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 upon 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 am the best that’s ever has 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 a evil hiss
And a band of demons joined in, and it sounded somethin’ 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
The Devil’s in the house of the risin’ sun
Chicken in the bread pan pickin’ out dough
Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no

The Devil grinned at Johnny and said,
“Boy, you ain’t so bad yourself.
But you ought to know this bet’s being judged
By three souls bound for Hell
Now they got ears like old tin cans,
But they may’ve heard me say,
They give tens to me and ones to you
I might look the other way.

So I’ve already won this bet,
And if you don’t think that’s true,
Just keep in mind while you’re down in Hell
That the fiddle I played was you.”