I'm+gonna+rule+hell+by+myself

=__Blues Music and the Devil __ = = = 

__**Robert Johnson- “Me and the Devil Blues” **__
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 [|This site] contains the song lyrics with a youtube.com feature box playing the audio.

The "devil," called "Satan" in this song, appears to be a co-conspirator of sorts. This devil may or may not have a pitchfork, but he's certainly prodding the subject of the song to "beat [his] woman until [he] gets satisfied." The subject of the song feels mistreated by the woman in his life, and the way he returns that mistreatment has something to do with "that old evil spirit." Legend has it that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his musical talents. Perhaps the woman in the song is a metaphor for the blues, and perhaps the blues are the only thing keeping Robert Johnson tethered to this world. When the devil catches up to him, and the woman (read: the blues) leaves him, his body will be buried by "the highway side," so his "old evil spirit can catch a Greyhound bus and ride." That is, he's eternally stuck at the crossroads where the devil bought his soul.

Robert Johnson’s song “Me and The Devil Blues” features an encounter with the devil: “Me and the Devil / was walkin’ side by side.” The physical description of the man and the devil “walkin’ side by side” gives the impression that the two mirror each-other. This feeds into the cultural construction that the Devil is indeed a black man-- same as in the legend. This reminds me of Shakespeare’s “Aaron the Moor” in Titus Andronicus, also referencing the existence of a black Devil. Essentially: dark skin is beyond physical, it could also be seen as an "evil" characteristic.

__Memphis Minnie-"Hoodoo Lady Blues"__
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[|Lyrics can be found here.] Click here to listen to an MP3 of the Song

The majority of the song is composed of simple repetition of the lines “I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil and my heart done turned to stone /I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, he won't let me alone”, making it seem like the focus of the song is on the devil. In reality, however, the real story is about the man whose point of view the song is in and lies within the verses. When you delete the repetition, you are able to see this more clearly. The lyrics are as follows:

Said I’m hateful and I’m evil, I carries a Gatling gun I drink carbolic acid, be darned if I will run I got a little baker shop right downtown Everything I bake, it is nice and brown My life it is unhappy, it won't last me long Everything I do, seem like I do's it wrong I eat black spider dumplings for my dessert Go to the blacksmith, let him make my shirt I live down in the valley, five hundred steps Where the bears and the tigers, they come to take their rest I went to a place that I knew so well I shot that Devil right in Hell

In this version of the story, you can see that not only is it not about the Devil, but that the Devil is not even the strongest character in the story. The man- the main character- in the song, though “hateful and evil” with an “unhappy life”, is not going down without a fight. He goes down to the place that he knows “so well”, with the shirt that the blacksmith made him as armor and shoots “that Devil right in Hell”. The fact that the fight with the Devil does not occur on the man’s turf, or even a neutral playing ground, but inside the Devil’s own home lessens the Devil’s power that much more. When adding back in the repetition of the lines “I sold my soul to the Devil, he won’t leave me alone,” they serve only as a demonstration of the annoyance that the devil has in the man’s life. The only power that the supposed all-powerful Devil has is almost like a small child poking you repeatedly- irritating, but not harmful. The song does show the power the devil has in ruining lives, however, as the man sells his soul clearly in order to gain something, though we don’t quite know what, and yet finds himself stuck in a life that is full of wrong-doings and hate. The man, though soulless, is able to revenge the sad, empty life he is left with by shooting the Devil to regain some of the things he has lost. Even this action, however, does not restore his heart back to its previous state, but transforms it from the stone that the devil made it, to evil, as the song ends with the line, “Sold it to the Devil, and my heart done turned to [evil]”. 



