If the story I heard is true, Jelly Roll Morton was convinced his musical talent derived from the fact his grandmother sold his soul to the devil. The poor fellow supposedly died in terror, sweating on his deathbed, convinced he could feel the flames of hell. It may not be a song about death, but it was certainly a folk belief related to music. Hmm, what happens when the Puritan "ethic" meets African musical joy?

Frank i.t.s.