Dark as a Dungeon - Wikipedia Dark as a Dungeon This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2011 ) `` Dark as a Dungeon '' Song by Merle Travis Released 1946 ( 1946 ) Songwriter ( s ) Merle Travis `` Dark as a Dungeon '' is a song written by singer - songwriter Merle Travis. It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in a shaft mine. It has become a rallying song among miners seeking improved working conditions. The song achieved much of its fame when it was performed by Johnny Cash in his Folsom Prison concert ( At Folsom Prison ). During this live performance, one of the prisoners in the background was laughing, and Cash started to chuckle. He gently admonished the man, `` No laughing during the song, please ! '' The man yelled something about `` Hell ! '' and Cash answered, `` I know, ' hell ' ! '' When he finished the song, Cash made a comment that was largely repeated, somewhat out of context, by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2005 film Walk the Line : `` I just wanted to tell you that this show is being recorded for an album released on Columbia Records, so you ca n't say ' hell ' or ' shit ' or anything like that. '' Recorded versions This section may contain indiscriminate, excessive, or irrelevant examples. Please improve the article by adding more descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples. See Wikipedia 's guide to writing better articles for further suggestions. ( September 2017 ) Merle Travis on Folk Songs of the Hills, 1946 Cisco Houston, Early 1950s Tennessee Ernie Ford, ( 1955 ) Harry Belafonte on `` The Many Moods of Belafonte '' ( 1962 ) Grandpa Jones, 1963 Wolfe Tones on `` Foggy Dew '' - as `` Down in the Mines '' ( 1965 ) The Twiliters on `` In Concert '' ( 1966 ) Johnny Cash on `` At Folsom Prison '' ( 1968 ) Merle Travis with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on Will the Circle Be Unbroken ( 1972 ) Peter Grudzien on The Garden Of Love Dolly Parton on 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs ( 1980 ) The Weavers on Together Again ( 1980 ) The Spinners on In our Liverpool Home as `` Lure of the Mines '' ( 1983 ) Patrick Sky, 1985 Wall of Voodoo on Seven Days in Sammystown ( 1985 ) The Seldom Scene with Charlie Waller on 15th Anniversary Celebration ( 1988 ) Frank Tovey on Tyranny and the Hired Hand ( 1989 ) Souled American on Sonny ( 1992 ) The Chieftains with Vince Gill on Down the Old Plank Road : The Nashville Sessions ( 2002 ) Marley 's Ghost on Ghost Country ( 1996 ) Queens of the Stone Age, 2005 Mark Linkous ( recording as Sparklehorse ) MOJO Magazine Tribute CD to Johnny Cash ( 2006 ) Charlie Louvin on Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs ( 2008 ) Kathy Mattea on Coal ( 2008 ) Willie Nelson on Country Music ( 2010 ) Amy Grant on the Lee C. Camp & Friends specialty album, Tokens 9 : `` Back to Green '' ( 2010 ) Maddox Brothers and Rose 1950 John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats on The Front Porch Sessions ( The Front Porch Festival, 2012 ) Slobberbone recorded a version of Dark as a dungeon in 1998 on the Your excuse EP The Journeymen on Coming Attraction - Live ( 1962 ) The rebel Krot - 2014 Fret ! on the `` Killing Nico EP '' ( 2016 ) John Cowan ( 2000 ) Self - titled CD for Sugar Hill Records John Mellencamp ( 2017 ) Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio ( 2017 ) on Singin ' Published versions Rise Up Singing page 145 References Jump up ^ Gross, Jason ( November 18, 2008 ). `` Prisoners Are the Best Audience : The Challenge of ' At Folsom Prison ' ''. PopMatters. Retrieved January 2, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Queens of the Stone Age - Dark as a Dungeon ( Johnny Cash cover / Portland, 2005 ) ''. youtube.com. Retrieved 2011 - 02 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Dark As a Dungeon - Amy Grant : Lee C. Camp and Friends : MP3 Downloads ''. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011 - 01 - 01. Jump up ^ Reed, Ryan ( June 28, 2017 ). `` Hear John Mellencamp 's Reverent ' Dark as a Dungeon ' for Coal Mining Doc ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 29, 2017. Johnny Cash Studio albums With His Hot and Blue Guitar Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous The Fabulous Johnny Cash Greatest ! Songs of Our Soil Sings Hank Williams Now, There Was a Song ! Now Here 's Johnny Cash The Sound of Johnny Cash All Aboard the Blue Train Ring of Fire : The Best of Johnny Cash The Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash I Walk the Line Orange Blossom Special Everybody Loves a Nut Happiness Is You Old Golden Throat More of Old Golden Throat Hello, I 'm Johnny Cash The World of Johnny Cash Man in Black A Thing Called Love Any Old Wind That Blows Ragged Old Flag The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me John R. Cash Look at Them Beans One Piece at a Time The Last Gunfighter Ballad I Would Like to See You Again Gone Girl Silver Rockabilly Blues The Baron The Adventures of Johnny Cash Johnny 99 Rainbow Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town Classic