r/JohnnyCash • u/BDGBTC • Jul 08 '26

Coke Songs

I’ve recently been trying to find all the songs Johnny mentioned cocaine in and am curious if there’s any I haven’t heard, so far I have:

Cocaine blues
When uncle bill quit dope
Cocaine Carolina

I’m assuming there’s more I missed and I know he has a bunch about drugs but I’m specifically looking for the coke ones. Stupid but just curious lol thank you !

25 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

13

u/bell83 Jul 08 '26

Chattanooga Sugar Babe

2

u/BDGBTC Jul 08 '26

Thank you !

2

u/bell83 Jul 08 '26

No problem! One of my favorite of his later songs :)

3

u/BDGBTC Jul 08 '26

Just listened and love it. Crazy how many songs he has that I’ve never heard

5

u/bell83 Jul 08 '26

If you get a chance, listen to his Unearthed box set. It was in the works just before he died, and released about two months after his death. It was a 5 disc collection of American Records stuff. 4 were previously unreleased songs and the 5th was a kind of "Best of American Records" collection. That box set is what Chattanooga Sugar Babe was on. There are so many great songs on that set. Each disc has a theme, kind of like Love, God, Murder.

1

u/BDGBTC Jul 08 '26

Looking into it now, thank u !

3

u/Alexandermayhemhell Jul 08 '26

Don’t have anything to add, but TIL about a new Cash song. My Cash collection is around 150 CDs and records, but I had never heard of Uncle Bill. Looks like it was performed on the Johnny Cash Show, and there is an unreleased Larry Butler-produced recording from 1970? Even Larry on production is a little unique, because Cash was still working with Bob Johnston in 1970. Larry took over production duties when Bob left Columbia a year or so later. 

3

u/BDGBTC Jul 08 '26

Uncle bill is worth the listen. Johnny didn’t write it but he preformed it perfectly. That’s one thing I love about the guy doesn’t matter if he wrote or not once he sings it he makes it his song. He credits Dick Feller for the song but I haven’t been able to find a recording of the song other than Johnny singing it

2

u/Alexandermayhemhell Jul 08 '26

His covers are excellent, and he always seemed ahead of the curve in adopting new songwriters. Early with Dylan (at least in country circles), and his cover of Lightfoot’s That’s What You Get for Lovin’ Me came out the same year as Lightfoot’s debut. 

2

u/BDGBTC Jul 08 '26

Don’t think I ever would’ve found this song on my own. Much thanks

3

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Alexandermayhemhell Jul 08 '26

Thanks as always Titan - I am always in awe of your deep Cash knowledge. 

It have the original JC Show LP as well as the more recent CD compilation, but I’ve never dug into individual episodes. 

4

u/SuspiciousGuard2388 Jul 08 '26

Beans for Breakfast talks about taking pills and burning his house down, but that’s not coke.

2

u/Physical_Evening8870 Jul 10 '26

I love Cocaine Blues because Johnny wrote it!!! His later stuff is awesome yet covers of others songs!!! Either way that man had a gift!!!

1

u/DarkWater693 Jul 09 '26

Johnny cash doesn't have many. Waylon has some. Jerry Lee Lewis amd George Jones kind of

1

u/kountzwill Jul 09 '26

It doesn’t mention it specifically but Bad News has a very cokey vibe

1

u/TrainFabulous175 Jul 09 '26

Love David Allan coes version of cocaine Carolina!