Devil Got My Woman
James Skip Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd rather be the devil, to be that woman's man
I'd rather be the devil, to be that woman's man
Aw, nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mind
Was nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mind

I laid down last night, laid down last night
I laid down last night, tried to take my rest
My mind got to ramblin', like a wild geese

From the west, from the west

The woman I love, woman that I loved
Woman I loved, took her from my best friend

But he got lucky, stoled her back again
And he got lucky, stoled her back again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to James Skip's song "Devil Got My Woman" tell a tale of heartbreak, betrayal, and a desire for revenge. The singer sings that he would rather be the devil than to be the woman's man because nothing but the devil changed his woman's mind away from him. He sings about his restlessness and how his mind wanders like wild geese from the west. The woman he loves is taken from him by his best friend, but he is able to steal her back again.

The repetition of the phrase "I'd rather be the devil" is a powerful way to express the singer's feelings of heartbreak and defeat. The devil is often portrayed as an evil entity, but the singer sees him as a preferable option to being rejected and abandoned by the woman he loves. The line "nothing but the devil changed my baby's mind" suggests that something supernatural or even diabolical has interfered with his relationship. The mention of his mind wandering like wild geese conveys the singer's sense of aimlessness and a lack of control over his circumstances.

Overall, the lyrics to "Devil Got My Woman" are a poignant and evocative portrayal of a man grappling with the pain of lost love and the desire for vengeance.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd rather be the devil, to be that woman's man
The singer thinks it's better to be evil and have that woman as his partner.

Aw, nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mind
The singer believes that only the devil's persuasion could make his lover change her mind.

I laid down last night, laid down last night
The singer went to bed last night.

I laid down last night, tried to take my rest
The artist attempted to sleep.

My mind got to ramblin', like a wild geese
The artist's thoughts began to wander aimlessly like a flock of wild geese.

From the west, from the west
The singer's wandering thoughts were directionless.

The woman I love, woman that I loved
The singer is referring to the woman that he loved.

Took her from my best friend
The artist's former best friend captured the affections of his lover.

But he got lucky, stoled her back again
The artist's ex-friend was able to take back the woman, but only by chance or fate.

And he got lucky, stoled her back again
The ex-friend was again able to take the artist's lover, but only because of luck or happenstance.

Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: SKIP JAMES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@tombeaudry3143

8y↑1.8K

"Do you have any records like that?"..."There aren't any other records like that!!"

@szabilovag

8y↑9

yiss

@mikeshaffer4912

8y↑36

+Thomas Beaudry Niice! :) I just saw that movie and had to look this up to hear if they used the original Skip James version, and they did in Ghost World.

@factumDiabolus

Bojler van elado? :P

@ironmaz1

8y↑7

yes yes robert crumb!

@williamzamora3196

8y↑16

watching the movie right now

38 More Replies...

@markmarsh27

10y↑369

This is as genuine as it gets. I've never heard Skip James before. I feel like I've had my head stuck in a hole in the ground. What a treasure he is.

@NFL294

9y↑12

I feel the same as you,there's so much music that never gets radio play.My father had a very large record collection [remember records?].He had Dixie land,swing,big bands,jazz,blues,folk,so I was kinda of lucky to be exposed to these little gems as a young boy

@antonmikofsky2073

7y↑1

play all of his, both copied old 78s and the "rediscovery" live & studio sets from 1960s

@richardbrown5517

3y↑1

Well, it was 1930.

@crasherxtreme

Also. Checkout lightning Hopkins but you probably know bout him. Shotgun blues. And Blind Willie Johnson. Keep your lamps trimmed and burning

@crasherxtreme

@Richard Brown I think this is actually 20's but I might be mistaken. It was before Robert Johnson. Johnson was the 30's

1 More Replies...

@argaven

2y↑18

The greatest blues song every written? Arguably yes.

@markkubiak8296

19w

I bought a Skip James record in 1967. This was my favorite song.

@UncleRaj1

11w

This is a top contender but imo bring me my shotgun by lightnin hopkins might have that title

@frankhamilton3874

8y↑350

"The woman I loved." That line, said three times, is the saddest sound a person can make. By the third time, chills. Every time.

@jakedillion9597

7y↑4

Frank Hamilton you feel it too, I'm going through it

@condowrangler606

6y↑8

Yeah...if you want another absolute heart-breaker, listen to Son House - Death Letter

@andrewmair7371

5y↑2

Jake Dillion I trust you emerged relatively unscathed old friend ... ALL things do pass & we’re (usually) better people for it 🎸🥁🎯

@megisynynef2224

3y↑1

I laid down last night, tried to get my rest........

