Hurt Johnny Cash Guitar Lesson (Just Like The Record)

Here’s a haunting song with an interesting backstory.

Originally performed by the Nine Inch Nails, producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin convinced Johnny Cash to do a cover, which catapulted the song to major fame.

In this post, I’ll be covering the guitar played on Johnny Cash’s legendary recording.

So tune up, and let’s get started with this Hurt Johnny Cash guitar lesson!  

Who wrote Hurt?

"Hurt" was originally written and recorded by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (NIN). They released it on their second studio album, The Downward Spiral, in 1994.

Here’s more of the backstory…

Trent Reznor wrote "Hurt" as the closing track for The Downward Spiral. It was recorded in 1993 at Le Pig, Trent Reznor's home studio in Beverly Hills, California. The studio was famously located in the house where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969. Reznor rented the house to work on the album, adding an eerie layer to the song’s historical context. The lyrics describe a deep emotional pain and a sense of hopelessness, even tapping into self-harm and existential angst.  

In 2002, Johnny Cash created a cover that further brought the song into the spotlight.

Johnny Cash’s cover was for his album American IV: The Man Comes Around. This record was produced by Rick Rubin, and released in 2002.  

Cash's version of the song brought a new depth of meaning to the lyrics, especially given Cash's frail health and reflective state towards the end of his life. Reznor initially had reservations about the cover but was ultimately moved by Cash's rendition. 

A commenter on YouTube (@wowanimejoshua5149) said: 

“Johnny sounded like he accepted the fact that he was going to die. Trent sounds like he doesn't want to die”

Hurt Music Video

The music video for Cash's version of "Hurt" was directed by Mark Romanek and is widely regarded as one of the most poignant and powerful music videos ever made. It features scenes of Cash at his home and museum, collaged with footage from his earlier life and career. 

Is Hurt by Johnny Cash easy to learn on guitar?

The main riff to “Hurt” is relatively easy to play on guitar. You’ll just need to know 3 open position chords Am, C, and Dsus2, along with a little picking pattern. From there, playing the rest of the song is going to require a solid intermediate level of guitar skill.

What tuning is Hurt by Johnny Cash in?

The guitar tuning for “Hurt” as recorded by Johnny Cash is in standard tuning.

This means the strings are tuned to E-A-D-G-B-E from the lowest-pitched string (thickest string) to the highest-pitched string (thinnest string). 

Here's a breakdown of each string in standard tuning:

• 6th String (Low E): This is the thickest string and is tuned to E. When played open (without pressing any frets), it produces the lowest pitch in standard tuning.
• 5th String (A): Tuned to A. It is the second thickest string and is higher in pitch than the Low E string.
• 4th String (D): Tuned to D. It is the third thickest string and produces a pitch higher than both the Low E and A strings.
• 3rd String (G): Tuned to G. It is the fourth thickest string and is higher in pitch than the Low E, A, and D strings.
• 2nd String (B): Tuned to B. It is the second thinnest string and produces a pitch higher than the Low E, A, D, and G strings.
• 1st String (High E): This is the thinnest string and is tuned to E, producing the highest pitch in standard tuning.

Hurt Johnny Cash Guitar Chords

To play Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” you’ll need to know these 6 chords Am, C, Dsus2, G, Am7, and Fadd9. Let’s take a look out some ways of playing these chords on the fretboard.

Am is played from the 5th string down like this:

To get to C from Am, all you have to do is move one finger. Again, for this chord, we’ll play from the 5th string down like this:

Dsus2 is played in second position. This shape looks like a very typical D chord however, we’ll make the first string open. This adds the note E which is in place of the F# in a normal d major chord. This is the 2nd note of the scale, that’s why it’s called a “sus2” chord.

I play the G using a folk-style fingering, (see the video above for more on this):

Am7 is just like the first Am chord but with your pinky finger added to the 3rd fret on the 1st string like this:

And finally, we have an Fadd9, for this one we’ll play just the top 4 strings like this:

Now that you have the chords down let’s next take a look at the iconic intro riff. The progression is just 2 bars long. It starts with a bar of Am, then moves to a split-bar that contains C, and Dadd9 like this:

| Am | C Dsus2 |

4 beats on Am. Then 2 beats on C, followed by 2 beats on Dsus2. From there, try blending some arpeggio picking and strumming together like this:  

What key is Hurt played in?

“Hurt” as recorded by Johnny Cash is in the key of Am. All the chords fall into the diatonic scale of A natural minor. The only exception might be the Dadd9 chord, however, in the guitar voicing there is no major 3rd. Because of this lack of the note F# being played in that chord, it has more of a modal sound. 

Conclusion:

To wrap it up, "Hurt" stands as a powerful anthem impacting generations. It transcends genres through its haunting melody and deep lyrics. Originally written by Trent Reznor of the Nine Inch Nails, the song found a new life and a new audience in Johnny Cash's iconic cover, produced by Rick Rubin. 

For guitarists, learning "Hurt" by Johnny Cash offers an opportunity to dive into a song that blends simplicity with emotional depth. 

Keep practicing, and by the way, if you want to learn songs way faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years going in circles with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide here right now:

Jon MacLennan