John Wesley Harding (b. 22 October 1965) is a folk/pop singer-songwriter wh… Read Full Bio ↴John Wesley Harding (b. 22 October 1965) is a folk/pop singer-songwriter who has called his style of music "folk noir" and "gangsta folk".

He was born Wesley Stace in Hastings, East Sussex, England. His given name, Wesley, comes from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who preached one of his last sermons in the town where Harding was born.

His stage name may be seen as an almost inevitable nickname for a folk-pop musician, in that his first name overlaps with the Bob Dylan album (and song) "John Wesley Harding". The American gunfighting historical figure John Wesley Hardin was largely forgotten before 1965, when Johnny Cash wrote and recorded the song "Hardin Wouldn't Run".

His education included the boarding schools St. Andrews School (Pangbourne, Berkshire); Milbourne Lodge (Claygate, Surrey); The King's School (Canterbury, Kent); and university at Jesus College, Cambridge. He left Cambridge with a First in English Literature, but left before completing his Ph.d. in Social and Political Science.

Musical influences include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Davies, and Phil Ochs. He has been frequently compared to Elvis Costello probably fueled, in part, by the fact that two members of his early band The Good Liars (Pete and Bruce Thomas) had been members of The Attractions. Harding was chosen by Bruce Springsteen as his first opening act in 20 years for his solo shows at the Berkeley Community Theatre in 1995. Harding

The Devil in Me
John Wesley Harding Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I shot John F. Kennedy in Dallas in '63
They blamed it on Oswald carelessly
But it was the devil in me
Put Jesus on the cross, I put a gag on the boss
I kissed him on the cheek so he couldn't speak
But that was the devil in me
It was the devil in me
It's the devil in me that's unleveling me

Put it down to the devil in me

I made you breakfast, put poisoned sheets on the bed
I made you cry, coulda made you laugh instead
But that was the devil in me
So I killed you off, I tore your famous brown fur coat
I laughed at your cough, ignored your suicide note
But that was the devil in me

I blew up the bus, I started world war iii
Hijacked the plane with Qaddafi, blew the hostages free
That was the devil in me
I'm sponsored by a company that I don't believe in
I advertise their things for cash, that ain't deceiving
No, that's just the devil in me
It was the devil in me

I gave you acid rain
I polluted the sea
I covered your thoughts up
With graffiti
You can call me by my real name
Or you can call me humanity
Because it all seems just like human behavior
It all seems like human behavior to me
Put it down to the devil in me

It was the devil in me
It was the devil in me
Well it's the devil in me makes me do these things
Devil in me that makes me sing

Devil in me gave you a wedding ring
Put it down to the devil in me

Overall Meaning

The song "The Devil in Me" by John Wesley Harding triggers the darker, unstable aspects of human behavior. The lyrics are written in first-person, as if the singer is confessing their numerous sins and acknowledging the devil inside of them. The singer admits to shooting John F. Kennedy in Dallas in '63 and blames the devil in them for it. However, the devil in them has committed countless other sins like poisoning their lover, tearing apart fur coats, hijacking a plane, and starting World War III. Every criminal act they've done is the result of the devil in them.

The song takes a deep dive into how dark and evil people can be, and how easily they give in to these sinful urges. By putting the blame on the devil, the singer is indirectly blaming themselves for their actions. The song is a chilling reminder of how people can be monsters without even realizing it. It's also a reminder of the everlasting human condition of sin and the evil the devil represents, a recurrent theme in Christianity.

Line by Line Meaning

I shot John F. Kennedy in Dallas in '63
I am admitting to a heinous crime that marked an era in US history.

They blamed it on Oswald carelessly
The actual culprit got away while the blame was pinned on an innocent man.

But it was the devil in me
I attribute my actions to an uncontrollable force beyond my own self.

Put Jesus on the cross, I put a gag on the boss / I kissed him on the cheek so he couldn't speak
I committed acts of betrayal, disrespect, and violence against respected figures, but it wasn't my true self.

But that was the devil in me.
I acknowledge that I am not fully responsible for my actions and choices because of this inner darkness.

It's the devil in me that's unleveling me
The devil inside me is causing me to lose balance, sanity, and control over my own life.

Put it down to the devil in me
I am urging you to excuse my terrible behavior because it is not really me doing it, but this devilish force inside me.

I made you breakfast, put poisoned sheets on the bed
I acted both kindly and cruelly towards my loved ones because of the devil in me.

I made you cry, coulda made you laugh instead
I had a choice to be nice or mean, but the devil in me always chose the latter.

So I killed you off, I tore your famous brown fur coat / I laughed at your cough, ignored your suicide note
I am guilty of multiple forms of abuse and murder, but it was not my true self behind these actions.

I blew up the bus, I started world war iii / Hijacked the plane with Qaddafi, blew the hostages free
I confess to causing widespread destruction and harm to innocent people due to the devil in me.

I'm sponsored by a company that I don't believe in / I advertise their things for cash, that ain't deceiving / No, that's just the devil in me
I am complicit in the wrongdoing of a corporation, but I blame the devil inside me for making me do it instead of my conscience.

I gave you acid rain / I polluted the sea / I covered your thoughts up / With graffiti
I contributed to environmental degradation and societal decay, but I had no control over it because of the devil in me.

You can call me by my real name / Or you can call me humanity / Because it all seems just like human behavior / It all seems like human behavior to me
I see myself as a representative of humanity's flawed and evil nature, but I still distance myself from it by blaming the devil in me.

It was the devil in me / Well it's the devil in me makes me do these things / Devil in me that makes me sing / Devil in me gave you a wedding ring
I admit that the devil in me controls my every move and even my artistic expression, but I also take pride in some of the things I did because of this dark force.

Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: JOHN WESLEY HARDING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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