Justin Townes Earle, born January 4, 1982 in Nashville, TN, was an American alt-country singer-songwriter who walked the line between old-time country and modern acoustic Indie music by breathing new life into early country, blues and gospel forms.
His first release, Yuma, in 2007 was a stark and beautiful set of songs written while Earle was fresh out of rehab and is now re-released by Bloodshot Records, who have a further three albums on their catalogue.
The Good Life, Midnight At the Movies (Americana award nominee) and the latest Harlem River Blues show Earle's characteristic charm, wit and rhythm to the forefront.
2009 saw him touring with Old Crow Medicine Show, The Felice Brothers and Gillian Welch/Dave Rawlings as a member of The Big Surprise tour and he has been touring solidly through 2010 making fans all along the way. In 2011, he received the Americana Music Award in the Song of the Year category for his "Harlem River Blues," from the album of the same name.
His fourth release "Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now", released in 2012 was met with critical acclaim, it was listed at #37 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "The son of country-rock renegade Steve Earle has grown into a songwriter to rival his dad."
Earle died on August 20, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 38. His death was announced by his label on social media on August 23. The cause of death was not immediately announced, but Nashville police said they were investigating the death as a probable drug overdose. On December 1, 2020, Earle's family confirmed that he died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl-laced cocaine.
If I Was The Devil
Justin Townes Earle Lyrics
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Then I'll make it rain
Make a bird sing
Any song you wanna hear it sing
Fix all your broken things
If I was the devil
And put you in my house
Keep you nice and close
Teach you what you don't know
I'll take you from the holy ghost
If I was the devil
You might not believe in me
All I'll make you believe
And you'll know my name
You might not believe me, babe
But I'll make you believe
And you'll know my name
So take me home to your dad
I'll be the son he never had
I'll make your mama love me
Your sister might wanna touch me
But I'll be yours and yours only
If I was the devil
The lyrics to Justin Townes Earle's song "If I Was the Devil" tell a story of temptation and corruption. The devil himself is speaking to the listener, promising to give them everything they desire and take them away from everything holy. He promises to control the weather, to make birds sing any song the listener wants to hear, and to fix any broken thing they may have. He offers to take the listener into his home, to teach them everything they don't know, and to replace the Holy Ghost in their life. He tells the listener that they may not believe in him at first, but he will make them believe and know his name.
The devil then makes a bold claim. He tells the listener to bring him home to their family, promising to be the son their father never had, to make their mother love him, and to make their sister want to touch him. But in the end, he promises the listener that they will be his and his only if he was the devil.
The lyrics of "If I Was the Devil" explore how easily individuals can give into temptation and be pulled away from everything holy. The devil is depicted as a master manipulator who can offer everything you desire, but in the end, will take everything away.
Line by Line Meaning
If you don't like sunny days
If you're unhappy, I'll change the world to accommodate you.
Then I'll make it rain
I'll create sadness in the world to fit your mood.
Make a bird sing
I have the power to manipulate and control nature.
Any song you wanna hear it sing
I'll give you what you want, but it won't be real or genuine.
Fix all your broken things
I can fix your problems and make everything seem perfect.
If I was the devil
This is what I would do if I was the embodiment of evil.
I'll take you down
I'll bring you down to my level of destruction.
And put you in my house
I'll make you a prisoner of my evil ways.
Keep you nice and close
I'll trap you in my control and never let you go.
Teach you what you don't know
I'll brainwash you into believing what I think is right.
I'll take you from the holy ghost
I'll separate you from all that is good and pure.
You might not believe in me
I know you resist me, but I will change that.
All I'll make you believe
I have the power to manipulate you into believing my lies.
And you'll know my name
I'll make sure you are under the power of my evil.
You might not believe me, babe
I know you doubt my intentions, but I'll change your mind.
But I'll make you believe
Through manipulation, I'll make you believe in my evil ways.
And you'll know my name
I'll make sure you are under the power of my evil.
So take me home to your dad
I'll manipulate your family as well and make them believe in my lies.
I'll be the son he never had
I'll fill a void in their lives with my manipulation.
I'll make your mama love me
I'll manipulate your mother's emotions to my advantage.
Your sister might wanna touch me
I'll manipulate your sister's affections for my own purposes.
But I'll be yours and yours only
Despite all of this, I'll still convince you that you are the only one for me.
If I was the devil
All of this is what I would do if I was the embodiment of evil.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Justin Townes Earle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind