Johnny Cash handwritten "Tecumseh"

This apparently unrecorded song or essay tells the story of Tecumseh, the famous chief of the Shawnee Nation, who along with his brother Tenskwatawa ("The Prophet"), attempted to unite the Native American nations against the invading Western settlers. However, the writing is mostly concerned with Tecumseh's prophecy of a great earthquake as a sign to the Native Americans to unite; an earthquake that would eventually occur exactly as Tecumseh had predicted. This would be the largest earthquake in the recorded history of North America, causing the entire eastern half of the continent to shake. It became known as the New Madrid earthquake of 1811.

Johnny Cash demonstrated a deep interest in and concern for the plight of the Native American peoples of the U.S. throughout his career, and has always told their stories in his songs and on his albums. His 1964 concept album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian did just that. The most famous of these aforementioned songs, which appeared on the album, was "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," which was so controversial that most radio stations refused to air it. In response, Johnny took out a now-famous full-page ad in Billboard magazine denouncing the controversy over the song and defending its importance. Johnny also devoted much time to playing shows on reservations throughout the country over the course of his career, and playing benefits for Native American causes.