Songs and Poems!

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to week two of my English 1080 blog. This week my professor wants me to analyze a song but not just analyze it but analyze it as if it were a poem. So, the song I picked for this is “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by the late Johnny Cash. The lyrics for the song are below and I have linked a Youtube video in case anybody wants to listen to it. Now without further ado let’s get started! I recommend you read the lyrics to get a better understanding of my analysis.

God's Gonna Cut You 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

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
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

Well, my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head's been wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee
Talkin' to the man from Galilee

He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought, I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, "John, go do my will"

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
Tell 'em that God's gonna 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

Well, you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's down in the dark will be brought to the 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 tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down

Firstly, let’s discuss the rhyme scheme used in the song; the rhyme scheme used throughout this song is a,a,b,b except for the 7^th stanza where a,b,c,c becomes the rhyme scheme. Cash also uses a refrain in his song.  The refrain “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” is used to emphasize the message of the piece which is that no one is able to escape God’s punishment. 

The speaker of the song seems to be Cash himself and address those who lead sinful lives such as a “gambler” and a “back biter”. Cash seems to present a tone of acceptance throughout his piece. His tone is conveyed in several different parts of the song. For example, Cash seems to accept the fact that life is not eternal and that sooner or later people will die and face their maker. He tries to warn people not to lead a sinful life because “sooner or later God’ll cut” them down. There are several different types of imagery present in the song; one form of imagery used in this song is auditory imagery. “I thought I heard the shuffle of angel’s feet” appeals to the readers sense of hearing, which evokes auditory imagery. Cash’s song also utilizes alliteration. In the piece he says “Tell them that” this repetition of the letter “T” at the beginning of the words is an example of alliteration. Through the use of the alliteration, he is reminding people that their actions will have consequences in the afterlife.

This song is heavily influenced by religion not only because of the mention of “God” but also because the mention of “Galilee” which is the porch in front of churches. The song to me personally seems to convey the message that we should all try to lead righteous lives because we’re not on this planet forever and sooner or later God will cut us down. I like this song because it warns humankind to lead a religious and righteous life on this earth; if my thoughts were a song then this is what it would sound like. This song has remained the same since Cash’s death; it has not been covered by another artist because this song was actually a cover of an even older song. The original song was a biblical folk song called “run on” and Cash took the song and added his own twist to it and made it what it is now.

I hope you enjoyed my analysis of the song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash and please be sure to check back next week. Thank you! Come again!

-Apu