Tag Archives: country

“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” (Traditional) by Johnny Cash – Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

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To see how it’s played in the cover song music video, CLICK HERE!

“God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
Traditional / Johnny Cash

(Capo 1st fret)
Am
You can run on for a long time,
Dsus2          Am
Run on for a long time,
Am
Run on for a long time.
C              Dsus2       Em         Am
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.
C              Dsus2       Em         Am
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.

Am
Go tell that long tongue liar,
Am
Go and tell that midnight rider.
Am
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the backbiter,
C                  Dsus2        Em          Am
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down;
C                  Dsus2        Em          Am
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down.

Am
Well, my goodness gracious, let me tell you the news;
Dsus2                                   Am
My head’s been wet with the midnight dew.
I’ve been down on bended knee,
Talkin’ to the man from Galilee.

He spoke to me in a voice so sweet,
I thought I heard the shuffle of angels’ feet.
He called my name and my heart stood still
Am
When he said, “John, go do My will.”

Go tell that long tongue liar;
Go and tell that midnight rider.
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the backbiter,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down.
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down.

You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time.
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down;
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.

Well you may throw your rock, hide your hand,
Workin’ in the dark against your fellow man.
But as sure as God made black and white,
What’s done in the dark will be brought to the light.

You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time.
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down;
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.

Go tell that long tongue liar;
Go and tell that midnight rider.
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the backbiter,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down.
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down.
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down.

** 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. **

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“Screen Door” (Uncle Tupelo Acoustic Alt-Country Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Well, there’s a first time for everything.  And I feel pretty confident as I write this that I am, indeed, the first of the Laptop Sessioneers to record a song from the alternative country genre.  This is “Screen Door,” a song from band Uncle Tupelo, which is credited with being one of the pioneers of the alt-country genre.

Even as I write this, I have to chuckle a bit.  I mean, truly, how many different genres can the music industry possibly conceive?  How many categories do we really need?  It’s not quite alternative.  It’s not quite country.  Let’s call it “Alternative Country”!

What’s next, Alternative Pop?

Classical Ska?

But, seriously, I find this all very interesting.  I first heard Uncle Tupelo a couple months ago when I bought their essential tracks compilation 89/93: An Anthology.  How does one find oneself motivated to buy an alt country album?  Well, you may be aware that I’ve recently discovered and really gotten into the band Wilco.  And, if you know me, you know that I need to know the broad history and backstories of bands that I get into.

So, let’s step back for a moment.  Uncle Tupelo was active between 1987 and 1994, originally comprised of lead songwriter and singer Jay Farrar, his brothers Wade and Dade, and Jeff Tweedy.  Tweedy quickly progressed into a second songwriter and lead singer of the band.  His influence was two-fold — he was responsible for booking a lot of early gigs and, through several name changes before arriving at this one and multiple band member additions and replacements, he advocated for the punk rock sound that he had been impressed with when he initially heard Farrar and his brothers play.  Dade disagreed and left the band shortly after Tweedy’s arrival.

Eventually, as the tale goes, tensions developed between Farrar and Tweedy over which direction the music should go until, finally, Farrar announced that he would be leaving the band.  They played their final gig in 1994, and Farrar went off to form a new band, Son Volt.  Meanwhile, Tweedy and all the other members of Uncle Tupelo reformed under the name Wilco.

So, after a lengthy explanation, there you have it — my interest in Wilco’s roots found me in the checkout line at Borders New Britain, Uncle Tupelo CD in hand.  Ironically, one of my favorite songs on the album is merely a demo — a rough, but fully arranged track titled “Outdone.”  Another song that got my interest is the first track on the compilation.  “No Depression,” also the title of their debut album, is a song written and originally performed by the Carter Family (then referred to as “No Depression in Heaven”).  Now, in 1936, “the Depression” had an entirely different meaning than it did for Uncle Tupelo in 1990.  I love how this song was able to survive and take on a new meaning.

I still haven’t taken the time to check out Son Volt, but I wouldn’t say that I’m a huge fan of Uncle Tupelo, really.  I am rapidly becoming an avid Jeff Tweedy and Wilco fan.  Even Wilco’s debut album (A.M. in 1995), which Tweedy himself referred to as their attempt to “tread some water with a perceived audience,” is head and shoulders above the Uncle Tupelo CD, in my humble opinion.  I can’t believe I’ve only heard three of the six Wilco studio albums…

Lots more to look forward to!

