Lecture 4: Devils and Daemons in Blues and Rock

Vesa Matteo PiluduHelsinki

Department of Comparative Religion

University of Helsinki

Robert Johnson, blues and rock folklore

The topics of the Robert Johnson’s lyrics and legend (hoodoo, love spells Devils, blues spirits) are extremely popular in

blues lyrics

Rock music, practically born from blues, herded all this folklore themes, that has been reinterpreted in an original way by several authors

The “damned” but sensual and fascinating Robert Johnson became also a kind of “model” for blues and rock stars

Website about blues lyrics and hoodoo

http://www.luckymojo.com/blues.html#why

SOLD IT TO THE DEVIL by Merline (The Yas yas Girl) Johnson

I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil and my heart has turned to stone

I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, and he won't let me alone     I'm hateful and I'm evil, I carries a Gatling gun     I drink carbolic acid, be darned if I will run

But I sold it, I have sold it Sold it to the Devil, and my heart has turned to stone.

Female Hoodoo

HOODOO BLUES by Bessie Brown

I'm on the war path now, I'm mean and evil I vow, Some woman stole my man, to get even I've a plan.

Gonna sprinkle ding 'em dust all around her door Gonna sprinkle ding 'em dust all around her door Put a spider in her dumplin', make her crawl all over the floor

Mojo Hands for women and men

MOJO HAND BLUES by Ida Cox

I'm going to Louisiana, to get myself a mojo hand I'm going to Louisiana, to get myself a mojo hand 'Cause these backbiting women are trying to take my man

MOJO HAND by Lightnin' Hopkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNDJF4azgog&feature=related

I'm goin' to Louisiana, and get me a mojo hand I'm goin' to Louisiana, and get me a mojo hand I'm gonna fix my woman so she can't have no other man

Cold ground was my bed last night, rocks was my pillow too I woke up this morning,

          I'm wondering, "What in the world am I gonna do?" I lay down thinking, "Buy me a mojo hand."

HOO DOO BLUES by HARRY CHATMON

I'm the old hoodoo, works with white mojo (=white magic hoodoo)I'm the old hoodoo, works with white mojo, I can get a woman a man, anywhere I go.

A woman come to me, beggin' and cryin', "Someone have done went and took that man of mine;" "Listen, sweet mama, looked at your hand, Go back home and control your man."

(…) I'll tell you one thing, sweet mama, what you'll have to do,

Go down town and get you a old horseshoe. Come back home and fix it up over your front door, Bet you five dollars your man'll never leave home no more.

Lightnin’ Hopkins: Black Ghost Blues

Black ghost, black ghost, please stay away from my doorBlack ghost, black ghost, will you please stay away from my doorYeah you know you worry po' Lightnin' so now, I just can't sleep no more

Yeah you know I go to dreaming first night, black ghost is all po' Lightnin' can seeI go to dreaming first night, black ghost is all po' Lightnin' can seeYou know that's why I begin to wonder why you keeps on worryin' me

Black ghost is a picture, and the black ghost is a shadow tooWhoa black ghost is a picture, and the black ghost is a shadow tooYou just can see him, but you can't hear him talkin'Ain't nothin' else that a black ghost can doBlack Ghost Blues!

THE JINX BLUES [No. 1] by Son House

Well, I got up this mornin', jinx all 'round           jinx all 'round, 'round my bed,

Know I thought about you and, honey, and it like to kill me dead (…) You know the blues ain't nothing but a low down shaking,

          low down shakin', achin' chill (…) Well, blues, blues, is a worried heart,

          is a worried heart, heart disease (…) Know, 'clare the woman you be lovin', man, is so doggone hard to

please (…)Mmm, I rather be outdoors, walkin' up,           walkin' up, and down the road (…)

I said, look a here, darlin', honey, don't you try to cry no more, Well, when I leave this time, I'm gonna hang crepe on your door

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r62FNK3JCqs

Son House "Death Letter Blues"

Son House "Death Letter Blues" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdgrQoZHnNY

Cassandra Wilson "Death letter" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFvnT0X9eFQ

I got a letter this morning, how do you reckon it read?"Oh, hurry, hurry, gal, you love is dead"I got a letter this morning, how do you reckon it read?"Oh, hurry, hurry, gal, you love is dead"

Son House "Death Letter Blues"

I grabbed my suitcase, I took off, up the roadI got there, she was laying on the cooling boardI grabbed my suitcase, I took on up the roadI got there, she was laying on the cooling board

Well, I walked up close, I looked down in her faceGood old gal, you got to lay here till Judgment DayI walked up close, and I looked down in her faceYes, been a good old gal, got to lay here till Judgment Day

