The soundtrack from the Coen brothers’ 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? was chock full of memorable songs.
Among them was the Christian folk hymn Down To The River To Pray sung by Alison Krauss.
A more recent version — which is above — is sung by six friends: Mae Estes, Autumn McEntire, Josh Matheny, Hannah Blaylock, Kenny Foster, and Marti Dodson in COVID-19 social distancing mode.
“Like many others lately, I’ve felt helpless with the current state of our world,” wrote Mae on her YouTube account on April 9, 2020 for the song.
“I’ve prayed for clarity and understanding, and comfort and relief for so many of my neighbors. I’ve decided to do my part the only way I know how- with help from my wonderful music family,” she wrote.
“Right now, singing it is the only peace I’ve found. Hoping maybe it works that way for you, too.”
So, press the top left play button on the feature image above to watch and listen to the video.
Down To The River To Pray is said to date back before 1867 when it was published in Slave Songs of the U.S.
Among the distinctions the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack earned was the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002. The year before the soundtrack album charted at No. 1 on Billboard 200.
You can listen to the Alison Krauss version below.