16. Spirit Rider

Jamey Johnson

I was with Jamey the moment he first saw the lyric to “Spirit Rider.” He picked up the guitar, looked at the words, and the melody came out, simple and connected.  “Spirit Rider,” to me, is a clear and beautiful statement for the end of this album.

My father says, “Wave your heart, and I’ll be riding back again…” Going through the process of making this album, looking at these words, I’ve gotten closer with my dad again. I’m reminded of the intricacies of his character, of who he was, of the diversity of the man.

I believe that my father is still hanging around. And he’s most certainly hanging around in these words, forever.

I have inevitably recalled the varied paradoxes that were John R Cash, but were no less honest than the next. Of every distinct face, however varied, no less honest than the next.

I believe that my father is still hanging around. And he’s most certainly hanging around in these words, forever. “If your fire is lit… If the sky is clear… Wave your heart,” he wrote… Perhaps saying that if I am true to love, I might see his visage, or sense it… The Spirit Rider… Most certainly, forever, or eternity, is simply a mindset. I have encountered him once again in these words, and now, in these melodies, in these songs. Waving my heart… I feel he is riding back again…