Isaac William’s song “When I Lay My Isaac Down” is a popular gospel blues song. The first verse of the song was written by William when he was just 16 years old and still known as Isacc Williams Jr. It has been recorded numerous times, with the most popular version being sung by Blind Willie Johnson in 1928.
This article will provide you with chords for that Isaac William Lay Down Song!
When I Lay Down My Isaac
When I lay down my Isaac
I’m gonna get up again, Lord!
Though you slay me and make a jubilee out of me.
My life is in your hands, oh Lord!
You are the potter, but it’s clay that you mold.
It’s a song about loss and the pain of being left behind. It has been covered by many artists, including John Denver in 1971 for his album Poems, Prayers & Promises; The Carpenters on their 1977 release Passage; Elton John on 1979s A Single Man; Whitney Houston from her 2002 TV special My Love Is Your Love: Life From Hawaii (I’ll Remember); Norah Jones in 2004 as well as 2013 with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for Duets II; Alison Krauss from 2007s Forget About It to commemorate the victims of Hurricane Katrina levee breach during 2005-2007.
Here’s how you play it! You can use this when I lay my Isaac down chords sheet music to learn the song and play with your guitar or ukulele.
The first two lines of every verse are as follows:
C G C/E Am Dm
But when I lay my Isaac down, sometimes my dreams get in the way… (repeat)
G F E Bb A Em Eb
And when I lay my Isaac down, don’t you want somebody that loves you? Lord Jesus Christ! Amen! (repeat)
♂️ So the arrangement is like this: The verse starts off with a C chord played twice on a single string set followed by an alternating sequence of picking three strings then plucking one note on each string set. This pattern repeats for the duration of the verse.
♂️ The chorus starts with an alternating sequence of picking two strings then plucking one note on each string set, followed by a G chord played twice on a single string set and another pattern repeats until it reaches the last line when you play that G chord three times in succession before going back to playing the same pattern over again (G-C-Bb).
The whole song is structured like this: Verse – Chorus – Verse – Chorus.
Instrumental Breakdown: The instrumental break starts off with an F major triad played at full strength which resolves into a Bb Major Triad. Then you repeat those chords as softly as possible while gradually fading them out.
♀️ The verse and chorus chords are G-C-Bb, but when you’re playing the instrumental break it’s F major – B minor ♂️
The second time around in the bridge of this song is really special because there is a solo guitar that follows a similar pattern to what we hear on the verses during both parts of the song (picking two strings then plucking one note). It starts with an alternating sequence that sounds like “doom doom” except for when they play adjacent notes which sound more like “won won.” They do this by picking three different strings at first, followed by using every other string set before going back to the original pattern…then repeating.
The first time around for the second verse we hear a really neat thing happen when it goes to the chorus, and that is the guitars are playing what’s called “sus chords.” This means they’re alternating between major and minor (G-A♭). The melody from this point forward continues the same pattern of sliding down two frets with an accompanying C major chord. This happens at least three times before going back into F major – B minor which then plays out like normal until you fade out! ♀️
Conclusion: In conclusion, I hope this helps video guitar players learn how to play when I lay my Isaac down song by William Joseph Laymon Jr. or even just those who want some inspiration when they’re practicing.
These are the chords for that Isaac William Lay Down song! ♀️ If you want to learn more about each chord, please check out my blog post on Guitar Chords 101 – F Major – B Minor. In addition, there will be a link in this article where you can find the lyrics and sheet music so it’s easier to follow along as well as hear how it sounds with different instruments playing at once (such as piano or drums) which is also really cool!
