Johnny Cash - Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover)

There are a few distinct differences between the feelings created by the two videos. The original Nine Inch Nails version has a more sinister tone to it - almost as though the lyrics mean that the singer wants to intentionally hurt someone. In the Johnny Cash cover however, you get the impression that he has lived a full life that taught him a lot and shaped him as a person. He realises that his actions have sometimes been wrong, and indirectly hurt people close to him - almost as if he's warning people that if they get close to him they will end up being hurt. The general feeling of his video is that he is looking back on his life, and seeing where he went wrong and what he would have done differently if he had a chance to. But also, he accepts his mistakes and understands that he can't change the past. This is implied by the images of things such as a sign saying 'House of Cash Museum - Closed to the public' which, in a way, is symbolic of his life coming to an end. Cash knew he was nearing the end of his life, as he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, Shy-Drager syndrome, a form of Parkinson's. The diagnosis was later altered to autonomic neuropathy, associated with diabetes. He later suffered pneumonia, which damaged his lungs, and meant that he couldn't tour.
The imagery in the video has a certain level of spirituality, reflecting Cash's spiritual side, illustrated by his quote - "The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has." Another thing that shows his spiritual side is that Cash spoke of meeting his older brother, who died tragically in 1944, in heaven. Religious thoughts are implied through lyrics in the video such as "I wear this crown of thorns, upon my liar's chair". Although the lyrics weren't written by Johnny Cash himself, it is obvious that he is attaching his own meaning to them and making them apply to him. There is a definite air of regret in the video, which isn't present in the original version- where the singer from Nine Inch Nails implies the idea that if people got hurt by him, it was their own fault. This is shown by things such as the clips of films that he has been in, in the past, which also add a sense of finality. This implies that although he is regretful, he is looking back on the positive things that happened in his life instead of just focusing on the bad. When he sings "everyone I love, goes away in the end", the camera zooms in to a picture on the wall of his late wife, June Carter, showing his love for her. Also, when he is sat alone at the table, surrounded by champagne and food he seems lonely, and is looking away from the camera as though he has a lot on his mind, just before tipping an entire glass of red wine over the table.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvJKVKglIRs&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSWTgLvxPYc&feature=fvsr

Hurt lyrics

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything

What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here

What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way