That’s a mean cup of
water — A mytho-legendary quote attributed to The
Man in
Black himself Johnny
Cash when he performed live at San Quentin Prison.
Many people were against his performance in prisons especially prison guard unions who thought that a Johnny
Cash prison performances would quite probably incite riots.
What actually happened was that Cash said: “If there are any guards still talking to me could you bring me a cup of
water”.
After he finished drinking it, Cash destroyed and crushed the tin cup in which his
water had been provided. Then he sang a song about the uselessness of San Quentin Prison and theories of rehabilitation called: San Quentin.
His Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin Album was certified gold on August 12th 1969 and in spite of the documented evidence to the contrary, the legend of the “ That’s a mean cup of
water” quote is more powerful than what actually occurred.
But that’s the thing about a good and well told mytho-legendary story: it’s never what actually happened; it’s what SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!!!!
