The devil went down to Georgia He was looking for a soul to steal And he was in a bind 'Cause he was way behind And was willin' to make a deal When he came upon a boy playing 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 bet you didn't know it but I'm a fiddle player too, And if you 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, your 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 something like this When the devil finished Johnny said, "Well you're pretty good ol' 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 Devil's in the house of the rising sun Chickens in the breadpan, picking 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 wanna try again. I done told you once, You son-of-a-b**h, I'm the best that's ever been!" He played: Fire on the mountain, run boys run Devil's in the house of the rising sun Chickens in the breadpan, picking out dough Granny does your dog bite? No, child, no...