God's Gonna Cut You Down

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"Run On" redirects here. For the solecism, see Run-on sentence.

"God's Gonna Cut You Down"

Song by Johnny Cash
from the album American V: A Hundred Highways
Released	July 4, 2006
Genre	Country/folk
Length	2:38
Label	American Recordings Lost Highway Records
Writer(s)	Traditional
Composer(s)	Traditional
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
American V: A Hundred Highways track listing
"Help Me" (1)	"God's Gonna Cut You Down" (2)	"Like the 309" (3)

"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.

[edit] Selected performances

The song has, in the past, been modified to fit the boundaries of genres like country, folk and gospel. 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 American V: A Hundred Highways (2006). As "Run On", it was recorded, among others, by Elvis Presley. A version featuring vocals by Bill Landford & The Landfordaires was recorded by Moby and features on his album Play.

[edit] Johnny Cash version

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

A music video was made for this version in late 2006. It featured a number of celebrities, including Iggy Pop, Chuck Steak, 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, ed markel, Graham Nash, Brian Wilson, Rick Rubin 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.