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About the Composer
J. David Moore
Fresh Ayre Music (J. David Moore)
Run On For a Long Time
A Southern black gospel song calling for repentance, with a warning that no one can escape divine Judgement.
TBB, percussion
This song, known variously as “Run On,” “Run On For a Long Time,” “God Almighty,” “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” was first recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet in 1946. It has since been covered by Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Bill Landford & the Landfordaires, among many others, each adapting the original to suit their particular style. The DJ Moby sampled Bill Landford’s version for a house music remix which appeared on the UK singles chart in 1999. This arrangement owes its biggest debt of inspiration to Johnny Cash’s version.
“Run On” is part of a legacy of Southern black gospel songs calling for repentance, with a warning that no one can escape divine Judgement.
Text
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
You can run on for a long,
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down,
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.
Go tell that long-tongue liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back-biter,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut them down,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut them down.
Great God Almighty, let me tell you the news,
My head’s been wet with the midnight dew
I’ve been down on bended knee,
Talkin’ with the man from Galilee.
He spoke to me in a voice so sweet,
I thought I heard the shuffle of angel’s feet.
He put one hand upon my head,
Great God Almighty, let me tell you what he said:
Go tell that long-tongue liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back-biter,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut them down,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut them 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 done in the dark will be brought to the light.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
You can run on for a long,
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down,
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.
Go tell that long-tongue liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back-biter,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut them down,
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut them down,
Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.
-Traditional American
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