I think Johnny Cash's delivery gives this song a slightly menacing/ambiguous edge. It's almost like the narrator knows deep down he's going to succumb to temptation, and he's working very hard to repress this fear by being overly emphatic about how easy it is for him to behave well. I know next to nothing about JC's marriages but I can't help wondering if he was giving it this ambiguous feel on purpose, singing in character; that is, Johnny Cash the man was aware of the self-delusion of Johnny Cash the song's narrator. If so it's one of those songs where the tone slyly subverts the meaning of the lyrics (see also "Don't Think Twice it's Alright", "Just one of Those Things").
I think Johnny Cash's delivery gives this song a slightly menacing/ambiguous edge. It's almost like the narrator knows deep down he's going to succumb to temptation, and he's working very hard to repress this fear by being overly emphatic about how easy it is for him to behave well. I know next to nothing about JC's marriages but I can't help wondering if he was giving it this ambiguous feel on purpose, singing in character; that is, Johnny Cash the man was aware of the self-delusion of Johnny Cash the song's narrator. If so it's one of those songs where the tone slyly subverts the meaning of the lyrics (see also "Don't Think Twice it's Alright", "Just one of Those Things").