Because I’m not a religious person, I’ve never listened to much music within the gospel genre. Chances are you haven’t either; according to Statista, only 1.8% of music streamed in the US in 2019 was gospel, and that number includes “Christian” music, which, while relatively niche, enjoys more commercial success than traditional gospel music.
But if, like me, you don’t listen to much gospel, you likely do listen to plenty of genres influenced by it. Most of the musical styles of the 20th century – blues, soul, country, jazz, rock, hip-hop – can trace parts of their DNA back to the rhythms, call-response patterns, and live energy of early gospel songs.
This week’s song, like many traditional folk songs, has no known composer, but rather was passed down through generations, with small variations in tempo, instrumentation, and even title: versions of this song go by such titles as “Run On,” “Sermon” or the dramatic line from the chorus, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.”
The earliest recording, from 1946, is by the Golden Gate Quartet, with subsequent versions released by (among many others) Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, and even Marilyn Manson.
This version, dating from 1949, is by Bill Landford, a founding member of the aforementioned Golden Gate Quartet. While he may not have come up with a particularly interesting name for his backup singers, he delivered my favourite interpretation of this gospel classic.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The way the lead vocal line skips along on pretty much just one note, like a stone across the water.
2. In contrast, the backing vocals rise and fall in wonderful harmony.
3. Landford’s lyrics are slightly different from most other recordings I’ve heard. Where others sing in the chorus about “that long-tongued liar” and a “back-biter” who are soon to be cut down by the Almighty, in Langford’s version those two characters are a “lonesome liar” and a “backslider.” It’s also the only version I know of with the “ducking and dodging” lyric, which I love.
Recommended listening activity:
Writing a list of your own bad habits.