Well, I decided to do something that would be a slight departure from a fiddle tune, the older I get, the more I think about how much the banjo historically is intertwined with the voice, and although I can't sing worth a lick, I still think that the voice is the perfect accompaniment to the banjo so here goes. I recorded and posted an instrumental version of this song some years ago, but it really comes alive when you sing it...no pun intended.
Ever since I heard the "High Atmosphere" album as a high schooler in 1975, I've been fascinated with the singing of Lloyd Chandler. His amazing acapella "A Conversation With Death", which he performed during his preaching days in the 1920's, somehow (well, ok, I guess primarily through Dock Boggs & Ralph Stanley who both recorded it) got music added to it and found it's way into the old-time songbook. A lot of folks have recorded this, from folk musicians to punk rockers and just about everyone in between it seems, but the seminal versions for me are still Dock & Ralph. I am unsure of the origins of the song, Dock said that he learned it from his brother-in-law Lee Hansucker, a Holiness Preacher, and maybe Lee heard it from Lloyd Chandler who heard it from...?...and I have no idea where Dr, Ralph heard it...from Lee or Lloyd or...??
Maybe it is attributable to Mr. Chandler and it is his composition...maybe it's older than that...I guess we'll never know for sure, but I've always found the tune to be mesmerizing musically, and so here's my version, 2 finger thumb lead mostly with a little three finger thrown in for good measure and the banjo tuned to Dock's tuning of f#CGAD tuned down a step to fBF#G#C#. This is a pretty easy tune to play in fingerstyle or down-picked, just a lot of open strings and alternating between the 2nd and 5th fret on the fourth string, keep a strong rhythm of TITI going and mix in the middle finger on the first string a bit if you want and you'll figure it out, trust me...I just wish I could sing 1/20 as good as Mr. Chandler...that's the tougher part...
Here's Mr. Lloyd Chandler's version from the must have "High Atmosphere" album https://www.amazon.com/High-Atmosphere-Ballads-Banjo-Virginia/dp/B0000002CS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFWqqP7ew58
And here's Dock Boggs' version from his later Folkways album, again, a must have for anyone interested in old-time banjo http://www.folkways.si.edu/dock-boggs/his-folkways-years-1963-1968/american-folk-old-time/music/album/smithsonian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIYNoH99Guc
And lastly, here's Dr. Ralph's version...he also sings it acapella on the "Oh Brother" soundtrack...but most everyone knows that by now...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If1yxmaJ14M
And there's a bunch more versions on youtube, some good, some not so good, but there is a stark honestly and beauty to this song that is undeniable...in my humble opinion...so I hope you'll give it a try...