Empire of Pain

A poetic tribute to Johnny Cash’s cover of the Nine Inch Nails song ‘Hurt’.

Cash’s version of ‘Hurt’, sung during his dying days, maintains the raw power to hit me where it hurts, with a baritone made for an emotional crescendo (and sometimes a therapeutic blub) as the pain pours out.

I’ve done my best to rekindle the song’s lyrical soul with this poetic tribute. Feel free to place your handkerchief on standby.