God's Gonna Cut You Down

Infobox Single
Name = Run On


Artist = Moby
from Album = Play
Length = 3:45
Genre = Pop/Gospel
Released = 18/05/1999
Writer = Traditional
Producer = Moby
Last single = "Honey" (1998)
This single = "Run On" (1999)
Next single = "Bodyrock" (1999)Infobox Single
Name = God's Gonna Cut You Down


Artist = Johnny Cash
from Album =
Published =
Released = July 4 2006
Recorded =
Genre = Country, Folk, Gospel
Length = 2:38
Writer = Traditional
Composer = Traditional
Label = American Recordings
Lost Highway Records
Producer = Rick Rubin
Last single = "Hurt" (2006)
This single = "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (2006)
Next single = "Help Me" (2007)

"God's Gonna Cut You Down", also known as "Run On", is a traditional folk song which has been recorded by numerous artists representing a variety of genres. The lyrics are a warning to sinners that no matter how hard they try, they will not avoid God's judgement; in the chorus, God Himself tells the narrator of the song to "Go tell that long tongue liar, / go and tell that midnight rider, / tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter, / tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down", with some versions inserting slight variations in lyrics.

The song has, in the past, been modified to fit the boundaries of genres like country, folk, gospel and techno. As "God's Gonna Cut You Down", it was performed by Odetta on "Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues" (1956) and Johnny Cash on the posthumously released "" (2006). As "Run On", it was recorded, among others, by Elvis Presley. A version featuring vocals by Bill Landford & The Landfordaires was remixed by Moby and features on his album "Play". The Blind Boys of Alabama also included the song on their Grammy-winning album "Spirit of the Century" in 2001.

Moby version

"Run On" was released as a single by the electronic artist Moby. It was the second single released from his album "Play". This was also the second single charting at #33 on the UK Singles Chart. Two versions of the CD were released. The first, with a red cover featuring a vertically-aligned mousetrap, featured two remixes of "Run On" and two other tracks. The second, with a yellow cover featuring a horizontally-aligned mousetrap, contained four different "Run On" remixes.

The vocal content of the song comes from a 1943 recording of "Run On" by Bill Landford and the Landfordaires, and features a mix of house music and instrumental music.

Johnny Cash version

Johnny Cash recorded a version of "God's Gonna Cut You Down" on "" in 2003, with an arrangement quite different from most known gospel versions of the song. The song is presented with a rhythmic stomp-clap downbeat, grim and pessimistic in its portrayal of a vengeful and uncompromising God, serving as a warning to sinners.

A music video, directed by Tony Kaye, [ [http://www.cinematical.com/2006/11/07/tony-kaye-no-longer-just-history/ Cinematical - Tony Kaye No Longer Just History] ] was made for this version in late 2006. It featured a number of celebrities, including Iggy Pop, Kanye West, Chris Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Patti Smith, Terrence Howard, Flea, Q-Tip, Adam Levine, Chris Rock, Justin Timberlake, Kate Moss, Sir Peter Blake, Sheryl Crow, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson, Amy Lee, Tommy Lee, the Dixie Chicks, Mick Jones, Sharon Stone, Bono, Shelby Lynne, Anthony Kiedis, Travis Barker, Lisa Marie Presley, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Corinne Bailey Rae, Johnny Depp, Graham Nash, Brian Wilson, Rick Rubin, Whoopi Goldberg and Owen Wilson. It also briefly features archive footage of Cash himself. The video was shot entirely in black and white. Since its release, both the song and video have seen moderate airplay.

The video won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

In popular culture

The Johnny Cash recording was played in "The Most Hated Family in America". It has also been used as bumper music for the Alex Jones radio show. It was also seen on promotional commercials for the hit CW series Supernatural. It was also used in the trailer for the 2006 documentry "Deliver Us from Evil". UFC Fighters Spencer Fisher and Jason Lambert have used it for their entrance music. Musician Sean Michel covered the song during his audition on Season 6 of American Idol. Matchbox Twenty also used the song before playing How Far We've Come on their "Exile In America" tour.

External links

* [http://music.yahoo.com/ar-298105-videos--Johnny-Cash Video for Johnny Cash's version of "God's Gonna Cut You Down" on Yahoo! Music]
* [http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/johnny_cash/gods_gonna_cut_you_down.html "God's Gonna Cut You Down" lyrics]

References