The last three songs I listed were thematically pretty dark, so I figured I’d lighten up the mood a bit. With a little of The Man in Black.
“We Are the Shepherds” is one of four original Christmas songs Cash wrote for his 1963 albumThe Christmas Spirit. As the title implies, it tells the biblical story of the shepherds who come to the manger of Jesus to worship. The shepherds come humbly, unable to bring expensive gifts like those of the wise men:
The wise men brought riches but we brought a candle
It’s all that we have but it gives a good light
Now, I’m not a particularly religious person, but I can appreciate certain religious sentiments. It would take a rock not to recognize simplicity of the shepherds’ gift as an symbol of their faith and hope.
The video below is just a series of Christmas-related images that someone (not Cash or his estate) slapped together. Don’t bother watching — just close your eyes and let Johnny’s voice wash over you and feel the good vibrations it offers.