The Devil Went Down to Georgia | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Dm | C |
| Dm C Bb Am | Gm A7 Dm A C |
| Dm | Dm A C | Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
Verse 1
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
The devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin’ for a soul to steal.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
He was in a bind ’cause he was way behind and he was willin’ to make a deal.
| N.C | N.C |
When he came across this young man sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot.
| N.C | N.C A C |
And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said, “Boy, let me tell you what”
Verse 2
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
“I guess you didn’t know it but I’m a fiddle player too.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
And if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with you.
| N.C | N.C |
Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the devil his due.
| N.C | N.C A C |
I’ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul ‘Cause I think I’m better than you”.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
The boy said, “my name’s Johnny and it might be a sin.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) (A B C) |
But I’ll take your bet, you’re gonna regret ’cause I’m the best there’s ever been”.
Chorus 1
| Dm | C |
Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard.
| Gm | Dm |
‘Cause Hell’s broke loose in Georgia, and the devil deals the cards.
| Dm | Gm |
And if you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold.
| A | (A G F E) |
But if you lose, the devil gets your soul.
Instrumental 1 (violin)
| Dm | C |
| Dm C Bb Am | Gm A7 Dm A C |
| Dm | Dm A C | Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
Verse 3
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
The devil opened up his case and he said, “I’ll start this show”
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
And fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow
| N.C | N.C |
And he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss.
| N.C | N.C A C |
Then a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this:
Instrumental 2 (guitar)
||: Dm Dm7 | C Dm :||
Violin solo 1
||: Dm Dm7 | C Dm :|| x4 (bass line riff)
| Dm Dm7 | C Dm | Dm Dm7 | A5 Bb5 C5 C#5 |
| D5 | D5 A C | Dm | Dm |
Verse 4
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
When the devil finished, Johnny said, “well, you’re pretty good, ol’ son.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it’s done”.
Bridge 1
| Dm | Dm |
“Fire on the Mountain” run boys, run.
| C | C |
The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun.
| Dm | Dm |
Chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough.
| C | C |
Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no.
Violin solo 2
||: Dm | C :|| x3
| A | A | A C | Dm | Dm |
Verse 5
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
The devil bowed his head because he knew that he’d been beat.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny’s feet.
| N.C | N.C |
Johnny said, “Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again.
| N.C | N.C |
I done told you once you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been”.
Bridge 1
| Dm | Dm |
“Fire on the Mountain” run boys, run.
| C | C |
The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun.
| Dm | Dm |
Chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough.
| C | C |
Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no.
Outro
| Dm | C | Dm | C |
| Dm | (D E F G) | (A G F E) |
||: (D C Bb A) :||
| D C Bb A | G F D |
The Devil Went Down to Georgia’s chords, progressions, and TAB
Charlie Daniels Band’s signature song The Devil Went Down To Georgia is a proper challenge, especially if you’re going to attempt to play that fiddle melody on the guitar!
Featured in Guitar Hero, it was tempting to look at how that was played but after listening to the original, I decided to transcribe the fiddle part instead, it is incredible.
The note choices, how it switches from Mixolydian to Ionian, Harmonic Minor to Dorian, I love it!
Since Charlie Daniel’s original release, several acts have covered it, not just Guitar Hero! Rednex, The Levellers, Steve Quimette (that’s the guitar hero version), Nickelback, and even Korn have all had a stab at it.
As a member, you get TAB for how to play the rhythm part, the breakdown riff (which is the blues scale, so many scales in this tune!), and the end which is genius.
However, most importantly, we learn the main fiddle part using TAB, it is a proper challenge. Here’s a link to the full lesson (members only): The Devil Went Down to Georgia chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all my guitar courses, the SEPR practice route, and the eBook Spytunes Method – You can learn guitar!
The Devil Went Down to Georgia chords | Related pages
Advanced Acoustic
The advanced acoustic tunes use big chord extensions and sometimes, unique and complex chords that incorporate open strings.
Study these in-depth and you will gain a complete understanding of the guitar fretboard, including how to build any scale, arpeggio, or chord.
Five related tunes
- Chicken Fried chords
- Cotton Eye Joe chords
- Ring Of Fire chords
- Thank God I’m A Country Boy chords
- Wake Me Up chords
The Charlie Daniels Band
Starting out releasing albums in the early ’70s, The Charlie Daniels Band recorded and toured for half a century.
They are best known for the tunes Uneasy Rider, The Devil Went Down To Georgia, and Simple Man.
The Charlie Daniels Band on the web
Country & Folk
In the primarily acoustic genres of Country & Folk, you must acquire what matters the most: A repertoire. Nothing else will give you the gig.
Learn tunes by Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, America, Don McLean, and many more.
