Within the song's lyrics, Cash reflects upon his life, wondering about what he should have done, and if he made the right decisions throughout his life. Through the lyrics "The needle tears a hole, The old familiar sting, Try to kill it all away, But I remember everything" means that he realizes what he has done, and no matter how much he tries to forge, he knows that the regret will always be there. Just as with Cash, Barth can never forget how shallow and uncaring he was, and it will burn a hole in him, and all his clones, for the rest of their lives.
A second set of lyrics that I think really connects with the story is the set " Beneath the stains of time,the feelings disappear, you are someone else, I am still right here." This set of lyrics means that though life has continued to go on, he has stayed the same man, and not a good one. The people that he love have moved on with their lives, and Cash regrets that he didn't move along with them. This relates because the only thing that Barth seems to love int the story, other than himself, is a girl named Lynette. But by the end of the story, he regrets what he keeps doing to her, and that he keeps her back as she tries to move on with her life.
The final part of the song that I think connects with the story is within the chorus "what have I become, my sweetest friend, everyone I know, goes away, In the end." This relates extremely well with the ending of the story in my opinion. Cash realizes that he is not sure of who he is anymore, and realizes that he is alone in the end. Barth, after 2 years on the farm, is in the same position, when the clone of himself comes, he questions what he becomes, and knows that in the end, no one will be there for him."Hurt" - Johnny Cash
Bibliography:
Cash, Johnny. "Hurt." American IV: The Man Comes Around. Universal Music, 2003. CD.*
Author N/A. Regret. Muncie Voice, 2012. 2012.
*This is the citing of the formal album of the song, not the web page upon which it was linked.