Cash : Hall of Fame Series Water from the Wells of Home Boom Chicka Boom The Mystery of Life American Recordings Unchained American III : Solitary Man American IV : The Man Comes Around Personal File American V : A Hundred Highways American VI : Ai n't No Grave Out Among the Stars Concept albums Ride This Train Blood, Sweat and Tears Bitter Tears : Ballads of the American Indian Sings the Ballads of the True West From Sea to Shining Sea America : A 200 - Year Salute in Story and Song The Johnny Cash Children 's Album The Rambler Gospel albums Hymns by Johnny Cash Hymns from the Heart The Holy Land The Gospel Road Sings Precious Memories A Believer Sings the Truth Believe in Him Return to the Promised Land My Mother 's Hymn Book Christmas albums The Christmas Spirit The Johnny Cash Family Christmas Classic Christmas Johnny Cash Country Christmas Collaborations The Lure of the Grand Canyon Carryin ' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter Johnny Cash and His Woman The Legend of Jesse James Million Dollar Quartet The Survivors Live Highwayman Class of ' 55 Heroes Highwayman 2 The Road Goes on Forever VH1 Storytellers Live albums At Folsom Prison At San Quentin The Johnny Cash Show På Österåker Strawberry Cake Koncert v Praze ( In Prague -- Live ) At Madison Square Garden A Concert Behind Prison Walls Non-gospel soundtracks I Walk the Line Little Fauss and Big Halsy Compilations Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Heart of Cash Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Sunday Morning Coming Down International Superstar Five Feet High and Rising Destination Victoria Station Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 The Unissued Johnny Cash Johnny & June Tall Man Encore Biggest Hits The Man in Black 1954 -- 1958 The Man in Black 1959 -- 1962 Come Along and Ride This Train The Essential Johnny Cash ( 1992 ) Wanted Man The Man in Black 1963 -- 1969 The Man in Black -- His Greatest Hits 16 Biggest Hits Love, God, Murder The Essential Johnny Cash ( 2002 ) Unearthed The Legend The Legend of Johnny Cash Johnny Cash : Patriot 16 Biggest Hits : Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II The Complete Columbia Album Collection Songs `` 25 Minutes to Go '' `` Seasons of My Heart '' `` Any Old Wind That Blows '' `` A Wonderful Time Up There '' `` The Ballad of Boot Hill '' `` The Ballad of Ira Hayes '' `` Ballad of a Teenage Queen '' `` Big River '' `` Blistered '' `` A Boy Named Sue '' `` Busted '' `` Cat 's in the Cradle '' `` Cocaine Blues '' `` Cry ! Cry ! Cry ! '' `` Daddy Sang Bass '' `` Dark as a Dungeon '' `` Do n't Take Your Guns to Town '' `` Engine 143 '' `` Flesh and Blood '' `` The Folk Singer '' `` Folsom Prison Blues '' `` Forty Shades of Green '' `` Get Rhythm '' `` Give My Love to Rose '' `` Goodnight, Irene '' `` Green, Green Grass of Home '' `` Greystone Chapel '' `` Guess Things Happen That Way '' `` Hey, Porter '' `` Home of the Blues '' `` Hurt '' `` I Could n't Keep from Crying '' `` I Love You Because '' `` I Still Miss Someone '' `` I Walk the Line '' `` If I Had a Hammer '' `` If I Were a Carpenter '' `` In My Life '' `` In the Jailhouse Now '' `` It Ai n't Me Babe '' `` Jackson '' `` Kate '' `` The Man Comes Around '' `` Man in Black '' `` The Matador '' `` Oh Lonesome Me '' `` One Piece at a Time '' `` Oney '' `` Orange Blossom Special '' `` The One on the Right Is on the Left '' `` Remember the Alamo '' `` ( Ghost ) Riders in the Sky '' `` Ring of Fire '' `` Rock Island Line '' `` So Doggone Lonesome '' `` Sunday Mornin ' Comin ' Down '' `` Tennessee Flat Top Box '' `` There Ai n't No Good Chain Gang '' `` A Thing Called Love '' `` Understand Your Man '' `` What Is Truth '' `` What 'd I Say '' Television The Johnny Cash Show Family June Carter Cash John Carter Cash Rosanne Cash Carlene Carter Tommy Cash Carter Family Related Albums discography Singles discography Sun Records discography The Highwaymen Carter Family Fold Man in Black : His Own Story in His Own Words Cash : The Autobiography Johnny Cash ! The Man, His World, His Music Walk the Line We Walk the Line : A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash Ring of Fire ( 2013 film ) Ring of Fire ( musical ) My Father and the Man in Black Forever Words Dyess, Arkansas The Tennessee Three Book Tennessee Ernie Ford Albums Hymns ( 1956 ) Ernie Sings & Glen Picks ( 1975 ) Singles `` Mule Train '' `` The Shotgun Boogie '' `` The Ballad of Davy Crockett '' `` Sixteen Tons '' `` You Do n't Have to Be a Baby to Cry '' `` Dark as a Dungeon '' This 1940s country song - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dark_as_a_Dungeon&oldid=820319205 '' Categories : Johnny Cash songs Merle Travis songs Songs written by Merle Travis Works about mining 1940s country song stubs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from January 2011 All articles needing additional references Articles with too many examples All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 14 January 2018, at 04 : 27. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the song dark as a dungeon
Answer: Merle Travis