning Comming Down. My friends new I sang ok and they're like you can't just let him do that to Johnny Cash!! So nervously I'm like alright alright so I new this song was pretty quick and know all the words. Having a crowd cheer at you is pretty awesome, and I helped redeem the man in black. Awesome memory 😎

@tsekrs 13 жыл бұрын

REAL MUSIC REAL ARTIST.... JOHNY CASH THE LEGEND. GREETINGS FROM GREECE.

@Kumomoto 12 жыл бұрын

50 YEARS since this performance! Mad respect for the Man in Black! Heroes get remembered, but true legends never die...timeless & genuine music!

@mt3311 13 жыл бұрын

Best line; cavortin in Davenport.Omne of my favorite Johnny CAsh tunes

@TheIkaraCult 3 жыл бұрын

Johnny's voice makes everything feel alright. He's the best

@magbag70 4 жыл бұрын

What a stage presence he always had!

@easyaspi1177 10 жыл бұрын

He's talk about the Mighty Mississippi "Big River." He follows the big river down to the ocean.

@irishroverandthecrew 6 жыл бұрын

Brilliant song, poetry, Johnny rocked it.

@trevorbaldwin1 11 жыл бұрын

the looks changed over the years but there is no mistaking that magnificent voice, just wish i had got to see him perform live,

@JooHill 25 күн бұрын

He seems to be very alert, good ole young Johnny 🖤🖤🖤

@laramouillet5986 5 жыл бұрын

I love Johnny cash so much ❤ And June too... I Hope you happy wherever you are... I love you

@antepetkovic964 4 жыл бұрын

Always a class act, Mr. Johnny Cash!

@rzrgaming369 12 жыл бұрын

When singers take you to another world, that's when you know ur hearing the REAL MUSIC!

@jcooper43 12 жыл бұрын

Didn't find Johnny Cash until college. Wow, what a great day that was. Folsom Prison Blues forever changed the way I look at music.

@bobsch3902 5 жыл бұрын

Die Stimme vom Johnny Cash ist der Hammer

@patnash62 13 жыл бұрын

Love this music and Johnny Cash!!!!

@angelaallen340 7 жыл бұрын

What take southern classic.....big river.......doesn't get any better

@Cmcmillen77 4 жыл бұрын

What a time to be alive! i wish i could go back in time for a few days. maybe forever

@andyg9151 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely hits perfect this song for me. Such unbelievable talent 👏🏼

@GrillMasterXBBQ 6 жыл бұрын

The quality is remarkable, truely a legend.

@PulaRecords 14 жыл бұрын

omg i listen this song for more than a year I and never get bored

@UmbrellaWatch Жыл бұрын

2023!! DAMN That was the shit!!!!!

@marcuspi999 9 жыл бұрын

Truly one of the best things I've ever seen. Made my day. Johnny rules!

@marendenison3550 4 жыл бұрын

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you, Big River Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota) And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport And I followed you, Big River, when you called Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river) A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the bluff She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans Go on, I've had enough, dump my blues down in the gulf She loves you, Big River, more than me.

@nelsonwayne6997 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Maren 👋 How are you doing and how's the weather over there ?

@Chuichupachichi 12 жыл бұрын

Johnny Cash was one cool dude back then & "Big River" is the best Country song ever

@lancer89032 14 жыл бұрын

Luther Perkins made Johnny look good too with his wonderful and innovative accompaniments and that is not to say Johnny isn't great in his own right, because he was. Luther was THE MAN!!!

@rarerockk 11 жыл бұрын

you gotta love him and his great music and the band is great too !

@ejp42 10 жыл бұрын

And Im gonna sit right here till I die

@3340steve 4 жыл бұрын

Johnny Cash is the original rock and roll party.

@kapitankolt1911 10 жыл бұрын

From Italy.....great Johnny Cash :D

@conwayredbear7979 8 жыл бұрын

Amen thank the Lord for big brother in Christ Johny Cash!

@jaykito9545 6 жыл бұрын

Recently I got acquainted with his work. His music is much better than the one that is now. The voice of a true American.

@kor101010 Жыл бұрын

I can't tell how many times I've watched this! Truly one of the most incredible performances ever! All of the movements he does are amazing!

@tonytang4668 4 жыл бұрын

I can only dream of having this much charisma. What a man.

@Agent0061958 15 жыл бұрын

What a smokin' performance! This is probably the best quality footage I've ever seen of Johnny Cash from back in those days. I hadn't heard Big River until I played it on an old Sun 45 that a friend gave me and it's been one of my favorite songs ever since!

@valerierichardson5821 10 жыл бұрын

One of my fav's !!! I really love song :o)

@valerierichardson5821 10 жыл бұрын

One talented man, with a heart :o)

@me50091 13 жыл бұрын

Johnny cash was the greatest performer that ever lived. Plain and simple.

@SD1Chargers 14 жыл бұрын

Isn't it great to see a video where the music is the star and not the performers...great stuff JC...my dad's favorite and I heard Johnny all through my childhood.

@lupitaromero4435 7 жыл бұрын

un hombre mágico, excelente voz,estupenda música, animas mis días delicados

@jerrybrownell3633 4 жыл бұрын

Johnny Cash is the only artist in The Country Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Song Writers Hall of Fame and The Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

@markmoscatello9461 3 жыл бұрын

Johnny was so great. I love this performance. I recommend the country style USA performance. It was a show for the soldiers. He was on it many times

@crazeedriver2005 13 жыл бұрын

The 10 people who disliked this don't know what real music is.

@mt3311 8 жыл бұрын

My favorite line of all, " I heard my dream went back down stream cavortin in davenport."

@wilbimcs 8 жыл бұрын

+Marvin Thayer Yes, I love this line ! As far as i'm concerned, this song is pure poetry, it has rythm, it's fun and sad at the same time... A true Cash masterpiece.

@ComanderCharmander69 6 жыл бұрын

Marvin Thayer I read "my favorite line" and just then viola?!!

@dwarpmunder 5 жыл бұрын

I just found out about that line! Ive loved this song for awhile and never realized, Davenport is 5 minutes from where i live!

@mt3311 3 жыл бұрын

@Nico Pogi My dream went back downstream cavortin in Davenport. Means he fell in love with a southern woman, in St. Paul Minnesota, and she left town, traveling to another town on the Mississippi River. That town would be Davenport. That is in Iowa, on the stateline with Illinois. There are 4 cities close, They are called the Quad Cities, Davenport, and Bettendorf on the Iowa side of the river, and Rock Island and Moline on the Illinois side of the river. Cavortin means she was out dating and running around with many different men. The woman in question stays close to the Mississippi River when she tires of one place, and goes to another. She hits all the hot spots on the river, St. Paul, Davenport, St. Louis, Memphis, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. The reference to Bluffs in Memphis, is because there are several bluffs, or land shelfs above the city along the Mississippi River. Weeping Willow is a tree associated with the Southern part of the Mississippi River, is metaphorically associated with being depressed, or blue. A freighter, is a person who works in the transportation of goods by river. Big River is an old term for the Mississippi River, because of its length, some 2,300 miles. I hope that explains some things. This song is better enjoyed when you understand the metaphors, and the time from which it came. This song is one of Cash's better songs. It has some of his best original lines.