Papa Was a Good Man

"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum.^[2]

"Papa Was a Good Man"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album A Thing Called Love
A-side	"Papa Was a Good Man" "I Promise You"
Released	1971 (1971)
Genre	country
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Hal Bynum[1]
Producer	Larry Butler[1]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Singing in Viet Nam Talking Blues" (1971) "Papa Was a Good Man" (1971) "A Thing Called Love" (1971)
Audio
"Papa Was a Good Man" on YouTube

Released in September 1971^[3][4] as a single (Columbia 4-45460, with "I Promise You" on the opposite side) by Johnny Cash,^[2][5] the song reached #16 on U.S. Billboard's country chart^[6] and #104 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100.^[6]

Both "I Promise You" (which is "a promise of devotion to June")^[2] and "Papa Was a Good Man" are part of Johnny Cash's 1972 album A Thing Called Love.

Analysis

"Papa" is told from the perspective of a son whose father is struggling with alcoholism. It was the lowest charting of the three releases from the album, peaking at #16 Country and #104 Pop. It featured additional vocals from the choir of the Evangel Temple, the Nashville church Cash was now attending, pushing the song close to the point of overproduction.

— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black^[2]

Track listing

7" single (Columbia 4-45460,^[1] 1971)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Papa Was a Good Man"	H. Bynum	2:35
2.	"I Promise You"	J. Cash	2:58

Charts

Chart (1971)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[7]	104[6]
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8]	18