Guess Things Happen That Way


"Guess Things Happen That Way" is a 1958 cross over single by Johnny Cash, which was written by Jack Clement. The single was Johnny Cash's fourth number one on the country chart spending eight weeks at number one and a total of twenty-four weeks on the chart.
The B-side of "Guess Things Happen That Way", a song entitled, "Come In Stranger" made it to number six on the country chart. The single also crossed over to the pop chart, peaking at number eleven.

Content

The song is about a man struggling after the love of his life has left him.

Critical reception

As Allmusic describes it, the song "featured an arrangement dominated by piano and a vocal chorus adding distinctive 'ba-doo's throughout ...slicker than, say, "Cry! Cry! Cry!" or "I Walk the Line" an eccentric tone all its own — largely because the vocal chorus is in such stark contrast to Cash's lead vocal."
The song was banned by the BBC upon its 1958 release when the head of religious broadcasting objected to the lines "God gave me that girl to lean on, / Then he put me on my own. / Heaven help me be a man / And have the strength to stand alone."

Chart performance

Covers