Shawn Mullins' New Song "Ghost of Johnny Cash" Celebrates The Man In Black

Folk and alternative rock artist Shawn Mullins has just released his latest album, Light You Up. Filled with songs that tell a story and let listeners into Mullins' innermost thoughts, Light You Up allows listeners use their imaginations in order to conjure up the images Mullins tries to project through song.

The fifth track on Light You Up is an ode to the great Johnny Cash, entitled “The Ghost of Johnny Cash.” Though Mullins never met the man who is called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Mullins collaborated with actor Kris Kristofferson, a long-time friend of Cash’s, on the track. Mullins’s dusky voice sounds more like he’s talking rather than singing, as he lets listeners into a private and somewhat ominous moment with great lyrics.

“Woke up in a cold sweat from a dream at 3 a.m. I was driftin’ on a sea of shadows...I saw a man dressed all in black reach out and take the helm. And he charted us a course out into the spirit realm.”

The additional acoustic guitar work and background vocals from Chuck Cannon only add to the track’s mysterious tone.