Hurt (Johnny Cash)

My younger brother introduced me to this song (get Spotify, great invention!!):

Hurt - Johnny Cash (Spotify URL)

Hurt, by Johnny Cash. A simple, minimalistic song, powered by the guitar and the unquestionable voice of the artist. According to Wikipedia, the video that was released for "Hurt", a cover of the song by Nine Inch Nails, fits Cash's view of his past and feelings of regret. The video for the song, from American IV, is now generally recognized as "his epitaph", and received particular critical and popular acclaim:



And here a great guitar lesson on how to play this song:




Lyrics:

I hurt myself today
to see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
the only thing that's real
the needle tears a hole
the old familiar sting
try to kill it all away
but I remember everything
what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
upon my liar's chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feelings disappear
you are someone else
I am still right here

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

if I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way