CRAZY (But True) Country Music Tales: Johnny Cash vs The Ostrich
Johnny Cash lived a wild life indeed. Ever watch "Walk The Line"?
But by 1981, The Man in Black had settled down and was living a quiet life at his ranch just outside Hendersonville, Tennessee. Johnny had been through it all by this point in his career, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, could have prepared him for an ostrich named Waldo.
The Day Waldo The Ostrich Nearly Killed The Man In Black
Johnny had already been having issues with Waldo. You see, Waldo wasn't your average Ostrich. Ever play the game "Angry Birds"? Well, Waldo was most definitely an ANGRY BIRD. Territorial, mischievous, and being just downright ornery were Waldo's defining characteristics.
On this particular day, Cash was outside tending to the other animals, when, out of nowhere, Waldo charged at him, with the speed of a freight train.
Now, let's be clear. Johnny Cash was one tough cookie. But when an enormous bird is charging at you at 30 mph, with pure evil in its eyes, that's a level of fear even the Man in Black couldn't handle.
In case you're unaware, the Ostrich is an animal with extremely powerful legs, along with long, sharp claws. With a single dropkick, Waldo sunk those claws right into Johnny's stomach and put him on the ground instantly.
When he started moving toward me I went on the offensive, taking a good hard swipe at him, I missed. He wasn’t there. He was in the air, and a split second later he was on his way down again, with that big toe of his, larger than my size-13 shoe, extended toward my stomach. He made contact—I’m sure there was never any question he wouldn’t—and frankly, I got off lightly. All he did was break my two lower ribs and rip my stomach open down to my belt, If the belt hadn’t been good and strong, with a solid belt buckle, he’d have spilled my guts exactly the way he meant to.
-Johnny Cash recounting his encounter with Waldo via Mental Floss
Story Sources: Mental Floss Website
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