Fiddling with Theology

Theology is regarded by many as a bastion of scholars; a subject too lofty and abstract to affect the simple life of a layman. However, this is entirely untrue. Though often unrecognized, theology pervades every facet of our lives and manifests itself throughout all levels of society.

To prove the ubiquitous nature of theology and its relevance to even the most ignorant of men, we should examine the medium in our society which is often considered the least capable of accurately conveying complex ideas; that is, a medium produced by and directed to people who loudly take pride in their lack of education and cultural progression: namely, country music.

For this seemingly Herculean labor, let us consider the highly-regarded (in certain circles) ultra-country super-classic, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

(city slickers who don’t know the lyrics by heart click here)

On the surface, this song-turned-legend is a lively fiddle-piece commemorating one brash young man’s victory over evil. Closer examination, however, reveals a decidedly darker story concerning human pride and devilish deception.

The song’s opening provides us with the first clue as to its deeper meaning by marking Satan as the focus of the story. Johnny might mistakenly be viewed as the protagonist, but really we are told important character facts only concerning the Devil, such as his state of mind (“in a bind”), his motivation (“he was way behind”), and his objective (“a soul to steal”). Indeed, the entire story develops directly from the actions of Satan.

While Satan should be viewed as the main character, we do learn several things about poor Johnny: He is young, he can play the fiddle well, and he is lacking in common sense. The first two characteristics are directly mentioned in the song lyrics, and the third can be quickly inferred. In the first place he is “sawing” on his fiddle in the vicinity of a “hickory stump.” This imagery of both style and setting instantly moves Johnny out of the sphere of Carnegie Hall and into the realm of “Deliverance.” In addition, while Johnny apparently recognizes the Devil, he fails to grasp the gravity of the situation, and rather than fleeing in stark terror, engages first in banter and then in contest with the great deceiver.

Satan, of course, is no match for this Southern redneck. He has spent thousands of years tricking men, and he instantly exploits a weak spot in his foe, which is Johnny’s noticeable musical talent. Satan recognizes pride of ability and builds on it with a compliment (“you play a pretty good fiddle boy”). This is followed by the introduction of the bait (the golden fiddle) and capped off with a provoking jab at the inflated ego (“I think I’m better than you”). The obvious goal of this little speech is to spur the foolhardy youngster into a fight in which no clear-thinking man would engage.

Johnny then recklessly agrees to a fiddling contest with Satan. Tragedy seems inevitable. Then, surprisingly, Johnny wins the contest! He bests the Devil, wins the golden fiddle, and retains possession of his soul. Or at least, that’s the way it would appear.

One very important questions immediately come to the mind of any sharp observer. How could Satan, an extremely powerful supernatural entity, lose such a simple competition to a boy in the backwoods of Georgia? It is inconceivable, unless, perhaps, the Devil wanted to lose. In which case we must ask ourselves another important question: What exactly did Johnny win?

The obvious answer is that Johnny won a golden fiddle. On further thought, it must be recognized that he also won something less tangible: pride. In fact, as Johnny ran home clutching his prize, his ego must have hovered at the verge of explosion. He was better than Satan. He was “the best that ever been.”

Theologians point to pride as the basis of man’s sin. When man thought that he might be equal to God, he ate the fruit, gained the knowledge, and pitted himself against his creator forever. Fast forward to Johnny, running through the woods, and the folly of man is still raging. A young man capable of defeating Satan on his own is a young man bursting with arrogance. This is a young man who certainly doesn't need God to save his soul from hell.

And what exactly will Johnny do with a golden fiddle anyway? Wouldn’t the Devil had been better off to conjure up a Stradivarius? Satan obviously didn’t care about winning (there weren’t even any judges, or defined terms for winning). By calling the fiddle “golden,” we can only assume that it was of significant material value. So now a excessively-confident young man has within his grasp a small fortune. Johnny's future is shaping up to be grim enough for several more tragic country songs.

It becomes quite clear that Satan never had any intention of winning the fiddling contest. He was battling Johnny on a decidedly different level, and winning every step of the way. Johnny’s limited spiritual knowledge even tried to warn him (“it might be a sin”), but he paid it no heed. Poor Johnny thought he had saved his soul, not realizing that the moment he willing wagered it for fame and fortune was the moment he had lost it forever.

In retrospect, the deceit of Satan is nothing at which to be surprised. After all, from the very beginning of the song we were informed as to Satan’s objective. His aim wasn't to purchase a soul or win one in a fair competition. He was out to “steal” somebody’s soul, and that is precisely what he did.

As you can see, no element of our culture sinks low enough to escape theology, if you take the time to listen and evaluate. The relevant question is actually: how worthwhile is that theology which is being espoused? The answer to that question might be surprisingly complex, even if you're just listening to an uncultured country song.