The Ways of a Woman in Love

"The Ways of a Woman in Love" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Bill Justis and Charlie Rich.

The song was recorded by Cash in July 1958 during his final sessions for Sun Records. and released as a single (Sun 302, with "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" on the opposite side) in August.

The song was also recorded and released by Charlie Rich as a single in 1973 and in the following year enjoyed b-side success of backing Billy Swan's International Bestseller "I Can Help." In 2018 critically acclaimed songwriter John Prine pronounced that "The Ways of a Woman in Love" was his favorite Johnny Cash song and released a music video of it.

Composition
"Cash scored his last big Sun hit with 'The Ways of a Woman in Love,' a Charlie Rich and Bill Justis cowrite about a man who senses his woman is falling in love with another man. She's changing her ways, and it's killing the singer. He can't stop thinking about her and wishing he was the other guy. This fine ballad made it to number 2 on the country chart and number 24 pop. Just over two months later Johnny would issue his first single for Columbia."