“Looking For A Devil” - a song about selling your soul
The classic story of selling your soul to the worlds most famous buyer of said merchandise. We’ve heard it all before, but I got to thinking of a character who is down on his luck and it’s the last thing that he has to give to just get by another day. Let the hunt begin.
Backstory
I was sitting outside in my backyard, just plucking at my guitar, looking at the back of my house and thinking of all the projects that I have to do and haven’t started. If I was a millionaire I could just throw money at problems, but how would that change the person that I am?
The night before I had played a show at The Rialto in Kenmore and had been listening to a songwriter Joe Wunderle play after. I loved how he took such a classic approach to his songwriting and playing style, it put me in a place of respect and thanks for all the folk musicians that have come before us and influenced us. I spent the morning listening to Hank Williams and anyone that Spotify felt was close to him.
I love how the old style of folk is the same guitar patterns over and over but the stories change, and those changes in melody and story are enough to give you a completely unique tune that hits different than all of it’s similar brethren.
**While I was writing this song a walnut fell from my tree and gave me a good surprise as it nicked my ear and thwacked me in the neck. My life flashed before my eyes. Enjoy
Writing Process
I write most of my songs at my desk in my music room, but this one came to me outside. I don’t have a lot of voice memos from it because I was just looping the song and singing it until it was finished.
I had started out thinking I would write in it the key of C with the classic C style fingerpicking where you alternate the bass line, but then I felt like a slow flatpicked tune made more sense. I sat there for probably an hour just working on picking. I am not a very strong flat picker, so I had to repeat these “licks” a lot before they locked in. (Once they did, I felt like a boss, but don’t ask me to do anything different, this is all I have in my toolbox at the moment)
Originally I had been singing looking for “the” devil, but changed it to “a” to represent all of the demons that could be scratching at the door asking for money or some piece of us.
I also like the idea of the protagonist selling their own soul but using that to buy a round for his friends. It’s a simple line, but I like the visual that plays out in my head. I don’t think it’s unusual for us to put others before ourselves, and nothing feels better than sharing with the people you love. An odd sentiment to pull from a song like this, but it’s one that I think of often.
All in all this song came to be in about an hour and half sitting in a half broken chair in my messy backyard, surrounded by stupid black walnuts, noisy chickens, and nosey dogs. Feels right.
***Oddly there is no Notebook page for this one, I just played it until I memorized it, so never wrote it down.
Lyrics
I've been looking for a devil
Try to sell my soul
Rents due and them boys could use another round
Looking for a devil, try to sell my soul
Come get me if you see him round town
Thought that I could make it
Thought that it could be fun
Getting all my money
From guitars and writing songs
But the dollars dried up
I gambled what's left away
Couldn't fill my cup, no matter how I prayed
I've been looking for a devil
Try to sell my soul
Rents due and them boys could use another round
Looking for a devil, try to sell my soul
Come get me if you see him round town
100 dollars, 75, 50 that still sounds nice
A 20, a 10, at least a pack of cigarettes then
I've been looking for a devil
Try to sell my soul
Rents due and them boys could use another round
Looking for a devil, try to sell my soul
Come get me if you see him round town
Come get me if you see him round town