# What did Johnny play to beat the Devil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072 "2006-11-28T14:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/1 "2006-11-28T14:50:11Z")
In _The Devil Went Down to Georgia_, the devil challenges Johnny to a fiddlin’ contest. The Devil plays first, and we hear him as an instrumental–technically very astute, but perhaps lacking a certain artistic _elan_. He’s the devil, after all. Then Johnny plays, and Charlie Daniels narrates over the music to tell us what he’s playing: > [@](#): > > Fire on the mountain, run boys run > Devil’s in the house of the rising sun > Chicken in the bed pan, picking out dough > Granny does your dog bite, no child no However, as I am not a devotee of country or bluegrass music, none of the above means anything to me. The “house of the rising sun” is perhaps a reference to the song made famous by the Animals, although that song doesn’t sound anything like the exuberant fiddling being played in the background. Are these real songs, or snippets of lyrics from real songs? What the heck is Johnny playing? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/2 "2006-11-28T15:09:08Z")
[QUOTE=Freddy the Pig] The “house of the rising sun” is perhaps a reference to the song made famous by the Animals [/QUOTE] Unlikely - I think the folk song you’re referring to predates The Animals’ song by quite a bit. > **[The House of the Rising Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Rising_Sun)** > > "The House of the Rising Sun" is an American traditional folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid the same fate. The most successful commercial version, recorded in 1964 by the English rock band The Animals, was a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and in the US and Canada. As a traditional folk song recorded by an electric rock band, it has been d Th... ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/3 "2006-11-28T15:13:46Z")
It’s “Chicken in a **bread** pan pickin’ out dough…”, not “_bed_ pan,” you know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/4 "2006-11-28T15:27:44Z")
**Fire on the mountain** , run boys run Devil’s in the **house of the rising sun** **Chicken in the bread pan** , picking out dough **Granny does your dog bite** , no child no The bolded bits are all titles of traditional Appalachian songs, though the fiddle playing we hear in “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” doesn’t actually match any of them, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/5 "2006-11-28T15:29:13Z")
[QUOTE=robby] It’s “Chicken in a **bread** pan pickin’ out dough…”, not “_bed_ pan,” you know. 😉 [/QUOTE] That is going to have to go into the funny “Misheard Lyrics” file. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/6 "2006-11-28T15:37:04Z")
[Fire on the Mountain](http://www.mandolinsessions.com/apr06/FireMountain.html) And I may have to correct myself. I think the “Granny does your dog bite?” line is part of the same song as “Chicken in the bread pan.” ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/7 "2006-11-28T15:39:15Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] [Fire on the Mountain](http://www.mandolinsessions.com/apr06/FireMountain.html) And I may have to correct myself. I think the “Granny does your dog bite?” line is part of the same song as “Chicken in the bread pan.” [/QUOTE] So it seems: [http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/master/chickeninthebread.html](http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/master/chickeninthebread.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/8 "2006-11-28T15:43:02Z")
This guy raises a few good points: > [@](#): > > 1. The Devil won that fiddling contest, right? > > 2. Because isn’t that totally amazing fiddle feedback thing the Devil plays (which sounds like Hendrix gone bluegrass) a hundred times better than that high-school-band piece-of-crap tune Johnny plays? [Thirty-Nine Questions for Charlie Daniels Upon Hearing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”](http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2005/8/16moe.html) ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/9 "2006-11-28T15:49:56Z")
Am I the only one who thought the devil actually won? Starts with a nice guitar riff / shuffle and then a bass line doubling over with the keyboard --and this by a band of demons mind you who are generally not considered to be the most musically talented in the spirit world… The devil was screwed I tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/10 "2006-11-28T15:59:14Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] That is going to have to go into the funny “Misheard Lyrics” file. [/QUOTE] More like mis-typed lyrics. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/11 "2006-11-28T16:08:01Z")
[Futurama quote] **Fry:** Wouldn’t a solid gold fiddle weigh hundreds of pounds and sound crummy? [/Futurama quote] ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/12 "2006-11-28T17:20:22Z")
The thing we have to remember about this song is that Charlie Daniels never actually wrote any lyrics for it. Like “Sweet Home Alabama” was to Lynyrd Skynyrd, this was a throwaway song, never really meant to be a hit. Daniels has said in several interviews that they made it up as they went along, so it’s not surprising that the song’s lyrics raised at least 39 questions about it. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/13 "2006-11-28T17:45:42Z")
I thought Judge Mills Lane disqualified the Devil when the band of demons jumped in. Clearly with the demon backing group, the Devil had a patently unfair advantage. So Johnny didn’t actually even have to play well, he simply had to play and got the walkover victory. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/14 "2006-11-28T17:46:13Z")
Johnny - A little bit country The Devil - A little bit rock and roll ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/15 "2006-11-28T18:01:06Z")
Bluegrass/jazz fiddler Vassar Clements claimed most of the music was stolen from his “_Lonesome Fiddler Blues_,” which Vassar wrote in the 1940s. So, if the claim is valid, Johnny played _Lonesome Fiddler Blues_. ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/16 "2006-11-28T18:09:39Z")
[QUOTE=minlokwat] Am I the only one who thought the devil actually won? Starts with a nice guitar riff / shuffle and then a bass line doubling over with the keyboard --and this by a band of demons mind you who are generally not considered to be the most musically talented in the spirit world… The devil was screwed I tell you. [/QUOTE] Listen again, my friend. I think you’ll find that the Devil was quite clearly playing disco. Automatic disqualification. And to give a semi-serious answer to the OP, the lyrics in Johnny’s chorus are call-outs to ‘classic’ country fiddle tunes, wheras the Devil was clearly playing that sinful boojie-woojie music. Hence, Johnny wins. thwartme ---
**Author:** ![JacksonRoykirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e79b87/32.png) [@JacksonRoykirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacksonRoykirk)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/17 "2006-11-28T18:35:20Z")
Why did the Devil win? Easy. He bet on Johnny, then took a dive. He has a history of doing things like that. See South Park episode 108, “Damien.” ---
**Author:** ![JacksonRoykirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e79b87/32.png) [@JacksonRoykirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacksonRoykirk)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/18 "2006-11-28T18:36:43Z")
[QUOTE=JacksonRoykirk] Why did the Devil win? Easy. He bet on Johnny, then took a dive. He has a history of doing things like that. See South Park episode 108, “Damien.” [/QUOTE] D’oh! :smack: I meant, “Why did the Devil let Johnny win?” ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/19 "2006-11-28T18:47:53Z")
Isn’t it the case that Johnny played all those songs the narrator mentioned? If so, I suppose those are really good, and that is the reason that Johnny wins. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072/20 "2006-11-28T19:00:46Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] Isn’t it the case that Johnny played all those songs the narrator mentioned? If so, I suppose those are really good, and that is the reason that Johnny wins. [/QUOTE] I’m willing to accept that they couldn’t fit the entire competition into a four-minute pop tune, so we only hear _excerpts_ of each player playing. In the “real” competition, Johnny would play, or at least sample, each of the songs mentioned. For the record, based on the excerpts, I’ve always felt that Johnny won, but I have a tin ear for this kind of stuff. Thanks for the links, folks. One more question–in the “Bluegrass Messenger”, it says that _Granny does your dog bite_ “also is a floating title”. What does this mean? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-johnny-play-to-beat-the-devil/382072.md?page=2)