"Don't Take Your Guns to Town" is a 1958 single by Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

. The song tells the story of a young cowboy who, ignoring the titular advice from his mother, gets into a gunfight at a saloon and is killed. The single became his fifth release to reach the number one position on the country chart, where it stayed for six weeks. "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" was also a crossover hit peaking at number thirty-two on the pop chart. The song is also included in the live album VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson

VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson

VH1 Storytellers is a live album by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, released in 1998 on American Recordings. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and was the third record released as part of Cash's 9-year period of collaboration with Rubin.The opening track is a duet with Cash and Nelson, followed...

. The song was covered by U2

U2

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

 on their 2001 single "Elevation

Elevation (song)

"Elevation" is the third track and third single release from U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. Featuring a thunderous beat, a variety of sound effects on the central guitar riff, and an easy rhyming lyric for the audience to shout along with, it was highly effective in its...

".

Chart performance

Chart (1958–1959)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	32