The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Steve Ouimette

The Devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin′ for a soul to steal
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind, he was willin′ to make a deal
When he came across that young boy man playin' that fiddle hotAnd the Devil jumped upon a hickory stump and said "Boy, let me tell you what."

"I bet you didn't know it, but I′m a fiddle player, too
And if you′d care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you
Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the Devil his due
I′ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul 'cause I think I′m better than you."

The boy said, "My name's Johnny, and it might be a sin
But I′ll take your bet, and you're gonna regret, 'cause I′m the best that′s ever been."

Johnny you risin up your bow and play that fiddle hard
'Cause hells broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals with cards
And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold
But if you lose, the Devil gets your soul

The Devil opened up his case and he said, "I′ll start this show"
And fire flew from his fingertips as he resined up his bow
And he pulled the bow across his strings and it made an evil hiss
Then a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this

When the Devil finished, Johnny said, "Well, you're pretty good ol′ son
Just sit down in that chair, right there, let me show you how it's done."

"Fire on the Mountain" Run, boys, run
The Devil′s in the house of the risin' sun
Chicken in the bread pin, pickin' out dough
"Granny, does your dog bite?" "No, child, no."

The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he′d been beat
He laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny′s feet
Johnny said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again
I told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that′s ever been."

"Fire on the Mountain" Run, boys, run
The Devil's in the house of the risin′ sun
Chicken in the bread pin, pickin' out dough
"Granny, does your dog bite?" "No, child, no."