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[–] 44 points 2 months ago (12 children)

The old story/song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," isn't about a young man winning a bet against the Devil that he's a better fiddle player. It's the devil tricking poor Johnny into the sins of pride and greed.

The Devil pretended to lose so that Johnny would think that he was the best fiddle player in the world, even better than the all-powerful devil himself. (Pride) And then Johnny claims a reward of a solid-gold fiddle. (Greed) Johnny just cursed his soul to damnation, thinking he could actually beat the devil at his own game. It was a no-win scenario; the devil claims his soul either way.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    It was a no-win scenario

    Johnny could have just said "Beat it, dipshit." When the devil offered him a bet.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    Yrah, he could have said "beat it, just beat it."

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  • [–] 12 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    This is emphasized in the song by the fact that the Devil's fiddling is way better than Johnny's.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago

    The interpretation I’ve heard is that the Devil does genuinely lose, because he doesn’t understand the cultural aspects of what it means to “fiddle.”

    Like, what’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin? They’re the same instrument, but played differently. The Devil is able to master the technical aspects, but the point of a fiddle is to play songs to get people to dance - standards that they know and love. It’s not about hitting all the notes right, it’s about being the right kind of performer.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago*

    That's certainly an interpretation, but I don't think it's necessarily canon. The sequel makes it ambiguous as to whether Johnny committed the sin of pride, or if he was simply correct about being the best there's ever been. The fact that The Devil Comes Back to Georgia opens with the devil being furious that he lost kind of implies the latter

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