title: Port of Lonely Hearts
text: # Port of Lonely Hearts
  
  "Port of Lonely Hearts" is a song written and originally recorded by Johnny Cash.
  
  The song was recorded by Cash at Sun Records in 1955. Sun released it as a single (Sun 347, with "Mean-Eyed Cat" on the opposite side) in October 1960 when Cash had already left the label for Columbia.
  
  ## Composition and background
  
  According to C. Eric Banister's Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black,
  
     "Port of Lonely Hearts" [...] offered an early glimpse at Cash's willingness to experiment with his sound by overdubbing a second vocal line, providing harmony as well as a call-and-response part. “Port of Lonely Hearts,” like several other songs from early sessions, would later be released after Cash had made his move to Columbia.
     Cash also recorded a few songs about boats as a means of escape. Initially, in "Port of Lonely Hearts," the narrator is dejectedly waiting for his ship to come in, preferably with a girl on board. He's determined to wait as long as it takes for love to arrive so he can leave the port of lonely hearts with the one he loves.
  