Man in Black (song)

"Man in Black"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Man in Black
Released	March 1971
Format	Vinyl
Recorded	1971
Genre	Country
Length	2:52
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Johnny Cash
Producer	Johnny Cash

"Man in Black" (or "The Man in Black") is a protest song written and sung by and about Johnny Cash, originally released on his 1971 album of the same name. Cash himself was known as "The Man in Black" for his distinctive style of on-stage costuming. The lyrics are an after-the-fact explanation of this with the entire song as a protest statement with statements such as:

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, But still is there because he's a victim of the times.

Chart performance

Chart (1971)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	2
Canadian RPM Top Singles	38
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	58

Cover versions

• One Bad Pig
• The Bouncing Souls
• Loquillo - El hombre de negro (in Spanish)

References

• Monsen, Lauren (August 28, 2006). "Music Legend Johnny Cash Attracted Worldwide Audience". U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/August/20060828161535GLnesnoM0.4879419.html.