This was his farewell performance, he died not long after. He didn't write these lyrics, but he definitely lived them.

One hell of a farewell letter. The moment he closes the lid of the piano at the end kills me every time.

This was filmed in February 2003. His wife, June Carter (seen standing behind him in the video), died in May that same year. Johnny died a few months later in September. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the original songwriter, said after hearing the cover with it's accompanying video, "that song isn't mine anymore."

The video was named the best video of the year by the Grammy Awards and CMA Awards, and the best video of all time by NME in July 2011.

I personally fell in love with Johnny Cash through my grandfather, who used to sing rather well next to his record player, and Cash was among his most favourite artists. We will never have another like him, he was truly one of a kind.

When Johnny showed this video to his daughter, he asked her what she thought. She said "Dad, it sounds like you're saying goodbye"
He said "I am"
RIP Johnny Cash
A True Legend

The closing of the piano was significant because it is said he never opened it again.  This was the last recorded music of his career.

I have seen dozens of reactions on this song. You are the first one who does not only mention the pouring of the wine, but who goes into a detailed analysis of it. For me this is the most heartbreaking scene in this video. The pouring of the wine is like he's pouring out his life on the table before the final curtain falls. It is also symbolizing that his fame, the money, the golden records he has gained is worth nothing in the end. I wonder why almost no-one has said anything on this little detail so far. The pouring of the wine is essential for me. And see his shaking hand as he does so. Heartbreaking.

Allegedly his daughter told him that this song sounds like a farewell. He said yes.
Shortly thereafter, his wife died, and shortly thereafter, he died. The picture in the video is probably his mother.

Even Trent said this deserves to be remembered as a Johnny Cash song.

I am 77 years old and have watched this video many times.  That closing of the piano has such a sense of finality to it it sucks the tears out every time.  We go thru this life and do all these things and in the end wonder what was/is the point.  That thought hits really hard

This is powerful because of regret.
Everybody knows it, everybody feels it.

The way his wife looks at him breaks me. There's such a mixture of deep love, anguish and helplessness in her gaze, and she seems on the verge of tears.

Johnny’s version is not about the pain he caused others. It’s about the pain he feels. Everything you acquire in your life means nothing when the ones that you love are gone.

The "House of Cash" was a museum he had created containing many things from his career etc. Not long before his death it had been severely damaged in a flood, and was never re-opened.

You mentioned Johnny closing the lid of the piano.  That shot was the last time he sat there playing that piano, and it was the last time he closed that lid.  

When it comes to me, I was raised listening to his music so I knew his songs well.  I also listened to Nine Inch Nails (much to the annoyance of my parents) and knew Trent's work.  When I heard this version by Johnny, I felt a loss of my grandfather.  He was my world and no matter how bad things were, he'd tell jokes and do everything he could to put a smile on my face.  So when I heard Johnny singing this song, it feels like it's my grandfather singing this song and it's emotionally crippling.  I'm not one to get overly emotional, but this song breaks me.  

Thank you for taking the time to react to this song.

The way he closed the piano at the end was like he was closing a coffin.  Always a tear jerker...

Something that always grabs my heart with this video is Johnny's eyes. Looking inward, looking into the past, looking towards the inevitable end. You see it all in his eyes.

He closed the piano like you would close a coffin. The editing on this video is god-tier.

The best video ever made. It still makes me cry.  The contrast between a young vital man, on top of the world, and an old man near the end.

"The needle tears a hole the old familiar sting" drug use... Johnny Cash did his time burying his pain. Always cry when I hear this song

I always saw him closing the piano at the end to be him closing the lid on a casket of his life and career.