(…) Oh, some people tell me the worried blues ain't bad

It's the worst old feelin' that I ever hadSome people tell me the worried blues ain't badBuddy, the worst old feelin', Lord, I ever had

Hmmm, I fold my arms, and I walked away"That's all right, mama, your trouble will come someday"

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS - I Put A Spell On YouRecorded also by Nina Simone, Nick Cave, Natasha Atlas and many more …

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=mR81PGlBeqE&feature=related

'I Put A Spell On You'. Nina Simone (1968)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORSzfw8FE-o&feature=related

I put a spell on youcause you're mine

You better stop the things you doI ain’t lyin’No I ain’t lyin’

You know I cant stand itYou’re runnin’ aroundYou know better daddyI cant stand it cause you put me down

I put a spell on youBecause you’re mineYou’re mine

I love yaI love youI love youI love you anyhowAnd I don’t careIf you don't want meI'm yours right nowYou hear meI put a spell on youBecause you're mine

I ain't superstitious – Willie Dixon 1962 recorded also by The Rolling Stones (1978)

Well, I ain't superstitious, black cat just cross my trailWell, I ain't superstitious, oh the black cat just cross my trailDon't sweep me with no broom, I might get put in jail

When my right hand itches, I gets money for sureWhen my right hand itches, I gets money for sureBut, when my left eye jumps, somebody's got to go

(…) Well, the dogs are howlin, all over

the neighborhoodWhoa, the dogs are howlin, all over the neighborhoodThat is true sign of death, baby, that ain't no good

Willie Dixon(William James Dixon)July 1, 1915 - Jan. 29, 1992

Skip James - Devil Got My Woman 1966

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2POWSnStU

I'd rather be the devil, to be that woman manI'd rather be the devil, to be that woman manAw, nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mindWas nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mind

I laid down last night, laid down last nightI laid down last night, tried to take my restMy mind got to ramblin', like a wild geeseFrom the west, from the west

The woman I love, woman that I lovedWoman I loved, took her from my best friendBut he got lucky, stoled her back againAnd he got lucky, stoled her back again

Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil 1968 Beggars Banquet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpNoniDH6IY

Please allow me to introduce myselfI’m a man of wealth and tasteI’ve been around for a long, long yearStole many a mans soul and faith

And I was ‘round when Jesus ChristHad his moment of doubt and pain

Made damn sure that PilateWashed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet youHope you guess my nameBut what's puzzling youIs the nature of my gameI stuck around St. PetersburgWhen I saw it was a time for a change

Killed the czar and his ministersAnastasia screamed in vain

I rode a tankHeld a generals rankWhen the blitzkrieg ragedAnd the bodies stank

Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

Hope you guess my name, oh yeahAh, what's puzzling youIs the nature of my game, oh yeahI watched with glee

While your kings and queensFought for ten decadesFor the gods they madeI shouted out,Who killed the Kennedys?

When after allIt was you and meLet me please introduce myselfI'm a man of wealth and taste

And I laid traps for troubadoursWho get killed before they reached Bombay(…)

Just as every cop is a criminalAnd all the sinners saintsAs heads is tails

Just call me Lucifercause I'm in need of some restraintSo if you meet meHave some courtesy

Have some sympathy, and some tasteUse all your well-learned politesse

Or Ill lay your soul to waste, um yeah

Sympathy, The Master and Margarita

Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste

These opening lines reflect Jagger's direct inspiration by The Master and Margarita, with the book opening with the similar

"'Please excuse me,' he said, speaking correctly, but with a foreign accent, 'for presuming to speak to you without an introduction'"

Richards suggested changing the tempo and using additional percussion

Bruce Sprinsteen – YoungtownLP: The Gost of Tom Joad 1995

Here in north east OhioBack in eighteen-o-threeJames and Danny HeatonFound the ore that was linin' yellow creek

They built a blast furnaceHere along the shoreAnd they made the cannon ballsThat helped the union win the war

Here in YoungstownHere in YoungstownMy sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' downHere darlin' in Youngstown

Kept 'em hotter than hellI come home from 'Nam worked my way to scarferA job that'd suit the devil as well

Taconite, coke and limestoneFed my children and made my payThen smokestacks reachin' like the arms of godInto a beautiful sky of soot and clay

Well my daddy come on the 0hio worksWhen he come home from world war twoNow the yards just scrap and rubbleHe said, "hem big boys did what Hitler couldn't do"These mills they built the tanks and bombs

Bruce Sprinsteen – YoungtownLP: The Gost of Tom Joad 1995

That won this country's warsWe sent our sons to Korea and VietnamNow we're wondering what they were dyin' for

From the Monongaleh valleyTo the Mesabi iron rangeTo the coal mines of AppalacchiaThe story's always the sameSeven-hundred tons of metal a dayNow sir you tell me the world's changedOnce I made you rich enoughRich enough to forget my name

