Johnny Cash’s recording of God’s Gonna Cut You Down, recorded just before his death in 2003, became all the more poignant when this posthumous video was released three years later.

It’s a bit of a spot-the-celeb affair, shot in black-and-white and directed by Tony Kaye. As for the song, taken from the fifth volume of Cash’s American Recordings, it’s a traditional American folk song avoiding evildoers that they cannot avoid God’s judgment. 

In a sick interpretation of that message, the US Department of Homeland Security recently used it in a propaganda video for their Border Patrol, aimed at threatening illegal immigrants. Unfortunately for them they used the latest cover version, by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, who responded with a legal ‘cease and desist’ letter that ended with the words: “Go f*** yourselves.”

The song itself has been recorded in many styles, ranging from folk and country to electronica and black metal.

The first recording was by Bill Landford & The Landfordaires in 1949 as Run On For A Long Time, followed in 1956 by Odetta as God’s Gonna Cut You Down, and many others including Marilyn Manson in 2019.

Under the title Run On, it has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and Moby, whose version was a remix of the Landford original, while Bobbie Gentry retitled it Sermon.

Another version is by Mercury Rev, featuring vocals by Margo Price, when they re-recorded the whole of Gentry’s 1968 album The Delta Sweete.