When love burns your soul: Johnny Cash’s letter to his wife

Considered by many one of the most beautiful love letters of all time, written by Johnny Cash for the 65th birthday of his wife June Carter. In the many difficult moments of his life, Cash always found the close support of his wife: she was an American singer-songwriter, actress and comedian, who was married already two times before Johnny Cash.

They met in the backstage of a country music concert in 1961. Johnny came up and said:

“You and I will get married someday”

She laughed and answered that she could hardly wait. At that time, Cash was married to Vivian Liberto. Some time later, June joined Johnny’s tour and they traveled together through United States.

June described her love with these words:

“I felt like I fell into a fiery pit, and I was literally burning alive”

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Cash was a superstar of the American rock, a true icon of music that was able to touch various genres, from gospel, blues, country to folk, rockabilly and rock’n’roll. He took only one singing lesson throughout his life and his teacher told him to never allow anyone to change his voice setting. He self-learned to play the guitar he purchased in Berlin for a few dollars, during his military service.

June died in 2003. Four months later, her husband died too.

A few years later, their son John Carter Cash was the executive producer of the movie Walk The Line, about the beginning of his parents’ love story and career. Reese Witherspoon got the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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The letter is the one above, and it doesn’t need further comments. Those are Cash’s words on a love that lasted 35 years.

23 June 1994,
Odense, Denmark.

Happy Birthday Princess,
We get old and get use to each other. We think alike.
We read each others minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes take each other for granted.
But once in awhile, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met. You still fascinate and inspire me.
You influence me for the better. You’re the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence. I love you very much.

Happy Birthday Princess.

John

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