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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="color: #3b613a; font-family: 'Times','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif';"> Click here for Lyrics

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It doesn't seem to represent the tradition, religious view of the devil with a pitchfork; rather, more like the devil as depicted in folklore. He is a thief or someone with whom a person can make a deal, as many Blues songs depict. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This calls to the relationship between a man and a woman that has gone wrong. The singer, explains that he would rather be the devil than that "woman's man." However, the song explains much more. From the beginning there calls to the idea that she has gone and treated him wrong, and the devil himself (scales and pitchfork) came and take her away. Yet I think the lyrics call to the idea that she is more evil herself (but avoids saying that directly)"Devil Got My Woman - by: Skip James" than the devil who took her away. Through her behavior and possible unfaithfulness she is "taken by the devil" and the "devil gone and changed her mind." Yet, through the blues story she is explained as unfaithful woman who left a man for his best friend then gone back again. Through his sadness and frustration (blues) he writes the devil took her away and changed her mind, rather than her own choice herself. In a way, it seems like, that could hurt less. <span style="color: #3b613a; font-family: 'Times','serif';">

<span style="color: #3b613a; font-family: 'Times','serif';"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> ===__<span style="color: #3b613a; font-family: 'Times','serif';">**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> "Devil's Got the Blues" by Lonnie Johnson ** __===

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|Lyrics] media type="youtube" key="Pp147XFLi4Y" height="344" width="425"

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times','serif';">The devil is definitely not depicted as a red, scaly devil in this song.The blues is being compared to the devil. In fact, the blues and the devil are a partner. The blues loads the gun and the devil pulls the trigger. The blues is more evil than devil.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|Link to Lyrics] media type="youtube" key="DdktFeIu4Xo" height="344" width="425" Stagolee (also Stagalee, Staggerlee, Stacker Lee, Stack O'Lee) is one of the most famous of American ballads and exists in many different versions. The devil of the song seems to be someone to be negotiated with; Stagolee seems to be working out a deal with the devil that will allow him to be just as violent and rambunctious as he is on earth.

===<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> __**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Brownie McGee "Dealing with the Devil" (1941) **__ ===

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|Listen to the song here.] Lyrics: Been dealin with the devil Been dealing with the devil I been dealing with the devil Momma don't love me no more

Put a lotta salt in my gravy Put ash in my tea I know about that She tryin to poison me

Been dealin with the devil Been dealing with the devil I been dealing with the devil Momma don't love me no more

Got a shotgun in the corner Blackjack on the bed Wants to catch me sleeping So she can put my head

Been dealin with the devil Been dealing with the devil I been sleeping with the devil Momma don't love me no more

It seems the devil in the song is the man himself. His momma is trying to kill him for it, so it seems he's the evil one just as much as the devil. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> I found a webpage with a link to a lot of blues songs which deal with the devil – this is the introductory passage of the listing, which I thought was pretty informative:

“Long known as the "devil's music," thanks to the legend surrounding bluesman Robert Johnson's alleged deal with the devil at a Mississippi crossroads, "Old Nob," as he's known, has become firmly identified with blues music. The devil is often just a metaphor used by blues singers to describe a cheatin' woman, a bad boss, or even the evil in the world, and not a literal being. Still, from his first appearance in Clara Smith's 1924 song "Done Sold My Soul To The Devil," the devil persists in the culture of the blues. Let's take a look at some of the most popular blues songs to evoke the devil's name.“

http://blues.about.com/od/earlybluesessentials/tp/DevilMusic.htm

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> This song deals with the death of Patton’s mother. Patton makes the devil responsible for the grief he is experiencing about the loss of his beloved mother. media type="youtube" key="CJNWxNZ7138" height="344" width="425"

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> http://www.lyricsdepot.com/peetie-wheatstraw/devils-son-in-law.html lyrics <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> So I couldn't find a link to the song without paying for it. However I thought this artist and this song was worthy enough of putting up anyway. This song was written by Peetie Wheatstraw, I think in 1930, I've attached a link to the lyrics, but there was movie made in the 1970s called 'devils son-in-law' the name of this song. One video is for the beginning sequence to the movie and I thought it was very entertaining.

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Somewhere in the movie the devil walks in on peetie and it is a comical devil.

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THE DEVILS SON-IN-LAW

I think the previous links were very interesting, especially the beginning sequence, because it seems so literal, including the comical devil later. This song doesn't appear to be about a literal devil, rather Peetie seems to be writing a song about his women troubles. I'd now be reallly curious to hear some of his other songs or see the movie based on his life. If anyone comes across this song link please post it, i'll keep looking as well.