Week 66: Beulah Land



Mississippi John Hurt

The Song

Beulah Land is a very old and well known hymn written in the 1800s and it seems to be the source for this tune. This version is very different to the hymn, but I haven’t been able to find any information about the origins of this version. It is listed as ‘traditional’ when it first appeared on John Hurt’s 1963 album ‘Today’.

The song is in the key of E, in standard tuning, and uses the familiar I IV V chords of blues. It’s a 16 bar progression that pretty much follows the same ideas the entire song. There is a bit of natural variation due to the pace and amount of notes that are being played.

It’s a great example of MJH’s superior finger picking technique, it’s very fast with an alternating bassline and features some great momentum behind his voice. It is also a great example of using the tones of the major scale to great effect – it is what gives the song it’s feeling of triumph and glory. John slides up to a double stop based on a D chord shape to accentuate the majorness of the E chord in bars 3 and 11, and he’s hitting the major 6ths on the relative chords whenever he is changing chords.

John uses a technique with the E chord that he uses in a few other songs. On beat 1 he plays the bass low E, then on the off beat he hits the open G string to hammeron the the major 3rd on the 1st fret, but he times it so the hammeron hits right on beat 2 and he plays another bass note at the same time. It’s hard to get used to, but it is a great little delayed sound to add to your trick bag.

There is one super tricky – at least for me – section where he plays some quick hammerons on the off beat while alternating bass notes in bar 8. The song is quick with a lot of notes and will take a lot of practice to get smooth. Start slow – despite the fast pace the song has a fluid and relaxed feel to it – and gradually build up speed as you get more comfortable with it.



The Lyrics

E I got a mother in Beulah Land outshine the sun A E I got a mother in Beulah Land outshine the sun E I got a mother in Beulah Land outshine the sun B7 E Way beyond the sky Yes come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun Come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun Way beyond the sky I got a father in Beulah Land outshine the sun I got a father in Beulah Land outshine the sun I got a father in Beulah Land outshine the sun Way beyond the sky Yes come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun Come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun Way beyond the sky I got a sister in Beulah Land outshine the sun I got a sister in Beulah Land outshine the sun I got a sister in Beulah Land outshine the sun Way beyond the sky Yes come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun Come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun come on and go to Beulah Land outshine the sun Way beyond the sky

The Progression



$4.2.$3.1 $6.0 $4.2.$3.1 | $6.0 $4.2.$3.1 $6.0 $4.2.$3.1 | Verses

$6.0 $3.0h $4.2.$3.1 $2.0 $6.0 $2.2 0.$4.2.$3.1 $2.2 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1 $1.0 $6.0 $4.2.$3.1.$2.0.$1.0 | $6.0.$1./4 4.$3.4 $6.0 $1.0.$2.0 $1.2.$3.2 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1 $1.2 $6.0 $1.2 $4.2.$3.1 | $5.0 $2.1 /2.$4.2 $1.0 $5.0 $2.2 $4.2.$1.0 | $5.0.$1.2 $4.2 $1.0 $5.0 $1.0 $4.0h2 $2.0 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1.$1.0 $6.0 $2.2 $4.2 $2.0 | $6.0 $3.1 $5.2 $3.0h1 $6.0 $3.0 1.$4.2 | $6.0 $2.0 $4.2.$3.1 $2.0 $6.0 $2.2 $4.2.$3.1 $2.0 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1 $1.0 $6.0 $4.2.$3.1.$2.0.$1.0 | $6.0.$1./4 4.$3.4 $6.0 $1.0.$2.0 $1.2.$3.2 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1 $6.0 $4.2.$3.1 | $5.2.$1.4 $3.4 $1.4 $6.0 $1.0 $3.2.$1.2 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1 $6.0.$1.2 $4.2.$3.1 | $6.0.$1.0 $4.2.$3.1 $1.0 $6.0 $2.2 $4.2.$3.1.$1.0 0 | $6.0 $4.2.$3.1 $6.0 $4.2.$3.1 | MJH plays an interlude between each verse. When he’s going into the interlude he cuts off the last half of the last verse. The other thing he does differently is he plays the major 3rd to the 2nd on the high E in bar 4 – instead of playing the 2 big melody notes on the 2nd fret of the high E, he plays the first on the 4th fret then switches to the 2nd fret. During the A section he sometimes plays the low E and A as the bass notes.

To end the song, hit a big E chord.

First two bars are only played in the intro.VersesMJH plays an interlude between each verse. When he’s going into the interlude he cuts off the last half of the last verse. The other thing he does differently is he plays the major 3rd to the 2nd on the high E in bar 4 – instead of playing the 2 big melody notes on the 2nd fret of the high E, he plays the first on the 4th fret then switches to the 2nd fret. During the A section he sometimes plays the low E and A as the bass notes.To end the song, hit a big E chord.