The devil went down to Georgia
He was looking 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 this young man
Playin' that fiddle and playin' it hot
And 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 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 you risin' up your bow
And play your fiddle hard
'Cause hells broke loose in Georgia
And the devil deals it hard
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"