@spudcustardx1

8y↑182

this still blows me away, cant think of anything intelligent to say, what's the point, when I'm long gone this will still be listened to. I guess I'm proud to have loved it

@chri5o317

6y↑6

You said something intelligent

@0patience4flz

Be proud spudcustard!

@mE-zx7pt

3y↑2

You said it well.

@marcelabr

Profound.

@kanshou

14y↑52

There ARE no other records like that. Amazing. Like a lot of people my first exposure to Skip James was through the movie Ghost World. Mr. James is an incredible talent.

@ptose

2y↑4

to me it was the opposite, I discovered Skip James a long time before Ghost World and this (like Hard time killing floor) has always been one of the absolute peaks in the blues genre for me, so I loved that scene with Enid listening to it again and again

@bluesmusicandwhatnot2845

2y↑1

Try Pile Driver Blues by Kansas Joe McCoy, Cottonfield Blues by Garfield Akers, and I’m in Jail Again by Mississippi Fred McDowell (documentary version). I think they all have comparable intensity.

@chuckmcfadden6782

7y↑86

This one resonates with me during a dark period of my life.

@michaelwilliams9278

Chuck Mcfadden My name is Michael Williams. I'm an aspiring blues artist. I really want to connect with people. I'm already subbed to your YouTube page. Can I get a sub back?

@dvs2751

10y↑85

One of the most important recordings of the 20th century. A song in which many like, but very few of them actually know why they do. The brilliance here is on many levels.

@rainbowreich

10y↑8

for sure but it's really sad. it' s raw emotion

@camelpoze

10y↑1

my response is: that it's musical

@LCInstrumentals

Its got the blues essence

@me-eh1zt

I love the shakiness of it

@jimisalt

3y↑2

If you like a kind of music you like it because you hear it and then think its good, of course people know why they like it, stop being so pretentious.

@masercot

8y↑264

That was so bluesy, it makes other blues songs look like the soundtrack to "Annie".

@watashiwanachodes

8y↑5

True that, brother.

@MP-yt1ce

8y↑3

+Manfred Ignacio Pérez Alemán I'll second that

@jesseoliva4019

6y↑1

S0 real nothing fake come back true.

@brianmatthews3231

6y↑1

Blueshammer, baby!

@michaelwilliams9278

flor wast haha the Soundtrack to Annie

1 More Replies...

@FlingsPooAtTheZoo

11y↑29

I likewise thank Ghost World for introducing many of us (myself included, a guy who already had a number of Delta Blues collections) to this stunning, mind-blowingly haunting song! The scene in which Enid first hears it and is visibly dumbfounded & awed is very true to life! (Oh, I also thank GW for introducing so many of us to the wonderfully zany "Jaan Pehechan Ho," lol!)

@barbaradane9526

8y↑17

Skip James is the best. Just listen to the incredible guitar lines, the poetry, and the deep emotion he can put across. And I love the fact that he does it all alone, stark and simple so that you can get it inside your head and heart with nothing in the way. So sad that he died so young. And if he had not been born black and poor he probably would have become a famous composer, considering all his musical ability. Treasure him and thank the people who invented recording!

@sakketin

7y↑2

Barbara Dane Propobly wouldn't have gotten in to blues had he born white in the USA of that era.

@cinnamonsinner4619

9y↑113

My goodness.. im so glad i clicked on this video

@ElieM1

7y↑1

Same, I just came from an "Oh brother Where Art Thou!" reference.

@g00zik97

3y↑2

Lets see Paul Allens recommendations

@changelater01

3y↑1

@jack oldman your reply took me out lmao. I had full imagery of Paul Allen recommending some Lightnin Hopkins or Robert Johnson as Bateman's vision goes blurry and he trembles

@JoeWoodStL1

4y↑14

The most timeless sad infective unique powerful and addictive American Blues song ever created.

@rediryou

13y↑14

It's just so amazing, the timing, the combination of culture, society, and an artist with ideas and the availability of an instrument that could be used to express it. Just brilliant.

@TheUnbreakableOtaku

13y↑8

Skip James is truly one of the very greatest of the delta blues musicians. You can feel the sadness in every strum, in every note he sings.

