Jake Worthington paid tribute to late country legend Merle Haggard when he covered a 1970s classic on a recent episode of God’s Country.
Worthington joined brothers Dan and Reid Isbell on the podcast, where he performed “I’m Always on a Mountain When I Fall.” Haggard, who died in 2016 at 79 years old, released the song in 1978: “I hate to say I’m giving up but I believe/ Losin’s just become a way of life for me/ Losin’ wouldn’t be so bad at all/ But I’m always on a mountain when I fall/ Then you came along and had me had me believing/ For once in my life my luck had finally changed/ And now you say you’re gonna leave me/ Seems everything I do winds up the same/ I hate to say I’m giving up…/ Losin’ wouldn’t be so bad at all/ But I’m always on a mountain when I fall.”
“This week Reid and Dan host Mr. Country Music himself, Jake Worthington out in God’s Country. The episode kicks off with Jake sharing a story from the last time he went deer hunting and the reason is definitely one you would not expect. They talk the status of Country Music in Nashville and how even with the highs and lows, how it is one of Jake’s favorite towns in the world. They discuss his latest album ‘When I Write The Song’ and how the sad songs he listened to with his grandfather inspired it. The episode ends with our listeners guaranteed to feel like they’re in a honkytonk!”
Dan and Reid — who have written music for Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson and others — started their weekly podcast in early January 2024. Some of the first guests to appear on the show include HARDY, Dustin Lynch, Colbie Caillat and others.
“One of our favorite things about country music has always been how intertwined it is with the outdoors,” Dan and Reid Isbell said in a statement when God’s Country launched. They hope to “bring the outdoor enthusiast or country music lover an up close and personal look into the minds of some of the best songwriters and artists of the genre — a place where they can be honest about struggles, relationships, their connection to the outdoors, the music business, family, whatever they feel comfortable talking about. We can’t wait to see where this partnership will lead and who this podcast will reach.”
The iHeartPodcasts/MeatEater show is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, including in the iHeartRadio app. Select country stations will broadcast the show between 7-11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday evenings. Find God’s Country here.
