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 up on 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'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 somethin' like this

When the devil finished, Johnny said
"Well, you're pretty good, old 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 rising sun
Chicken in the bread pan pickin' 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 want to try again
'Cause I told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been"