"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum.
Released in September 1971 as a single (Columbia 4-45460, with "I Promise You" on the opposite side) by Johnny Cash, the song reached #16 on U.S. Billboard country chart and #104 on Billboards Bubbling Under the Hot 100.
Both "I Promise You" (which is "a promise of devotion to June") and "Papa Was a Good Man" are part of Johnny Cash's 1972 album A Thing Called Love.