The Devil Went Down To Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band 

The devil went down to Georgia
He was lookin' for a soul to steal
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind
and he was willin' to make a deal 

When he came across this young man
sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot
And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said,
"Boy, let me tell you what. 

"I guess 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 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, you're gonna regret,
'cause I'm the best that's ever been." 

Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard,
'cause hell's broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the 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 rosined up his bow. 

And he pulled the bow across the strings
and it made an evil hiss.
Then a band of demons joined in
and it sounded somethin' like this. 

When the devil finished, Johnny said,
"Well, you're pretty good, old son,
but sit down in that chair right there
and let me show you how it's done." 

Fire on the mountain. Run, boys, run.
The devil's in the House of the Rising Sun.
Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough.
Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no. 

The devil bowed his head
because he knew that he'd been beat.
And 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.
'Cause I told you once, you son of a gun,
I'm the best that's ever been." 


Back to lyrics index