Home Free‘s newest a cappella cover is a timely message, from a perhaps unexpected source. The band calls for unity in its version “Everybody Walkin’ This Land,” a powerful message first delivered by singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen.
Throughout the song, Cauthen’s lyrics asks disparate groups of people to “with open hearts, open minds, lend a helpin’ hand each time / To the mothers and the brothers and the sisters and the fathers / Everybody walkin’ this land.” As the verses go on, that list expands to include “believers, pretenders, bonafide sinners” and “prophets, saints, angels and ladies / And all you gentlemen.”
Beyond preaching compassion and tolerance, “Everybody Walkin’ This Land” actually calls out “racists, fascists, nihilists and bigots,” with Cauthen — and, by extension, Home Free — telling them, “Your actions will not stand.”
“Get on your knees, begin to pray / Look at me, you can change … I’m calling you out my friend,” they sing.
Home Free enlisted friends and family in Nashville and Portland for their “Everybody Walkin’ This Land” video. It’s the latest from the a cappella group that first gained fame on The Sing-Off and has continued to release both covers and original material, including their newest album, Dive Bar Saints.
Cauthen originally released “Everybody Walkin’ This Land” on his 2018 EP Have Mercy. The Tyler, Texas-bred artist co-wrote the song with Beau Bedford, a songwriter, musician and producer who helped found the band the Texas Gentlemen.
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