@figueroa661

12y↑18

Love how Skip James uses his voice so unusually. I think that is what sets him apart from other musicians in his era and style for me. Few (except for Blind Willie Johnson) have such an expressively haunting voice.

@xredhenx

3y↑10

This song got me through some really hard times. Skip James is something else. You can just feel the raw emotions in his songs. Especially the early recordings ❤

@rayelliott8141

Amen

@bonjovidokken

11y↑19

I love this song, one of the best blues songs I ever heard.

@apowell65

9y↑35

Criminal that he was forgotten for over 30 years of his life.
At least he lived long enough to enjoy some belated recognition.

@TheXavi20

15y↑5

We have to learn to sing from him. He's the most talented singer I have ever heard. Moreover his voice is unique. This is REALLY a modern song. Just a singer soul. Piece

@JohnDPenn

9y↑12

This track is right up there with 'Crossroad' and 'Death letter blues'. Thanks and rest in peace, Mister Skip.

@davidkless9131

6y↑1

John D. Penn yes sir it is! Immortal blues

@JG-or9ej

5y↑13

I got here from listening to years of rock music and started wondering where the sound was derived from and fell in love with the Blues, keep digging people and you will find your soul. Built on the backs of Native Americans and African Americans. America where the Blues are enriched deep in the soil, where the sound haunts your soul and peace within the divine watch over you as you listen closely to what they have to say. If you made it this far you are blessed to be the diamond in the rough.

@kybazion

11y↑1

i love the surface noise of these ole 78's.. this is REAL... a snaking siren song that leads down to the root of loss and mortal dread. this MAN is Among the earliest and most influential Delta bluesmen to record, Skip James was the best known proponent of the so-called Bentonia school of blues players, incomparable, influencing the likes of the Great Robert Johnson to the likes of Eric C and deep purple. we owe a debt to his rediscovery back in 64 by Henry Vestine and his crew of enthusiasts

@new314159

10y↑8

This is the best blues I've ever heard. I love its every single tone of this Afro-like performance

@Owlute

12y↑5

Skips one my favorite bluesmen, his phrasing is so unique along with his haunting vocals...good man RIP

@MarielleGl

10y↑23

this is beyond everything! so unique, the sounds from behind make this song even more special

@CarlaYmer

Harold Haroldson Grow up, ya fud

@HaroldHaroldson

9y↑5

grown ups are attracted to breasts though

@CarlaYmer

9y↑1

Touché

@LoneTinaja

11y↑6

I've been into the Blues since the early '60s. After all these decades Bentonia Blues, based on open D minor, moves me more than any other Blues. Does anyone else out there feel the same?

@edjones1011

11y↑8

I love the fact that this still has the record crackle

@evmanbutts

5y↑4

He was probably the Devil at the Crossroads Johnson referred to... his playing always evokes such raw unearthed emotions from me.

@stephenjames4937

10y↑30

Haunting. Beautiful.

@rachmat50

9y↑7

Thank you for I'm here! My legends great Blues fav.

@danieljonsson887

2y↑1

The song is so pure. Nothing fancy, just pure.

@znkp

15y↑2

Blues will never die: I second that.

@jordywilliams

10y↑45

seriously as good as it gets

@graiypz

9y↑1

Lane Williams it really fuckin is, isnt it

@laurenhope1

14y↑11

this song sends shivers down my spine. shazam..absolutely beautiful!

@geraldmouse

His comment is daunting. His simple music is so special. Barely 5-notes pass his personal grief. I grasp this so much more than the Bards eloquism. I feel his hurt. I feel his blood. I tear at his history. And that is blues,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.

@hellswinter

14y↑4

one of my favourite songs of all time. every time I listen to it I get the chills

@systemlugen8213

Ich habe es Hunderte mal gehört ,nachgelesen und andere gehört.Egal Was ansteht der ist der Meister...Nur Top

@petergorm

5y↑14

I am here because of Alan Wilson (Canned Heat). I can clearly hear that Alan Wilson was inspired by Skip James' singing style. Love it!

@stantheraccoondunn4833

4y↑1

petergorm SAME ❤️

@silverbear3969

4y↑1

I love caned heat

@thexxkellixx

Same

@fernandobonis8678

I agree with you!

@accentiate2007

9y↑11

Probably Skip's best known song. Breathtaking!

@BSIII

5y↑4

Holee smokes. What a hauntingly beautiful expression from a man and his guitar..

