Danswell and the Symptoms It’s a solo music project created and managed by Dan Tanswell, a 39-year-old from Cardiff, United Kingdom.
After the last splendid release, “Father Tv,” they decided to tackle a rather evocative cover by working on the notes of Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” a truly powerful and evocative song handled in a unique way.
Lyrics
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 tongued liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Sooner or later God’ll cut ‘em down
Sooner or later God’ll cut ‘em down
My goodness gracious let me tell you the truth
My heads been wet with the midnight dew
I’ve been down on bender knee
Talking with the fella from Galilee
He spoke to me in a voice so sweet
I thought I heard the shuffle of angels feet
I said my name and my heart stood still
He said “oh Dan go do my will”
Go tell that long tongued liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Sooner or later God’ll cut ‘em down
Sooner or later God’ll 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
You can throw your rock, hide your hand
Working on 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 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 tongued liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Sooner or later God’ll cut ‘em down
Sooner or later God’ll cut ‘em down
Sooner or later God’ll cut ‘em dow
Why now?
This is the question that was running through my mind as I was listening: there are so many songs in the world, so why this one?
And while my mind posed the question on one hand, on the other, it provided the answer: “because it’s time.”
We live in a world that, day by day, becomes darker. Everything that should bring light to existence, such as art, is instead used as a means of distraction and dumbing down of people.
Crusades that should be for the greater good are corrupted and turned into hate campaigns aimed only at scaring people, making them less resilient and more malleable to expenses that, as always, only enrich the same few.
Governments that, instead of striving for peace, fight for dominance, slaughtering millions of people in the name of some unknown moral supremacy, and, above all, people like you and me who, depending on the part of the world they are born in and the propaganda they are subjected to from birth, decide to be knights of this or that crusade, even if it means becoming fans of death and oppression, justifying them if not in the name of God, then in the name of the common good.
What better time than this, as the world rapidly heads towards moments of pure darkness, to bring out a song like this, reminding everyone that those who do wrong, no matter why, will eventually be punished?
Certainly something to reflect upon.
Musical ANalysis
From a purely musical perspective, the song is quite intriguing.
The first thing that strikes the ears is a vocal production that is much more chaotic and in its own way “raw” compared to the original. However, in its amalgamation of voices and its imperfections, it greatly amplifies the emotion of the lyrics, turning what should be sung by a single person into an experience that I would almost describe as “group,” as if one of those voices could be our own.
Not to mention the fact that there’s a kind of suffering that seeps through the vocal tone, adding tremendous weight to every syllable.
The rest of the instrumentation is rather unique.
The guitar, they made sure to let us know, is an old one from Romania found in a thrift store, while the percussion is composed of their hands, their feet, and various objects found around the house, for a completely organic sound, like what you might hear at a gathering of people.
A truly creative and impactful way to do justice to such a powerful song.
Conclusion
Danswell & The Symptoms‘ production may not be the cleanest, but it’s precisely in those small imperfections that the power of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” reaches its full potential, with every musical choice adding weight and significance to a truly powerful song to listen to and reflect upon.
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
All the best,
Luca
