<p id=”par-1_50″>Johnny Cash and Shel Silverstein were in the same circles, with Silverstein even writing one of Cash’s hit <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>songs</a>. Still, Cash used to frustrate Silverstein with the way he spoke about <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/johnny-cash-played-protest-song-right-front-richard-nixon.html/”>the anti-war movement</a>. Cash spoke about being a “dove with claws.” Silverstein wished he framed the anti-war movement differently. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-johnny-cash-irritated-shel-silverstein-with-one-of-his-quotes”>Johnny Cash irritated Shel Silverstein with one of his quotes</h2>
<p id=”par-2_28″>Cash coined the phrase “dove with claws” to refer to fierce pacifism in the face of endless war. According to Kris Kristofferson, this phrase used to irritate Silverstein.</p>
<p id=”par-3_27″>“Yeah, that used to piss Shel Silverstein off,” he told <a href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kris-kristofferson-last-outlaw-poet-ethan-hawke-interview-714098/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a>, adding, “That whole ‘dove with claws’ thing. He just thought, ‘What the hell is that?’”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shel-Silverstein.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”A black and white picture of Shel Silverstein sitting and holding a guitar.” class=”wp-image-3723332″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Shel Silverstein | Alice Ochs/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_34″>According to Kristofferson, Silverstein believed that Cash should have simply called himself a dove. He thought the image of a dove with claws leaned into the idea that it was weak to support peace.</p>
<p id=”par-5_74″>“‘Cause people would have accepted anything from John,” Kristofferson said. “We knew he was a man. I don’t really think anybody would have called Johnny Cash a p****. But John was conditioned, just like you and me. You really have to get past all of that — where you have enough feeling about what’s right and wrong in the world to not give a s*** about what kind of names anybody throws at you.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-shel-silverstein-wrote-1-of-johnny-cash-s-hit-songs”>Shel Silverstein wrote 1 of Johnny Cash’s hit songs</h2>
<p id=”par-6_40″>In 1969, Cash heard Silverstein perform the song “A Boy Named Sue” at a party. He liked it so much that he <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/johnny-cash-most-famous-songs.html/”>asked Silverstein for the lyrics</a>. June Carter Cash encouraged him to perform the song <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/johnny-cash-was-arrested-7-times-heres-why.html/”>at San Quentin prison</a>.</p>
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<iframe title=”A Boy Named Sue” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Z1Ple-qYuU?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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Bob Dylan Befriended Johnny Cash After Receiving a Fan Letter From Him </a>
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<p id=”par-7_62″>“I’d only sung it the first time the night before and I read it off as I sang it,” Cash said, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30082/johnny-cashs-boy-named-sue-was-written-shel-silverstein” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Mental Floss</a>. “I still didn’t know the words. As a last resort, I pulled those lyrics out and laid them on the music stand, and when it came time that I thought I was brave enough, I did the song.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_28″>The song went over incredibly well, so Cash decided to release it as a single. It hit the top of the country charts and became his best-selling single.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-johnny-cash-helped-kris-kristofferson-get-his-start-in-the-music-industry”>Johnny Cash helped Kris Kristofferson get his start in the music industry</h2>
<p id=”par-9_55″>Cash and Kristofferson were also friendly. Cash was a major star in the music industry when Kristofferson was trying to gain his footing. He <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kris-kristofferson-took-national-guard-helicopter-pitch-1-songs-johnny-cash.html/”>flew a helicopter</a> to Cash’s front yard in order to get him to listen to his music. He had previously given Cash a tape, but the artist hadn’t listened to it.</p>
<p id=”par-10_81″>“I didn’t really listen to them until one afternoon, he was flying a National Guard helicopter and he landed in my yard,” Cash said, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kris-kristofferson-last-outlaw-poet-ethan-hawke-interview-714098/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a>. “I was taking a nap and June said, ‘Some fool has landed a helicopter in our yard. They used to come from the road. Now they’re coming from the sky!’ And I look up, and here comes Kris out of a helicopter with a beer in one hand and a tape in the other.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_23″>The song was “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” Cash liked it so much that he recorded it himself, thus helping launch Kristofferson to success.</p>