Johnny Cash Is A Total Ham During “A Boy Named Sue”

TheTennessean/JoeRudis

The original country legend, Johnny Cash, takes the stage at The Tom Jones Show in 1970 for an incredible performance of “A Boy Named Sue.” 

Cash stood solo on the stage with his guitar singing the song that tells the harrowing tale of what it’s like going through life as a boy named Sue. The country legend shows his clever sense of humor during the performance, embellishing certain quippy lines making for a captivating show.

Johnny Cash / YouTube

“My daddy left home when I was three,” sings Cash. “I don’t blame him ’cause he run and hid, but the meanest thing that he ever did was before he left, he went and named me ‘Sue’.”

“A Boy Named Sue” tells the story of a boy whose estranged father left him with nothing but the humiliating name of “Sue.” The boy swears to the “moon and stars” that he’d find his father and kill him for giving him such a horrific name. However, at their reunion, Sue finds himself unable to go through with the assassination of his father and the two to reconcile their differences.

RELATED: Johnny Cash Collaborates With Waylon Jennings On “Folsom Prison Blues” At Farm Aid

Cash released the song at the height of his success in 1969 and it quickly climbed to number one on Billboard Hot Country Singles and No.2 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

You can watch Cash’s unexpected tale of vengeance in the video below.

Save this article!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new articles & videos from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

About the Author

Jennifer Pernicano

Hi! I'm Jen, a Southern California-based country music fan. One of my favorite things to do is go to a country concert and experience the art of storytelling in person. There truly is nothing else like it!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.