The Devil Went Down to Georgia Has a Plot Problem Nobody Talks About

Recently, I caught the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band. It's a classic story song about beating the devil in a 'battle of the bands' scenario.

I've heard the song my whole life, and always loved it, but this time it got me thinking about the logic of the song. I know, it's just a song, and I shouldn't worry that much about whether it makes sense. I should just enjoy the rocking country tune and not pick it apart.

BUT, I kept turning the song's story over in my head, and I have some questions.

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was first released in May 1979. It was the first single from The Charlie Daniels Band's album Million Mile Reflections. The inspiration for the song was that the band needed a song that featured fiddles, so Charlie sat down and wrote the song while the band was recording the album.

The song is the Charlie Daniels Band's biggest commercial hit. Recently, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the 120th greatest country song of all time. The song was a big hit upon its release and has become a kind of modern standard.

Why Is the Devil ‘Behind’ on Souls?

The song is a story song. The basic story is that there's this kid in Georgia who is named Johnny. He plays the fiddle. One day, while Johnny was minding his own business, the devil himself showed up and wanted to get Johnny's soul.

Johnny said, 'No,' as you do, so the devil challenges John to a fiddle-off. If the devil wins, he gets Johnny's soul; if Johnny wins, he...gets to keep his soul, I guess.

Now that we're caught up on the basics of the story, I have some questions.

Who is the Devil's Supervisor?

At the beginning of the song, we are told that the devil is, "[I]n a bind 'cause he was way behind...And he was willing to make a deal."

Who is the devil reporting to? Does he have a quota to meet? And if so, who is giving him this quota, and what happens if he doesn't make it? He's the devil! The prince of darkness, the grand evil of the world. But, you're telling me that he exists in the same sort of structure as a car salesperson?

Why Does the Devil Bother Making a Deal?

Again, we're talking about the DEVIL. He is called The Father of Lies and The Wicked One. But, you're telling me that Ol' Scratch has to follow the same rules as Bill and Ted do when they try to pass their history class?

The devil tells Johnny that he, too, is a fiddle player. I didn't realize the devil has hobbies. You'd think that running the underworld would take up most of his day.

Anyway, Belzabub tells Johnny that he will "...bet a fiddle o' gold against your soul, I think I'm better than you."

At this point, I'm not sure why Johnny didn't just say "No." Because it seems like that's all you gotta do to get the devil to leave you alone. Mephistopheles seems to be just a middle manager with no real power.

What Exactly Would You Do With a Gold Fiddle?

By the way, what's Johnny going to do with a fiddle made of gold? I'd guess it'd be pretty heavy. Will our hero have to find some place to melt the fiddle down? Great, what he'd really win would be an errand.

Are you Telling Me the Devil Kept his Word?

So, our hero and satan himself go head-to-head in a fiddle battle for the ages. The devil starts things off and plays his fiddle, which sounds suspiciously like a guitar.

When he finishes, the Devil politely steps aside to let Johnny have his turn. Who knew the devil was so considerate?

Johnny goes nuts on his fiddle. I don't know anything technical about music, but it sure sounds like he played all the notes...so, way to go Big J!

After Johnny rips things up, we are told that the "...ol' Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat." And we learn another interesting fact, the Devil is a good sportsman and plays fair. He gives John the gold fiddle and leaves.

What Have We Learned?

According to this song, the Devil has a quota of souls to steal. We don't know if it's a weekly or daily goal, but it seems like he has a boss who doesn't take kindly to the Devil falling behind. This then drives the OG Captain Evil into a Glengarry Glen Ross level of salesperson desperation.

We also learned that you can trust the devil. Even under his end-of-quarter sales pressure, Mr. Mephistopheles made a promise and kept his word. And it didn't seem to take much effort to convince him to do it.

So remember, if you ever get challenged to a duel with the devil, you have a pretty good chance to talk your way out of giving him your soul while also winning the duel. The more you know...