Preacher Josiah K. Alwood spotted a beautiful rainbow against a dense black cloud while traveling home to Michigan from Ohio back in 1879.
He woke up the following morning inspired to write “Unclouded Day,” which is also sometimes known as “Uncloudy Day.”
Thematically, it’s a straightforward gospel song that imagines heaven. Willie Nelson’s version is probably the most famous, but it’s been covered by Johnny Cash, Doc Watson, Don Henley, and pretty much every band with a regular church service gig.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the I-II-V progression wherever it appears, and “Unclouded Day” certainly qualifies.
The song can confuse a jam, because many singers pause for an extra measure at the end of certain lines to catch their breath. It can be tricky to get everyone on the same page, especially when some pickers incorporate that extra measure in their breaks and others don’t. You need to listen carefully if you want to stay together.
Billy Strings’ version below is pure flatpicking goodness. Notice that his chord progression on the last line of each verse and chorus is a slight departure from what I’ve outlined here. His variation is a common one—you go from the I to the vi-minor, then the V and back to the I. The vi-minor is optional. You can stay on the I chord there if you wish.
“Unclouded Day” Lyrics and Chords
Oh they
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tell me of a home where no
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storm clouds
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rise
They tell me of a home far a
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way
Oh they
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tell me of a home far be
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yond the
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skies
Oh they tell me of an
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uncloudy
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day
CHORUS
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Oh the land of cloudless days
Oh the land of an
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unclouded
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sky
Oh they
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tell me of a home where no
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storm clouds
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rise
Oh they tell me of an
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uncloudy
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day
Oh they
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tell me of a home where my
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friends have
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gone
They tell me of a land far a
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way
Where the
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tree of life in e
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ternal
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bloom
Sheds its fragrance through the
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uncloudy
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days
CHORUS
Oh they
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tell me that He smiles on his
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children
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there
And His smile drives their sorrows all a
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way
And they
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tell me that no tears ever
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come
a
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gain
In that lovely land of
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uncloudy
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days
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