When I die I don't want no part of heavenI would not do heavens work wellI pray the devil comes and takes meTo stand in the fiery furnaces of hell

The lyrics ego want to be punished as Robert Johnson in Me and the Devil blues

Bruce Springsteen - Devils and Dust 2005

I got my finger on the triggerBut I don't know who to trustWhen I look into your eyesThere's just devils and dustWe're a long, long way from home, BobbieHome's a long, long way from usI feel a dirty wind blowingDevils and dust

I got God on my sideAnd I'm just trying to surviveWhat if what you do to surviveKills the things you loveFear's a powerful thing, babyIt can turn your heart black you can trustIt'll take your God filled soulAnd fill it with devils and dust

Well I dreamed of you last nightIn a field of blood and stoneThe blood began to dryThe smell began to riseWell I dreamed of you last night, BobbieIn a field of mud and boneYour blood began to dryAnd the smell began to rise(…)Now every woman and every manThey wanna take a righteous standFind the love that God willsAnd the faith that He commandsI've got my finger on the triggerAnd tonight faith just ain't enoughWhen I look inside my heartThere's just devils and dust

Iron Maiden The number of the beast, 1982

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSPirTVKm9U&feature=related

Woe to You Oh Earth and Seafor the Devil sends the beast with wrathbecause he knows the time is shortLet him who hath understandingreckon the number of the beastfor it is a human numberits number is six hundred and sixty six

I lived alone my mind was blankI needed time to think to get the memories from my mind

What did I see? Could I believe? That what I sawthat night was real and not just fantasy

Just what I saw in my old dreams were theyreflections of my warped mind staring back at me?

The number of the beast, 1982

'Cause in my dreams it's always there the evil face that twists my mind

and brings me to despair - Yeah!

Night was black was no use holding back'Cause I just had to see was someone watching me

In the mist dark figures move and twistwas all this for real or just some kind of hell

6-6-6 the Number of the BeastHell and fire was spawned to be released

Torches blazed and sacred chants were praised

as they start to cry hands held to the sky In the night the fires burning bright the ritual has begun Satan's work is done

The number of the beast, 1982

666 the Number of the Beast Sacrifice is going on tonight

This can't go on I must inform the law Can this still be real or some crazy dream but I feel drawn towards the evil chanting hordes they seem to mesmerize me...can't avoid their eyes

666 the Number of the Beast 666 the one for you and me

I'm coming back I will return And I'll possess your body and I'll make you burn

I have the fire I have the force I have the power to make my evil take its course

The number of the beast isn’t satanistic

The texts tells about an inner struggle against an evil power

The theme is quite similar to the Delta blues’ ones

Metallica: Loverman (Nick Cave)LP: Garage Inc

There's a devil waiting outside your door(How much longer)There's a devil waiting outside your doorIt is bucking and braying and pawing at the floorAnd he's howling with pain andcrawling up the walls

There's a devil waiting outside your doorHe's weak with evil and broken by the worldHe's shouting your name and he's asking for moreThere's a devil waiting outside your door

Forever, Amen Till end of time Take off thatdress I'm coming down I'm your lovermanCause I am what I am what I am what I am

L is for LOVE, babyO is for ONLY you that I doV is for loving VIRTUALLY all that you areE is for loving almost EVERYTHING that you doR is for RAPE meM is for MURDER meA is for ANSWERING all of my prayersN is for KNOWING your loverman's going to be the answer to all of yours

Nick Cave: Loverman 1994

I'll be your loverman! I got a masterplan

To take off your dress And be your man

Seize the throne Seize the mantleSeize the crown

Cause I am what I amWhat I am what I am I'm your loverman!

There's a devil lying by your sideYou might think he's asleepbut look at his eyesHe wants you, baby, to be his brideThere's a devil lying by your sideLoverman! Loverman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WXVG7h0bM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Tl18T38P4&feature=related

Metallica: Loverman (Nick Cave)LP: Garage Inc

Loverman! Till the bitter endWhile empires burn down

Forever and everand ever and ever

Amen I'm your lovermanSo help me, baby So help meCause I am what I am what I am what I amI'll be your loverman!

There's a devil crawling along your floorThere's a devil crawling along your floorWith a trembling heart, he'scoming through your doorWith his straining sex in his jumping paw

There's a devil crawling along your floorAnd he's old and he's stupid andhe's hungry and he's soreAnd he's lame and he's blindand he's dirty and he's poorGive him more

(…)

I'll say it againL is for LOVE, babyO is for O yes I doV is for VIRTUE, so I ain't gonna hurt youE is for EVEN if you want me toR is for RENDER unto me, babyM is for that which is MINEA is for ANY old how, darlingN is for ANY old time