From the recording Cain's Blood
Cary Morin's rendition of "Cain's Blood" reaches back to 1975, when Michael Johnson first recorded the song for his album For All You Mad Musicians. Co-written by Johnson and Jack Sandrud, the song would go on to have a long life of its own—later covered by the country group 4 Runner and eventually landing back with Johnson himself as a Top 30 country hit two decades after its debut.
It's a song built to endure, and Morin's interpretation proves why. Fifty years after it was written, "Cain's Blood" feels almost uncannily suited to this moment—a meditation on the ancient, ongoing struggle between good and evil, temptation and conscience, that each generation seems destined to relearn.
Morin approaches the material with the same qualities that define his own catalog: intricate, emotive fingerstyle guitar work and a voice that carries both weathered wisdom and quiet conviction. Rather than simply covering a classic, he inhabits it, drawing out the song's moral urgency and letting it speak freshly to present-day audiences grappling with their own reckonings between light and darkness.
In Morin's hands, "Cain's Blood" becomes more than a nod to a bygone era of songwriting—it becomes a bridge between generations, a reminder that the oldest questions about human nature remain the most pressing, and that a well-crafted song, given room to breathe, never really goes out of date.
Liner Notes:
Cary Morin – songwriter, guitars, bass, vocals, programming drums & percussion
Photo - Olivier Longuet
Cover Design – Cary Morin
Recorded at Maple Street Studio, Fort Collins, CO
Lyrics
CAIN’S BLOOD -CARY MORIN (BMI) (WRITTEN BY MICHAEL JOHNSON)
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS CAIN'S BLOOD
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS ABEL
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR FREEDOM
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR TROUBLE
DOVES DON'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT
HAWKS DON'T KNOW THE OTHER
KILL FOR PEACE AND PRAY FOR RAIN
BUT WATCH OUT FOR YOUR BROTHER
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS CAIN'S BLOOD
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS ABEL
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR FREEDOM,
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR TROUBLE
HALF OF US WANT TO REVOLUTION
THEY'RE GONNA BURN THIS COUNTRY DOWN
HALF OF US WONDER WHO'LL BE HERE
TO FILL UP THE HOLE IN THE GROUND
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS CAIN'S BLOOD
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS ABEL
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR FREEDOM
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR TROUBLE
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS CAIN'S BLOOD
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS ABEL
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR FREEDOM
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR TROUBLE
HALF OF US WANT TO REVOLUTION
THEY'RE GONNA BURN THIS COUNTRY DOWN
HALF OF US WONDER WHO'LL BE HERE
TO FILL UP THE HOLE IN THE GROUND
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS
HALF OF MY BLOOD IS
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR
HALF OF ME WAITS FOR
HALF OF ME LOOKS FOR TROUBLE
