By Chris Moore:
Welcome to another video blog in the Laptop Sessions music video series! Today, I bring you a cover song that was written in the 1950s and was covered on two separate occasions by two of my favorite artists — Johnny Cash and the Band. Cash recorded it most famously on his Folsom Prison concert and the Band included it on their 1968 album Music from Big Pink. Both are great albums, and this is a fun song. I hope you like it…
See you next session!
To see how it’s played in the cover song music video, CLICK HERE!
“1 Corinthians 15:55”
Johnny Cash
A
Oh, death, where is thy sting?
E A
Oh, grave, where is thy victory?
A D
Oh, life, you are a shining path, and
D A
hope springs eternal just over the rise when I
E A
see my Redeemer beckoning me.
A
Oh, row my ship over the waves of your sea; let me
E A
find a safe port now and then.
A D A
Don’t let the dark one in your sanctuary
B E
until it’s time to pack it in.
Oh, row, row my ship with the fire of your breath
and don’t lay a broadside on your ship as yet.
Blow, ye warm winds when it’s chilly and wet,
and don’t come too soon for collecting my debt.
Oh, death, where is thy sting?
Oh, grave, where is thy victory?
Oh, life, you are a shining path,
and hope springs eternal just over the rise when I
see my Redeemer beckoning me.
Oh, let me sail on with my ships to the east
and keep my eye on the North Star.
When the journey is no good for man or for beast,
I’ll be safe wherever you are.
Just let me sail in to your harbor of lights
and there, and forever, to cast out my line.
Give me my task and let me do it right,
and do it with all of my might.
Oh, death, where is thy sting?
Oh, grave, where is thy victory?
Oh, life, you are a shining path,
and hope springs eternal just over the rise when I
see my Redeemer beckoning me.
** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **
By Chris Moore:
Hello and welcome to this Easter Sunday edition of the Laptop Sessions! Yes, that’s right, during 2008 we’re playing a song a day, even on the holidays…
I thought it would be fitting to play Johnny Cash’s “I Hung My Head” for Easter — it involves death and the idea of moving on to heaven (or hell, depending on how you interpret his lyrics). This is from the same album as his final hit, his cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.” I’ll be recording that one in the future, as well.
On a side note, I should reach my 100th subscriber by my next session on Wednesday, and I’ll be giving him/her a $10 coupon to the Fusco-Moore Store, as promised! To think that, at the beginning of February, I only had 10 subscribers and I wasn’t planning on 50 until the end of the year…
I hope you enjoy this video, and I hope you’ll comment or rate it!
By Chris Moore:
I’ve always loved this Johnny Cash song; his songs often remind me of my grandfather and father and of my youth. That being said, no, I have never shot a man nor can I personally relate to this song. But, that being said, Jim was reminded today of another Johnny Cash performance that utilized the same chords, so thus there is a little surprise in the middle for all you Fusco-Moore fans out there…
Johnny Cash Acoustic Rock Cover Songs and Free mp3 DownloadsMany have said that it is the personality as much as the acoustic music of Johnny Cash that is responsible for his success. Truly, there are few performers whose cover songs of other songwriters’ material are more respected. In the late nineties and early years of the new millennium, it became a compliment for Johnny Cash to begin recording an acoustic cover of another music artist’s song. One of his most famous and best cover songs was his recording of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.” The NiN songwriter was impressed and honored by the cover. Johnny Cash reached this status through his own recordings, to be sure – after all, he was responsible for the songwriting and recording of many classic acoustic songs, such as “I Walk the Line” and “Man in Black.” He took on that nickname, due to his constant black garb – black jacket, black pants, black boots. Along with his voice, that instantly recognizable deep tenor, his personality – his religious beliefs and his roles in westerns – Johnny Cash has become an American icon in addition to a successful songwriter and performer. His acoustic guitar music helped set the tone for a recent trend of music artists releasing new rock music that sounds minimalist. He was the first of many after him – Neil Diamond and Jakob Dylan to name a couple – to record with Rick Rubin as producer. It is with pleasure that the Laptop Sessions songwriters have recorded cover songs from his catalog. |