The track features Young on piano backed by the studio band dubbed The Stray Gators, comprising Jack Nitzsche on slide guitar,[3][4] Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar,[4] Tim Drummond on bass,[3] and Kenny Buttrey on drums.
[4] Lyrics like "I was talkin' to the preacher, said, 'God was on my side'/Then I ran into the hangman, he said, 'It's time to die'" imply that there is more to the story, and perhaps a more interesting backstory, than what is explicitly stated, and hint at an organized religion theme.
[4] Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald states that the arrangement provides a sense of whimsy, highlighting Young's "funky" piano and Nitzsche's "lazy" slide guitar.
[3] Rolling Stone Magazine critic John Mendelsohn said the song seemed like "an in-joke throwaway intended for the amusement of certain of Neil's superstar pals.
[8] The song was also released in 1985 by cowpunk band Jason & the Scorchers, as the B-side of their single "White Lies", using the Jennings lyric change.