Brad Paisley Turns Johnny Cash Poem Into New Song [LISTEN]
Just days after releasing a third song from his upcoming album, Love & War, Brad Paisley has shared another track -- and this one is extra special. Adapted from a poem by Johnny Cash, "Gold All Over the Ground" finds one country star paying tribute to another with a poignant love song, the heartfelt lyrics of which were written 50 years ago.
Paisley most recently released a hilarious video for his nostalgia-fueled song "Last Time for Everything" but the singer is making a quick about-face by sharing "Gold All Over the Ground," a tearjerker of a tune inspired by a poem that Cash wrote about his wife, June Carter Cash. Paisley adds a simple guitar line, mandolin and beautiful backing harmonies to the words of Cash's original poem, written in March of 1967, to create a touching song about giving it all for the one you love.
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"Your trails would be downhill / A soft breeze at your back / Your skies full of diamonds / Your nights would not be black," sings Paisley in "Gold All Over the Ground." "Yes, you would really love it / Then if you're ever down / I'd give you rows of roses / And gold all over the ground."
First published in 2016 in Cash's posthumous poetry collection Forever Words, "Gold All Over the Ground" is the first of Cash's poems to be set to music. Paisley also includes snippets of Cash speaking at both the beginning and the end of the track: He introduces his wife, and talks about how she is responsible for keeping him alive.
"Gold All Over the Ground" is one of four songs that Paisley has shared in advance of Love & War's April 21 release date. Along with "Last Time for Everything," the guitar master released "Today" as the album's lead single in October of 2016; he's also given fans advance listens to “Heaven South” and the ridiculously titled “selfie#theinternetisforever," for which Paisley created an equally ridiculous music video.
Listen to "Gold All Over the Ground" By Brad Paisley
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