The song is bad ass and it has connective tissue to Arkansas State

In 2011, Arkansas State University purchased the boyhood home of country music legend Johnny Cash. The university spearheaded the home’s much needed restoration, earning an award from The Historic Preservation Alliance in 2013. Today, you can travel to Dyess (about 50 miles from Jonesboro) the breathe the Delta air that once filled the lungs of Johnny Cash.

According to the museum’s website, Johnny Cash’s “music was greatly influenced by his experiences in Dyess, including such songs as “Pickin’ Time” and “Five Feet High and Rising.”” That Arkansas State chose to take on the preservation of such a historic site for American culture is a vastly underrated aspect of A-State’s contribution to our social fabric.

So yeah, “Ring of Fire” is an appropriate sing-along-song for Red Wolves fans – for the reason stated above and for the mere fact that the song is bad ass in its vicious melancholy. It is a tune earmarked for the darkest karaoke singer – for one whose mood is perhaps a shade cheerier than one who would select Kenny Rogers’ “Ruby.” To sing “Ring of Fire” in mass unifies the stadium by sending a harmonic message to the opposing team – you, poor sirs, are about to go through hell.

It burns, burns, burst, the ring of fire.

Photo Credit: legendary music photographer Jim Marshall. The story behind the iconic photo is fascinating.