Under the Covers: Jason Isbell - The Assassin

This is the first of a new series on HearYa called “Under the Covers.” I’ve been listening to great cover songs that I feel are better than the originals, and it’s high time to unearth them. The first installment is Patterson Hood’s “The Assassin,” performed by Jason Isbell.

Drive-By Truckers front man, Patterson Hood, has a wonderful and emotional stripped down solo album called Killers and Stars. The standout track for me is “The Assassin,” a song about killer losing his taste for killing. The reason I love Patterson Hood’s songwriting is that he tells stories in plain language, but without being overly simple. He’s a southern poet and as you listen to “The Assassin,” you feel the character’s emotion in Patterson’s voice and lazy, acoustic guitar. The assassin is a man - contemplative, worn out, and full of regret. The song’s delivery is both eerie and strangely beautiful.

“The Assassin” was a favorite already, but when I saw former Drive-By Truckers band mate Jason Isbell at Slim’s in San Franciso, it was my first time hearing the song performed electric with a full band and Isbell on vocals. It took on a whole new meaning. Instead of regret and emotional exhaustion, Jason’s delivery evokes emotions in the assassin closer to anguish and self-loathing.

Here are they lyrics that start off “The Assassin.” When I first heard the song, I had to start it over after hearing the first verse. It’s an opening that struck me and I can’t help but think about the old days, when singing “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” got Johnny Cash into a world wind of shit. I wonder what those conservative folks would have had to say about Hood’s lyrics…

I used to be a killer
Best killer in the land
Killed women and children
Just as easy as a man

Leave their mangled bodies
Nonchalantly at the door
But now I ain’t got the stomach
For killing any more

Here’s the original song, followed by Jason’s acoustic cover, followed by the current electric version that Isbell performs on tour. He turns it into a proper rock and roll tune.

Patterson Hood - The Assassin

Jason Isbell - The Assassin (Live at a 2005 Patterson Hood solo show)

Jason Isbell - “The Assassin”