It's been ten long years since
The devil laid his fiddle at Johnny's feet
And it burned inside his mind
The way he suffered that defeat
In the darkest pits of hell
The devil hatched an evil plan
To tempt the fiddle player for
He's just a mortal man
"The sin of pride," the devil
Cried is what will do you in
"I thought we had this settled,
I'm the best there's ever been."

Johnny did you ever know
That time keeps marching on
The coldest hour is the one
Comes just before the dawn
The devil's back in Georgia
Will you stand up to the test
Or will you let the devil be the best?

"In truth I haven't played much
Since the baby came in June
But give me half a minute an'
I'll get this fiddle back in tune"

The devil grabbed the golden
Fiddle out of Johnny's hand and said
"Though I'm the fiddle player
Underground and I walk upon the land"

"Y'all just better be just turnin'
Back if you want this boy to win
'Cos practice is the only cure for
The predicament he's in"

"Now devil it would be a sin
For you to get my bow
You go on back to hell and to
The wood shed I will go"

Johnny are you practicing or
Will your hands grow cold?
The devil walks the land and
Plays a fiddle made of gold
Can you hear the babe a crying,
Will he ever know
The devil wants his daddy's very soul?

"Before we play I want to
Thank you for letting God's
Own Word ring true
He said you can't be trusted"
"Yes but what you gonna do?"
"Well you get your fiddle devil if
You think that you can win
'Cos I beat you once you old dog
And I can whip your butt again"

John Brown's green, the devil is red
Mama's little baby loves shortenin and bread
The devil's dream is that he can win
But Johnny is the best that's ever been


by Reinaldo Neves