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 upon 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 bet you didn't know it but I'm a fiddle player too
And if you care to make 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 and you're gonna regret
'Cause I'm the best there's ever been

Johnny rosin up your bow an' play your fiddle hard
'Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia an' the devil deals the cards.
Now if you win you'll 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
Then he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss
And a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this

When the devil finished Johnny said well you're pretty good old son
But sit down in that chair right there & let me show you how it's done

He played Fire on the Mountain run boys, run
The devil's in the House of the Rising Sun
Chicken in a 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 wanna try again
I done told you once you son of a gun I'm the best there's ever been

And he played Fire on the Mountain run boys, run
The devil's in the House of the Rising Sun
Chicken in a bread pan pickin' out dough
Granny does your dog bite no child, no