Without further ado, I’ll let you get to the actual video.  I chose “Screen Door” because it’s deceptively simple.  It could be taken as a Southern anthem about people sitting on their front porches, singing songs, and dealing with the heat.  However, the chorus adds an interesting angle — “We don’t care what happens outside the screen door,” Tweedy sings.  It’s an interesting social statement that I think applies in all parts of the country.  In New England, for instance, it may not be the screen door, but we certainly have developed a sense of apathy for those who pass by us, outside our circle of friends, family, and colleagues.

And now I’ll actually let the song speak for itself.

See you next session!

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“Another One” (New Music – Indie Music Songwriter Chris Moore!)

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By Chris Moore:

Well, it only comes but once every three weeks for each of us… that’s right, Original Wednesday! This week, I bring you my second of two songs from my summer demo sessions. For anyone who didn’t read my previous OW! post, I spent a weekend this past summer recording demos of all my songs I hadn’t recorded previously. This release, Weekend Demos, included a couple songs that I had written within weeks or even days of the recording session. It also included a lot of older songs, including one from five years in the past — when I was a senior in high school.

This song, “Another One,” was written somewhere in between the two extremes, during college. I wrote it about how balancing relationships can be not only difficult, but also confusing. I sing the lead a bit low and I always worry that it’s hard to hear over the guitar, but I was really happy with how it builds up to the middle.

I hope you enjoy this, and I’m looking forward to my next Original Wednesday. I’ll either be recording one of my own originals or something off the new MoU release, Homestead’s Revenge. If you haven’t heard it yet, listen to the album at http://jimfusco.com/albums.html !

See you next session!



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“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” (Johnny Cash acoustic folk song)

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For Johnny Cash chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

As the Mamas and the Papas would say: “Monday, Monday!”

Welcome to the first acoustic cover song music video of a brand new week here at the Laptop Sessions.  Tonight, I’m bringing you my second cover from Johnny Cash’s first posthumous release, American Recordings V: A Hundred Highways.  Yes, that’s right…  I specified “first” posthumous release, because I just read that American VI is scheduled for release later this year.  Apparently, Cash was working on V up until he passed away.  I was under the impression that V was a collection of material that was still unreleased, but that’s more along the lines of what VI will be.  Even so, I am very excited to hear this final collection when it is released.

What brought on this sudden return to Johnny Cash’s recent work, you might ask?  Well, I found the first American Recordings CD on sale at Newbury’s last week and decided to pick it up.  Truly good new albums have been far and few between this summer, with the exception of the Fruit Bats’ The Ruminant Band earlier this month — a very pleasant surprise to say the least!

I’ve been enjoying American Recordings thus far; it clearly displayed a lot of potential, which was explored on the four — and soon to be five — subsequent editions of the series.  The only one I have yet to hear is American Recordings II, which includes the classic “I’ve Been Everywhere,” which Jim worked into my version of “Folsom Prison Blues” way back when for my second Laptop Session cover song video ever.

The song I chose for tonight is “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” one of my favorites from American Recordings V.  It is a traditional song that Cash truly made his own, a song that has the ability to be simultaneously catchy/rockin’, and yet haunting/foreboding.  I had a fun time playing and practicing it the past few days, and I hope you’ll enjoy watching it.  As I mentioned earlier, this is the second song I’ve covered from this album, if you count Johnny Cash’s cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

In other music news, I spent some time tonight reading about R.E.M.’s forthcoming double-CD live album that will include 39 tracks culled from their 2007 shows at the Olympia.  To be more specific, they played five shows in a row as they tried out new material for their 2008 album Accelerate.  In addition, they also played their hits and deep tracks.  I’ve wanted to hear these performances since I heard their new album, and I’m truly thrilled to hear this concert when it comes out in a couple months.  If you’re an R.E.M. fan, too, you should check out the videos for the two songs — the excellent “Living Well is the Best Revenge,” for which I recorded a Laptop Session, and Automatic for the People opening track “Drive — that have debuted on RollingStone.com.

And if you’re someone who has lost interest in Michael Stipe and company since they went through what can only be called a boring streak recently, then you need to give Accelerate a shot.  You won’t be disappointed.

I’ll leave you with one final, music-related note.  I added to Paste Magazine‘s trending topic on Twitter.com about the best albums of the 00’s, and shortly thereafter learned that I am the only person in the universe to have ever tweeted about the Wallflowers’ Red Letter Days, much less mention the album as one of the best during the decade.

I know; it’s quite the distinction…

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