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"Cocaine Blues" is a song written by TJ Arnall, a reworking of the traditional song "Little Sadie". This song was originally recorded by Roy Hogsed around the time Johnny Cash was born as well as by Woody Guthrie, but Cash made the song famous.

The song is the tale of a man who shoots his wife to death while under the influence of whiskey and cocaine.

Cash famously performed the song at his Folsom Prison concert, an event also portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the Cash biographical film Walk the Line. The film version, edited down to make it shorter, fades into the next scene before the line "I can't forget the day I shot that bad bitch down" is sung. The DVD specials include an extended version of the song with the bitter lyric, and the full, unedited version (apparently a different "take") is found on the soundtrack CD.

The song is also featured on Johnny Cash's Columbia album, "Now, There Was a Song!" under the title "Transfusion Blues" substituting the line "took a shot of cocaine" with "took a tranfusion" along with some other minor lyrical changes.

Aside from Johnny Cash, other artists have recorded "Cocaine Blues," including Merle Travis, Hank Thompson, Hank III, and George Thorogood. In addition, another song of the same title (sometimes called simply "Cocaine") was written and recorded by Luke Jordan during the late 1920s. This song was also recorded by white bluesman Dick Justice - lyrics are here: http://www.cocaine.org/cocaine.htm.

Yet another version of "Cocaine Blues" exists, arguably the most recorded by various artists, it is recognizable for the refrain "Cocaine run all 'round my brain" and the lyric "Cocaine's for horses and it's not for men/They tell me it'll kill me but they won't say when." The Rev. Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Jackson Browne & Keith Richards among many others, have recorded this song. Found on his Live at the Old Quarter album, Townes Van Zandt's version features a slightly different refrain, but still has the "horses" line. This song originates from Rev. Gary Davis, who Dave Van Ronk and others learnt the song from. Interestingly, the only recorded version from Rev. Gary Davis, recorded in later years is an instrumental.

The Hank Thompson version of the song appears on the soundtrack to the 2006 video game, Scarface: The World is Yours.

• List of songs about drugs

• Covers and Permutations

Johnny Cash

Studio albums With His Hot and Blue Guitar | Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous | The Fabulous Johnny Cash | Greatest! | Hymns by Johnny Cash | Songs of Our Soil | Sings Hank Williams | Ride This Train | Now, There Was a Song! | Now Here's Johnny Cash | The Lure of the Grand Canyon | Hymns from the Heart | The Sound of Johnny Cash | All Aboard the Blue Train | Blood, Sweat and Tears | Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash | The Christmas Spirit | I Walk the Line | Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian | Orange Blossom Special | Sings the Ballads of the True West | Everybody Loves a Nut | Happiness is You | Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter | From Sea to Shining Sea | Old Golden Throat | Heart of Cash | The Holy Land | More of Old Golden Throat | Hello, I'm Johnny Cash | Man in Black | A Thing Called Love | America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song | The Johnny Cash Family Christmas | Any Old Wind That Blows | Johnny Cash and His Woman | Ragged Old Flag | Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me | The Johnny Cash Children's Album | Sings Precious Memories | John R. Cash | Look at Them Beans | One Piece at a Time | The Last Gunfighter Ballad | The Rambler | I Would Like to See You Again | Gone Girl | Silver | A Believer Sings the Truth | Rockabilly Blues | Classic Christmas | The Baron | The Adventures of Johnny Cash | Johnny 99 | Highwayman | Rainbow | Believe in Him | Heroes | Class of '55 | Johnny Cash is Coming to Town | Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series | Water from the Wells of Home | Boom Chicka Boom | Highwayman 2 | The Mystery of Life | American Recordings | The Road Goes on Forever | Unchained | American III: Solitary Man | American IV: The Man Comes Around | American V: A Hundred Highways | American VI Live albums At Folsom Prison | At San Quentin | The Johnny Cash Show | På Österåker | Strawberry Cake | The Survivors Live | VH1 Storytellers | At Madison Square Garden Soundtrack albums I Walk the Line | Little Fauss and Big Halsy | The Gospel Road | Return to the Promised Land Compilation albums Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 | The World of Johnny Cash | Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | International Superstar | Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 | The Unissued Johnny Cash | Johnny & June | Tall Man | Encore | Love, God and Murder | The Essential Johnny Cash | Unearthed | The Legend | The Legend of Johnny Cash | Personal File | The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II Songs "25 Minutes to Go" | "A Boy Named Sue" | "Cat's in the Cradle" | "Cocaine Blues" | "Cry Cry Cry" | "Dark as a Dungeon" | "Engine 143" | "Folsom Prison Blues" | "Get Rhythm" | "Goodnight, Irene" | "Green Green Grass of Home" | "Greystone Chapel" | "Hey Porter" | "Home of the Blues" | "Hurt" | "I Walk the Line" | "In My Life" | "It Ain't Me Babe" | "Jackson" | "Like the 309" | "The Man Comes Around" | "One Piece at a Time" | "The One on the Right is on the Left" | "Remember the Alamo" | "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" | "Ring of Fire" | "What'd I Say" Family June Carter Cash | John Carter Cash | Rosanne Cash | Carlene Carter | Vivian Liberto | Tommy Cash | Carter Family Related articles Sun Records | Columbia Records | Mercury Records | American Recordings | Legacy Recordings | Lost Highway Records | Sam Phillips | Jack Clement | Rick Rubin | Carl Perkins | Jerry Lee Lewis | The Highwaymen | Waylon Jennings | Kris Kristofferson | Willie Nelson | Folsom Prison | San Quentin State Prison | Outlaw country | Tennessee Three | Shel Silverstein | Walk the Line | Man in Black | Cash: The Autobiography