@tyh9714

A good taste of music brought me here.
LongLiveTheBlues

@marcoantonioinf.priv.3746

3y↑3

I never hav feel Loneliness so good and peacefull

@tylerhornback6084

7y↑1

Bleeding the Blues!
Beautiful, Sad , and Haunting 👌🎼🎶✌

@Sam-lf2go

4y↑2

Stumbled across this . Love it.😊

@coravisser3846

2y↑1

Real a bless to listen to this brilliant legend,

@timmyles314

10y↑6

Love this old blues...with one person playing

@johnkarnaghon9500

6y↑2

One of a kind, etched in time. Thank you Skippy James!

@miguelosvaldofloresdomingu8911

4y↑5

Such a great voice.

@bilrux

12y↑1

I have the old Vanguard LP that this recording is probably from, and I sat up close when he performed the song at an afternoon blues workshop at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 (where the picture may have been taken). It always sends chills up my spine. He was a true master.

@fantasticnegrito

9y↑160

This man is deep..you can hear the African roots deep.

@skatetodeath666

7y↑4

Fantastic Negrito not at all actually. Its something els.

@DRCRANKNSTEIN

5y↑6

American Native music influence too. a mix :-)

@nettricegaskins1871

5y↑1

@Steve Plenty of scholarship supports his assertion.

@skatetodeath666

5y↑2

@Nettrice Gaskins plenty dont

@celestialhand8544

5y↑5

@Steve Show me a link. You're talking out of your ass. Youve prob never listened to anything from Africa and I bet don't even have an ear. You'll never be able to notice the subtleties. Shut up and enjoy the music.

9 More Replies...

@gmar7836

3y↑1

This transports me. I have to stop everything and just listen. From 1931 too!

@misstigri

14w

Here in 2024. More than a century later ... RIP Skip James 🙏🏽

@matthiaslaudico8403

7y↑17

That whole goddamn movie shredded my woldview for like a month

@zyphedits6298

what movie?

@Bardamu3000

@ツzyphedits Ghost World. A great movie.

@shadapakap

4y↑2

@Massimo Di Biase Just finished watching. It's also why I'm here on this video. lol

@mrsunderland

9y↑473

I feel like Im in a haunted mansion in New Orleans and this is playing from a record player...

@MelloSav

8y↑63

Right? Really old school blues always has a kind of scary tone to it. It triggers a slight feeling of fear. I love it

@jillginsburg6559

7y↑19

Beautiful thought. I'm an old person and the haunted mansion is my mind . . .

@royalzavala8545

5y↑6

_fragile and there’s voodoo masks, dolls, and satanic signs everywhere

@runswithbears3517

5y↑10

I'd be ok chilling with some ghosts with excellent taste in music. ;)

@inphanta

5y↑5

Royal Zavala nah that’s overdoing it! 😂

15 More Replies...

@lrvalenzuela64

History will never forget Skip James

@davejarvis37

9y↑7

there are no words ... this is the one

@irvingfinkel7945

11y↑1

If one original blues recording should survive for the future this would be the one. It is, simply, incredible.

@papajay111

44w

Look at all those beautiful parallelograms!!!! THAT'S A REAL BLUES AX!!!!

@alexhunterjazz

12y

wow what a list! you have given me a life times worth of music to learn here

@Jessicakump

12y↑4

I'm in love with this song. <3

@medusinator

6y↑4

thanks to John Fahey I found Skip James. now I can't get off of the repeat button.

@doomharbinger85

11y↑3

Not the kind of music I normally like but I love this, just really relaxing.

@rinkichamkar

14y

Holy S&*T ! I just listened to this for the 10th time and I am offcially obsessed.

@teksight9714

5y↑1

Skip James is one of the greats. May he rest in peace, and never be forgotten.

@deanings

11y↑7

Music like this comes from the soul . You gotta have the blues in your soul to make music like this. You're right man , luckily the classics never get old!

@anjamilosevic9917

3y↑3

Thanking the movie “ghost town” for showing me this song and the whole album.

@elloumidouaa6394

8y↑2

i can't get enough from this song omg <3 it's been 4 years since i heard it for the first time !!

@DimitrisSkl

13y↑1

one of the best blues songs ever written!!!!

@derp12345

5y↑14

Ghost world, thank you. 💜🤘

@MzKickz

16y↑1

My fav blues song ever. Long live Skip, so slept on!

@baldingmoose

13y

how dare anyone dislike this?! these ingrateful consumers who haven't done a damn thing for society don't have a right.

