lyr/tune ADD: The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Subject: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From:
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 07:36 AM

Does anyone have the tune for 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia' please - or know where I can get it?

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From: Jon W.
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 10:31 AM

As I remember the Charlie Daniels band version, it didn't have much of a tune - it was mostly narrated. The chorus was an old fiddle tune type of thing. Sorry, guess I'm not being very helpful, am I?

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From: Rob O
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 02:58 PM

I looked this one up in the Roughstock COWPIE index. They have the lyrics listed but no tunes. The song is predominatly narrated, with some singing and fiddle playing... not sure how to find all if it here, but I **did** see a book of music at a local store that had a simple arrangement of the song for piano, and one that *somehow* arranged the fiddles for electric guitar tabs.

Oh, Cowpie is found Here

Good Luck,

Rob O

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From: BSeed
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 06:54 PM

It's my impression that Charlie Daniels wrote "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" to showcase his fiddle playing--it's the story of the devil trying to steal the soul of a fiddler named Johnny by offering him a fiddle made of gold as prize in a fiddling contest between Johnny and the devil. Daniels doesn't quite have the mythic/heroic hubris thing down--the human who gets into a contest with a diety (even the devil) always loses unless he has divine help: Arachne ends up a spider, Bellerophon gets blasted off the winged horse, Daniel Webster wins because he recognizes that all the condemned in the jury are possessed by the spirit of America, John Bosco finally outsings the devil when he finds the right prayer to get God's help. But Johnny beats Satan simply because he can play fiddle better.

Sometime after he recorded the piece, Charlie Daniels cut off his fingers with a chainsaw. --seed

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From: BSeed
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 06:59 PM

I'd like to make it clear that my sympathies are with Charlie Daniels--I hope in my previous post that I didn't sound as if I think he deserved his fate. I was just pointing out the irony. --seed

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From: alison
Date: 26 Sep 98 - 12:12 AM

Hi,

which particular bit of the tune were you looking for? As the others have said , most of it is spoken apart from the devil's (guitar)solo, and Johnny's (fiddle) solo.

The only singing bit that has a tune is the "fire on the mountains....." bit

I tried to work it out for a band one time, ended up just giving them chords, and saying listen to the track and try to make those fit!

good luck

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From:
Date: 26 Sep 98 - 01:16 PM

The part of the tune that I am looking for is the fiddle part - (for playing on a fiddle, not to transpose for another instrument). Many thanks to those who replied; I have the words, but it's the fiddle music I really need.

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From:
Date: 29 Sep 98 - 04:02 AM

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that the tune used was a Vasser Clements number. Possibly called something like 'Lonesome Fiddle Blues'. Perhaps this will jog some better memories than mine?

Brian

Subject: Tune Add: THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA
From: alison
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 09:00 PM

Hi,

sorry it took so long to get back with the music but as you know Mudcat crashed.

Now I know the music isn't exactly what is played but it's as good as I can do by ear. a lot of it is probably improvised and varies from performance to performance anyway. I also did it at slow speed. So feel free to crank up the tempo and off you go.

I have done it in 3 separate bits.

1. The Intro

2. Fire on the mountain and the solo. (I have left bars of rests where the singing fits in.)

3. End bit, which is tagged on to the middle of the solo in part 2.

Hope you can follow this.

Slainte

alison

MIDI file: DEVGEO1.MID

Timebase: 480

Name: nameless
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: F
Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
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End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
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Q:1/4=160
K:F
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D8||

MIDI file: DEVGEO2.MID

Timebase: 480

Name: nameless
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Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
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End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:nameless
M:4/4
Q:1/4=160
K:F
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CCECCCEE|FEFGFEDE|FEFGFEDA,|CG,CDECEF|GAGFECDE|
FEFGFEDE|FEFGFEDA,|CG,CDECEF|GAGFECDE|FEFGFEDE|
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MIDI file: DEVGEO3.MID

Timebase: 480

Name: nameless
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: F
Tempo: 150 (400000 microsec/crotchet)
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End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:nameless
M:4/4
Q:1/4=150
K:F
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B,CB,F,A,B,A,E,|G,5/4A,3/4G,E,F,G,F,E,|D,2D,6|
||

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 09 Oct 98 - 03:23 AM

If you want to play along with some midis of this tune there a number at:

http://kwest.net/multi-media/sound/midi/sequences/general_midi/!country/Daniels,%20Charlie/

I haven't tried any of these out. I'm sure that Alison's transcriptions will be your best guide for the fiddle tunes.

