You must know the “man in black” if you’re a ’90s kid. And if so, you may have had your fan-girl moment with one of the most recognizable musicians of your time. The Man in Black, or simply, Johnny Cash was in the spotlight for a number of reasons other than his incredible bass baritone voice and feisty personality. he was the king of genres like country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk and gospel. although most of his songs contained some special theme of sadness or redemption, any concert of his began with his characteristic theme, folsom prison blues. he often introduced himself with a simple “hello, i’m johnny cash”.
Moving forward from his reminiscences, there have been millions of fans who have been under his spell and just to honor the legend, they have gone so far as to have his portrait tattooed on their skin. If you are also a tattoo enthusiast and aware of everything that is effective, then I think this list is quite appropriate for you to take a look at. We’ve compiled over 60 tattoo designs inspired by Johnny Cash so you can travel back in time and remember what it was like to see him perform.
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chest tattoo
The chest is one of the places where any tattoo would look amazing. describe how close and meaningful the tattoo is to you.
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tattoo of cash inside the head
this is a pretty creative design with a full body image of johnny cash inside his own head. that’s a pretty unique design to put on your skin.
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wallet full of money tattoo
once again, a very clever design. it’s related to his last name, which is cash, so he’s inside a bag full of cash. the mind behind this tattoo is quite creative i must say.
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shadow cash tattoo
Shadow tattoos look amazing and classic. the user has added an autograph along with the design.
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amazing cash tattoo
This shaded tattoo makes it realistic. the shading done here is amazing and makes the tattoo look very realistic.
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black ink tattoo
This tattoo is entirely done with black ink. if you look closely you will see that the man’s face is very intricate. you can even notice the fine lines that have been accentuated.
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johnny cash themed tattoo
this one is for the crazy fans who claim to be the number one fan of cash. the entire back is filled with the johnny cash design. only black and white ink is used, which gives it a classic look.
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cash smoking tattoo
This portrait of cash on the back of the arm is very real.
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ring of fire tattoo
The tattoo is inspired by his song “ring of fire” which was a rock and roll hit at the time. Interestingly, the song’s lyrics were co-written by his second wife, June.
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the man with the black tattoo
Inspired by the protest song, the man in black, this tattoo is a great piece. he was named the man in black for a very specific reason which was that he always wore black clothes. black clothing was his way of protesting global problems such as the vietnam war and racial and gender inequality.
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piercing eye tattoo
you can look at johnny sitting in the chair and his piercing eyes looking right into your soul.
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autograph tattoo
A simple autographed tattoo is great for someone who has a crush on the artist. Even if you don’t know him in real life, that shouldn’t be the reason you don’t get an autograph.
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zombie-themed tattoo
here, cash transforms into a zombie. the two crossed bones below his zombie-green head signify something deadly, as does the popular skull pattern.
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fantastic johnny cash tattoo
This tattoo shows their expressions very vividly. it’s a great design.
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johnny with guitar tattoo
It’s a very somber looking tattoo and the mn is dressed in black again. therefore, the black color is very dominant in this tattoo.
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thinking about johnny’s tattoo
it appears that the artist is in deep thought mode. he was probably thinking about the lyrics of his next song…. or who knows deep existential crisis!
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close-up tattoo
This image has a close up of him and a full body design. quite a convincing pattern.
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fingertip tattoo
it sounds like johnny is making someone understand something in a very authoritative way.
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simple johnny tattoo
I will say that this design is quite simple. for those who do not like anything boisterous, this design will suit them better. however, those who like something interesting with their design, this is probably not for them.
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deep thinker johnny tattoo
once again, johnny is deep in thought. I like how in the middle of the black background his signature is done in white ink.
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the tattoo
this is johnny with a background in las vegas. it represents his stardom and popularity that led him to reach such heights in his career.
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fabulous tattoo
The artist has worked hard on this tattoo design as it looks very real. you can add some more elements if you don’t want something so simple for yourself.
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tattoo of johnny winking an eye
this is a tattoo of johnny winking smoking a cigarette. the artist must have some spark, right?
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abstract johnny cash tattoo
Abstract art is very much in fashion, so why not try applying it to your johnny cash tattoo as well? I think it will not only make your design unique but also make your tattoo look quite trendy.
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color portrait tattoo
This color portrait of johnny is quite well done, although it does look a bit cartoon-like and is probably due to the vibrant colors that have been added.
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haunted johnny tattoo
To be honest, this tattoo is pretty scary. His eyes make him look a bit possessed by some demons. overall i think it’s a great design and very fine workmanship.
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adding rose tattoo
johnny cash’s tattoo can be added with certain elements that have nothing to do with him. Since it is your tattoo design, you can add something that means something to you. here, the user has added some roses, which is probably a method of paying tribute to him or simply because he likes roses.
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bold johnny tattoo
The tattoo is quite bold in its appearance. looks great on the arm.
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creative johnny tattoo
The addition of some colors makes the tattoo look quite real. in fact, the fine lines on his face are amazing and give an idea of what he really looked like. it’s probably a later time picture of her.
