Sweet Buelah Land - Jamey Johnson

Sweet Buelah Land chords

Sweet Buelah Land
By Jamey Johnson
12/11/2011


            D G            D 
I'm kind of homesick for a country 
              D G          D 
to which I've never been before
       D        G             D
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken
                 D   A     D 
Cause time won't matter anymore


Chorus:
       D  G             D
Beulah Land I'm longing for you
        D G              A
and someday on thee I'll stand
             D  G           D D/C#  Bm
And there my home shall be et-e-r-n-a-l 
Bm/A   D  A               D  
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah land


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I'm looking now just across the river
And I can see the other side
Theres just a few more days to labor
Then I will take my heavenly flight 

Chorus 

How to play "Sweet Beulah Land" [Chords] on acoustic guitar.



Song Overview
  
Key: D major   |  Capo: none  |  Difficulty: friendly-beginner
  
This Guitar Lesson unwraps the porch-sway gospel that Jamey Johnson tucked into his  
self-released 2002 debut They Call Me Country.  
His cover keeps the hymn’s slow 79 bpm heart-rate, perfect for reflective picking.
  

Chords Used
  
  
D  xx0232
  
G  320003
  
A  x02220
  
Bm x24432 (ease-up: Bm7 x24232)
  
  

Strumming Pattern — gentle 4/4 sway
  
D   D  U  U  D  U
  
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”, let the up-strokes graze only the top three strings.  
Brush with thumb for verses, switch to pick for choruses to lift the roof.
  

Sections Breakdown
  
  
Intro (2 bars)   
D  A  |  D G D
  

Verse 1
  
G   | D   | G   | D  
G   | D   | A   | D G D
  
Tip: keep third finger planted on the B-string thru G→D to steady the shifts.
  

Chorus
  
A  | D G | D   |  
G  | A   |  
G  | D G | D A | Bm  
G  | D A | D G D
  

Verse 2 – same as Verse 1; breathe on the long “ri-ver” notes.
  

Outro – tag line “sweet Beulah land” ending on open D for ring-out.
  
  

Common Mistakes
  
  
Rushing the 79 bpm—use a click or gentle foot-tap.
  
Over-strumming the Bm barre; try partial Bm7 if hand tires.
  
Forgetting the quick G-D-A pivot in the chorus; isolate that trio 20 reps.
  
  

General Tips
  
  
Standard tuning; light 0.73 mm nylon pick keeps the tone warm.
  
If the low D booms, palm-mute subtly on beats 1 and 3.
  
Practice verse-to-chorus transition with eyes closed—feel, don’t stare.
  
  

  

Song Facts
  
“Sweet Beulah Land” sprang from Squire Parsons’ notebook in 1973 while he taught band  
in West Virginia. First recorded 1979, it topped Singing News charts and was crowned  
Song of the Year 1981, becoming a southern-gospel standard.  
The term “Beulah” surfaces once in Isaiah 62:4, translated “married,” symbolizing the  
land re-bonded to its Maker; Bunyan later placed Beulah near the Celestial City, a rest-  
stop before heaven.  
Johnson’s take—cut long before his platinum breakthrough—pairs his baritone with a  
spare guitar, letting the lyric glow. Musically he keeps the original I-IV-V gospel spine  
but seasons it with outlaw-country melancholy: brushed snare, a whispered B-bender swell.  
Live renditions (Ryman 2013) invite crowd harmonies, turning the room into a choir.  
The cover gained fresh ears during lockdown livestreams, amassing thousands of saves  
on tab sites by 2025, proof that ache-rich hymns survive algorithm decades.
  

Song Meaning
  
Verse 1 voices homesickness for a place never seen yet “known” in faith—heaven’s  
kinesthetic pull. The promise “time won’t matter” erases mortal deadlines.  
Chorus names that place “Beulah Land,” pledging to stand upon it—feet on eternal soil.  
Verse 2 paints the river Jordan-like boundary; sight of the far shore swells hope.  
The “few more days to labor” acknowledges earthly grind, yet the coming “heavenly  
flight” reframes toil as temporary. Each section draws on pilgrim imagery: labor, river,  
flight, stand—verbs of journey and arrival. Overall, the hymn is an audio postcard  
from faith’s horizon, a melody that lets believers taste tomorrow’s sunrise.
  

Comparisons to previous works
  
Johnson’s rendition nestles beside his later “Lead Me Home” (2006) in theme, but while  
that track leans on steel guitar tears, “Beulah Land” stays acoustic, echo-laden, almost  
front-porch revival. Compared with his 2010 double-album epics, this cut is humble: no  
horns, no overdubs, just spiritual gravitas. It previews the reflective edge that would  
color “In Color,” yet strips even the nostalgia, aiming square at eternity. The journey  
from 2002 to 2025 shows Johnson shifting from outlaw bravado to elder-statesman sage,  
and this cover now feels prophetic of that arc. 
  

Questions and Answers
  
  
Can I finger-pick instead of strum?
  
Absolutely—pinch bass note on beats 1 & 3, arpeggiate trebles on 2 & 4.
  

Any capo trick for higher voice?
  
Capo 2 and play in C shapes; Bm becomes Am, much friendlier.
  

How do I tame the Bm barre?
  
Practice the barre alone for 4 beats, lift, repeat; strengthen thumb, relax wrist.
  

Recommended reverb setting?
  
Plate, 1.4 s decay, 15 % mix—gives church hall vibe without mud.
  

Historical gem about the hymn?
  
It once aired on The Gospel Greats radio show for twenty-six straight weeks.
  
  




May this Tutorial guide your hands and heart alike—play slow, sing bold, and let the  
chords carry you toward that sweet horizon.