Regards
John

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From:
Date: 09 Oct 98 - 03:49 PM

Part of the fiddle tune was The Devil's Dream, aka The Devil's Elbow, which would be appropriate enough to the song in question.

Listen to K & A McGarrigle's "Goin' Back To Harlan" on their "Matapedia" CD. Part of the tune in question is played between the verses, after the line "and wake the devil from his dream". The Devil's Dream, or La Reve Du Diable as they call it in Quebec. Maybe it goes by a different name in the States.

It is also on Stringband's Live album, played with "Big John MacNeil" as it often is up here. (Toronto Stringband, not the UK one.) I suppose if I look around I might find it elsewhere on some of my records or CD's.

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From:
Date: 12 Oct 98 - 03:42 AM

Thanks very much to everyone who helped me out on the tune, especially Alison. I'll send it to my friend, who is the fiddler. Possible other origins are interesting too, there seems to be some confusion as to whether Charlie Daniels wrote the fiddle tune himself or not? Does anyone know for certain??

Sue

Subject: RE: The Devil Went Down To Georgia
From:
Date: 14 Oct 98 - 08:59 PM

Now I think I am wrong. This is what comes from posting and going by memory. I would have sworn on a stack of bibles that the tune Johnny plays is The Devil's Dream, mixed with something else, but when I was out driving later I had second thoughts. I no longer own The Devil Went Down To Georgia so I can't check, and so I can't be so sure. I might well be confusing it with the manic version by The Stringband.

Subject: Words to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
From:
Date: 07 Jan 99 - 04:28 PM

I can't find the words to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" in the database. One of my sons told me he heard it played recently on a classic rock station. I don't remember hearing it during the big "folk" years on radio -- guess I missed it somehow.

Subject: Lyr Add: DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Jan 99 - 05:52 PM

Hi - Click here for a previous thread on the song. The lyrics are at Cowpie and the International Lyrics Server, but I suppose it's worth posting them.

Devil Went Down to Georgia
words & music by Tommy Crain, Charlie Daniels, Taz DiGregorio, Fred Edwards, Charles Hayward, & Jim Marshall, 1979

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-bitch,
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.....

Subject: RE: "The Devil Went Down..."
From:
Date: 24 Jan 99 - 04:15 PM

Thanks for posting the words. I was surprised to learn that this is a modern song, not an actual folk song. I have been finding that out lately about a lot of songs that I'd always assumed were "traditional"!

Subject: Lyr req: the devil went down to georgia
From: Ian
Date: 21 Mar 02 - 10:48 AM

Can any one assist with the words to The devil went down to georgia

Subject: RE: Lyr req: the devil went down to georgia
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Mar 02 - 10:56 AM

Right here!

Subject: RE: Lyr req: the devil went down to georgia
From: Amos
Date: 21 Mar 02 - 04:30 PM

And if you're working that theme ya gotta go back to Challenge 18 and look at this brilliant piece by Lin of Kansas.

It's a winnah...

A

Subject: RE: Lyr req: the devil went down to georgia
From: Ian
Date: 22 Mar 02 - 03:53 AM

thanks folks

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Devil Went Down to Georgia
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 08 - 03:45 PM

Learn "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" by Vassar Clements. That IS the tune that Charlie Daniels, uh, borrowed from Vassar Clements. I know this as a fact. Well, at least that is what Vassar told me, and he was not pleased, as Charlie did not ask Vassar to use it, and did not thank Vassar for helping with his biggest hit.
If you want to do it as Charlie did it, just move everything up one octave.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Devil Went Down to Georgia
From: Paul Burke
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 03:18 AM

The best version of this was by Jolly Jok of Biggles- who did it on trombone. He also did a stunning (solo) version of Duelling Trombones.

Subject: RE: lyr/tune ADD: The Devil Went Down to Georgia
From: GUEST,Charlotte
Date: 03 Feb 09 - 07:54 AM

Does anyone know where i can find fee sheet music for The Devil Went Down to Georgia