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cash in a box tattoo
This tattoo is cemented in a black box with “cash” written in white ink.
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johnny’s monotone tattoo
The entire design is done in a monotone color that looks amazing.
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jack daniels tattoo
the tattoo is added with a bottle of jack daniels and a paper where you can clearly see some letters of man in black. if you have noticed, you will see that the objects are made in a darker color while his own portrait is in a lighter tone.
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singing johnny tattoo
This tattoo is added with a microphone which is probably one of his favorite things that got him into the world of stage and concert. a microphone is obviously a symbol of an artist’s career.
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fantastic johnny tattoo
this is a great johnny tattoo design. It can be done on both the arm and the legs, which I think is the second great placement option.
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johnny skull tattoo
the cash portrait is replaced with a skull which is quite charming. the sudden twist in the portrait is quite attractive for someone looking for some gothic elements to the design.
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grim looking tattoo
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quote tattoo
this is taken from one of johnny’s popular songs, happiness is you. you can add other lyrics instead of this one that you like, or probably your favorite cash song. here are some suggestions:
- listen to your heart.
- you build on failure.
- there is no cure for life.
- close the door to the past.
- I’m very excited about life.
- We don’t let it hit the ground.
- I don’t give up because… no I don’t believe in that.
- the best way to say anything is to just say it.
- because you’re mine, I walk the line.
- life and love go on. let the music play.
- you can choose love or hate… I choose love.
- for you, I know I would even try to turn the tide.
- my arms are too short to box god.
- keep driving, it don’t mean a thing, keep driving.
- there’s always rhythm on my mind.
- keep the ends out for the tie that ties them together.
- at my door, the leaves are falling.
- get rhythm when you got the blues.
- la beast in me is caged by brittle and brittle bars.
- there is no fence to sit between heaven and hell.
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tattoo on top of back
You can get a shaded tattoo on your upper back.
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full arm tattoo
It looks like this tattoo is done with a pencil shading effect. it’s very elaborate.
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forearm tattoo
The tattoo on the forearm looks amazing.
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half skull tattoo
this is a half skull and half human face that johnny tattoo has put on. it’s quite creative. you can get a half skull tattoo or even a full skull tattoo as shown in one of the images above.
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black and white design
black and white inks are always classic.
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color background tattoo
once again a half skull design. this has been added with a full body shot of him with his guitar.
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johnny cash tattoo
This image of johnny with his drink looks very realistic. bold black ink makes it look cool.
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dot tattoo
You can see that the dot work on the tattoo works wonderfully to give the tattoo design some texture. dot work tattoos are quite popular these days and now we know why!
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old looking tattoo
the type of thirst for ink makes the whole design look quite classic and old. The entire leg is done in a johnny cash theme and it looks fabulous. there are many elements related to the musician that has been added.
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song lyrics tattoo
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guitar tattoo
This is a simple looking cash tattoo with a guitar and your name on the wearer’s shoulder.
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tattoo on the front of the arm
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lyrical tattoo
this is a cool tattoo design for those who really understand what this means. well the inspiration behind this tattoo is a cash song called ain’t no serious. so ok, adding a royal tomb is great.
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line and cross tattoo
This tattoo is made entirely of some criss-cross lines, which is very lovely. the design is completely creative and gives the portrait a serious look.
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hand tattoo
Tattoos on the hands are quite exclusive. I think that’s where the tattoos are quite visible and I like how his “effective” name is creatively written on his knuckles.
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johnny cash shadow tattoo
The shadow tattoo brings a kind of mystery to the whole design.
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cash money tattoo
Although this tattoo looks quite somber, the beautiful colors that have been used not only make the image look real, but also really pop on the skin.
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johnny’s unique tattoo
This piece is quite unique. you can notice geometric shapes on it along with different colors in unexpected places. the portrait is done with mostly pink tones, which gives it a rather retro feel.
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pencil drawing tattoo
The pencil sketch looks amazing when the tattoo is in the form of a portrait.
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miley cyrus
miley cyrus got a new tattoo in 2014 that was quite a bit lighter in color compared to her other inks. The tattoo read: “I’m in your corner”, which was said by Johnny Cash with his signature below the words. Interestingly, the line is not taken from his famous songs, but from a letter he sent to Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, in 1992, when his song “Achy Breaky Heart” topped the charts. He wrote: “Thirty-six years ago, I was working with Elvis and saw him take the same kind of criticism that you are taking now. congratulations on the way you’re handling it all. In your case, as in Elvis’s, the good outweighs the bad. let them have it. I’m in your corner.”
billy has the letter framed on his wall and that’s probably where miley got her inspiration from. miley hasn’t really gone to any platform to talk about this tattoo however billy mentioned the lyrics once in a video :
“johnny cash wrote me the letter that I carry in the music video [“thin line”]. He wrote it to me in June 1992. In a way, he wrote it at a time when I was going through the storm of my life. getting that letter from johnny cash, and he ends it with ‘let them take it, i’m on your side’. knowing that johnny cash was on my side, frankly, that was my rock. not only was it the cornerstone of that period of my life, but in a way it became the cornerstone of the rock that I stand on now.”
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