"God's Gonna Cut You Down" - Johnny Cash & "Run On For A Long Time" - Bill Landford and the Landfordaires

I've been struggling over internal conflict about this post all morning. Originally I was completely convinced that I would be posting about the Johnny Cash version of this song, but the more I listen to the Bill Landford and the Landfordaires gospel version (same song, different title) from 1943, the more I crave to write about that one. My solution is to write about both.

The Johnny Cash version is hard, rugged and dark; very Johnny-Cash-like.  His acoustic guitar picks and slides through gritty, hardened folk music. His deep voice, rhythmic and weathered; experienced. It's the bass drum and clapping combination, however, that really moves this song.  It has a foot-stomping rhythm to it that builds pressure inside your veins.  It's like a shot of adrenalin.  The music amps you up with emotion; sadness, anger, rage, yearning. There's a level of darkness here that only The Man in Black could evoke, and it does the song great justice.

The music video for Cash's great piece is excellent, too. Shot entirely in black and white, it holds to the dark quality of his work. It's fun to watch too, as everyone in the video is a famous entertainer. See if you can identify everyone in it. Unfortunately, the embedding feature on youtube has been disabled for this video, but I encourage you to follow this link - it'll be 3 of the most enjoyable minutes of your day.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxh-FfElY0M

"Run On For A Long Time" is the original title of the folk song that Cash covered. The first time I had heard this song was on the album "Play" by Moby, released in 1999.  Moby sampled the vocals of his piece from Bill Landford and the Landfordaires, a 1940's gospel group. This morning I searched the actual Bill Landford and the Landfordaires version it blew my fucking mind. Completely different from the Cash version, the song still holds an intensity and sadness, without the darkness that Johnny Cash gives it.  The guitar is more subtle, almost absent from the piece entirely.  The primary driving force behind this track is the amazing harmonizing vocals. Sung in a capella style, higher vocals harmonize over a deep baritone section.  Emotions still run high, as you can hear the pain in the voices of those singing and feel their oppression in the music.  You feel for them, you feel with them, you'll sing with them too, and move along to the music. I've been scouring the internet all morning for an album so I can hear more of their music, but my search has lead me no where. For now I'll just keep listening to this piece, and just be happy I've found what I have.

Give this one a listen and compare it with the Cash link from above!