# The devil went down to georgia - The devil won hands down **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487 "2003-10-20T09:52:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/1 "2003-10-20T09:52:31Z")
I heard **The devil went down to georgia** the other day after years of not hearing it. I have to say, IMO, the devil played better. Johnny’s part plays more like a worn out square dance, but the devil’s section flat-out rocked. I think the devil got a bum deal in that song. Anyone else agree with me on this? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/2 "2003-10-20T10:01:44Z")
Bizarrely, this occurred to me just last week, when the song was on a BBC TV show. The fiddle playing blows. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/3 "2003-10-20T11:29:52Z")
Sounds like ole Beezlebub is having some sort of spastic episode when he’s playing. It’s like he’s trying to saw the fiddle in half. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/4 "2003-10-20T11:33:01Z")
I prefer the _ **Band of Demons™** _ anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/5 "2003-10-20T11:37:21Z")
That’s always bothered me about this song; I figured the only reason the devil “lost” was because he cheated by having the band of demons join in. ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/6 "2003-10-20T12:19:12Z")
I haven’t heard that song in years but I totally agree. I always thought the devil should have one. I wonder if anyone has ever mentioned that to Charlie Daniels (is that who sung it?). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/7 "2003-10-20T12:25:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zap\_Rowsdower \* > **I always thought the devil should have one.** Have one what? ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/8 "2003-10-20T12:31:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Have one what? \*\* D’oh “won” ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/9 "2003-10-20T12:37:40Z")
No No No… Remember, guys: it’s a country song (old school). Johnny won because he was playing country fiddle. The devil played a sort of rock/disco cross thing. That’s why he lost. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/10 "2003-10-20T12:38:54Z")
Sorry, the Devil made me do it (he told me he’d get Charlie Daniels to play the fiddle again if I didn’t). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/11 "2003-10-20T12:53:48Z")
Then you did the correct thing. (but I still prefer when others errors are pointed out instead of mine) ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/12 "2003-10-20T13:19:57Z")
Check out the Primus version sometime. It’s… different. ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/13 "2003-10-20T13:50:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anonymous Coward \* > \*\*Check out the Primus version sometime. It’s… different. \*\* Well, as long as we’re drifting, let me mention _Mono Puff_’s re-working of the concept as “The Devil Went Down to Newport.” In that one, Jesus and the Devil have a surfing competition – and the Son of God wins by invoking some very politically incorrect lookism. It’s a very different song, but listening to the two back-to-back is quite fun. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/14 "2003-10-20T13:53:30Z")
Devil. Definately. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/15 "2003-10-20T14:09:37Z")
Try to get a listen to David Allen Coe’s “The Devil Went Down to Jamaica” Now THAT’s different 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/16 "2003-10-20T15:45:59Z")
Johnny Cash, bless his soul, collaborated with Charlie D on a sequel called “The Devil Went Back Down to Georgia” which AFAICT is almost exactly the same song. Johnny (in the song) wins again, of course, even though the Devil destroys his golden fiddle he won the last time. Not one of Cash’s best. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/17 "2003-10-20T15:51:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Well it looked like I was gonna be stuck here as far as I could tell > I thought I might as well suck up you know what the hell > I said you know that young that Charlie Daniels did > About how you went down to Georgia and played fiddle against that kid > He said yeah it broke my heart but you know what are you gonna do > I said to tell you the truth I thought your solo was the better of the two -Ray Wylie Hubbard, _Conversation with the Devil_ from **Crusades of the Restless Nights**. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/18 "2003-10-20T15:55:07Z")
Corrections: “I said you know that song that Charlie Daniels did” **Crusades of the Restless Knights** ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/19 "2003-10-21T05:50:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*No No No… > > Remember, guys: it’s a country song (old school). > > Johnny won because he was playing country fiddle. The devil played a sort of rock/disco cross thing. That’s why he lost. \*\* It’s less of a talent contest and more a genre contest? Well,. I think they should have pointed that out before the contest started. I don’t think the devil understood that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487/20 "2003-10-21T05:57:24Z")
The Devil was so great? Dude, _I_ can make those noises with my fiddle. And my fiddle has a warped bow, the tuning knobs are stripped so they fall back out of tune as soon as you wind them, and I’ve never had a single lesson in my entire life. A spastic monkey could have played the Devil’s solo if he had a talented backup band, which is exactly what Old Scratch did with his band of demons joining in. Johnny, on the other hand, actually had to fiddle some. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-the-devil-won-hands-down/208487.md?page=2)