Now when listening to this song, I found it to be on the opposite end of the spectrum from The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes.” Whereas the subject of The Who’s song seemed to be expressing remorse and sorrow, the subject in Johnny Cash’s song is bemoaning the fact that he is stuck in prison. He freely admits that he shot a man in Reno despite being told by his mother to stay away from guns. He expresses no remorse for his actions, rather he complains about the fact that he is stuck in prison while life outside prison continues without him.