@TheChainsawBrutality

11y↑4

Never thought i'd find exactly what i was looking for in a blues song.

@ahmed-fo8ov

Why did i just discover this ?!! What a treasure

@steveraymond2298

I almost never watch commercials... the B&G Handmade Guitars commercial is fantastic... a great tie-in with Skip James.

@StartingwithSoul

14y↑1

skip is one of the best. He is up there with the greats.

@bluesque9704

can't make better than this. Love you Skip... many decades later... from India.

@VladimirSanchez007

9y↑9

Classic of the blues..

@barryshankman4211

10y↑4

Skip had the real thing and taught if not influenced slide acoustic blues throughout the south.. one of the true players that can make the strings sing )O(

@clumsyninjascorner

12y↑1

one of the most moving songs, these ears have ever heard.

@NegroRiosful

8y↑3

Extraordinario, maravilloso sonido, añejo y melancólico.

@seabassseabass8835

6y↑3

First Blues song I fell in love with...a Latino boy from Miami.

@davisworth5114

Skip has a lot of CDs

@MsRockett88

12y

Why don't you just listen to this music. It's the Blues, everyone can relate to that. Let it touch your soul, we all have that.

@johnygrasa

4y↑1

Wow, gave me f'n goose bumps.

@goodmorningijustwokeup

7y↑4

So this movie "Ghost world" brought me here, god bless that movie and this gold song.

@silverbear3969

4y↑2

I can't stop playing this song it's opens a door to your soil.

@VickieTizzle

15y↑1

This song is so beautiful and haunting. It literally gives me chills every time I hear it.

@sockmonkey22

Until now I was a Skip James virgin. Now, suddenly a fan. ❤️

@rosamundmorgan9321

Brilliant and plaintive. That haunting sad melody.. so much talent in that song.

@steelysam7189

5y↑6

Listening in 2019!

@ambientsoldier

14y↑3

i love his voice ... sooths the stressed out soul within

@poopylungstuffing

12y↑1

oh wow! so good to finally know who that intense and hauting voice belonged to....yeah!!

@Stagerli

12y

HAUNTING! SKip was the master. So many have paid homage in their music throught the years. RJ taking a bunch from this man. Great to see Derek Trucks, Greg Allman and Levon Helm do skip songs as of late. Always the highlight of the show for me.

@carloslaerte3272

5y↑3

No fundo da alma,assim e que deve ser o blues,no matter God or Devil,the feeling is maior. Grande gravacao raridade.

@BullToTheShit

9y↑4

Haunting voice.

@dinkopetrov5154

7y↑130

Skip is hauting man.....Robert Johnson don't have that.They say he's the best but Skip,man Skip has got somethin' that no one else does,that be the primal blues man.Maybe he was the devil that everyone else sold their souls to..yeah late night poetry

@dinkopetrov5154

6y↑28

i dont even remember wriring this comment....mustve been shitfaced drunk.its all true though

@frigginjerk

5y↑24

@Dinko Petrov Somehow the follow-up over a year later makes the original comment even better.

@RobinMarkowitzcoolmedia

5y↑7

Johnson borrowed SO heavily from this very song! Nothing wrong with that; the blues are a shared language. But as you can hear, American vernacular music is fluid and not the personal property of individuals. I mean, today, everyone is either suing for plagiarism or accusing everyone of "stealing" music. Well, you can add Robert Johnson to that. But that's all bull****, because this is how music flows and grows. Still today, if it's any good at all. Johnson brought me here. This will bring me further into the past . . . It's a beautiful thing. Art later became a . . . commodity, like a can of Pepsi, rather than "the real thing, Coke is." Here's the real deal. There is no ownership. Language is free to share, to change, to grow. If it wasn't, we couldn't even talk to one another.

@dinkopetrov5154

4y↑2

@Robin Markowitz i really dig robert johnson too

@0patience4flz

4y↑3

@Dinko Petrov try Son House...its dark...try Junior Kimbrough...its heavy...I'm not drunk..or high...I just cant sleep..

2 More Replies...

@pamelafreitas4649

4y↑8

Minha música favorita nos momentos em que eu sei que por mais um dia eu tenho que levantar e viver...

@ToastmachineIdiot

14y

Real blues, man.... this is beautiful.

@suarez4489

6y↑1

GHOST WORLD! This is gold.

@AbhilashNoxBaruahnx1ee7

6y↑2

Classic masterpiece!

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