ROBERT JOHNSON
Robert Johnson was a blues musician from the 1930s who, they said, made a deal with the devil to enhance his musical talent.
As the story goes, he played blues guitar around the clubs and bars of the Mississippi Delta area where he lived as a young boy. In the early part of his career, he was often laughed at and frowned upon because of his guitar playing. Some described it as cats wailing and worse. A prominent blues musician once told Johnson to put his guitar away because he was driving people nuts.
Johnson tried to learn and play guitar but could never seem to get anywhere. One night, he did something about it. He and his guitar visited the crossroads of two highways in the Mississippi Delta and waited until midnight, where it is said a man in black turned up. Some say it was the devil. At that point, Johnson made a deal; the devil promised him he would be a great blues guitar player in return for his soul. His guitar playing would be magical and impressive. The music world would be at his feet, the devil told him. The young would-be musician was thrilled. He had just fulfilled his burning desire to become a brilliant musician. Fate had paved the way for him. They struck the deal. He only had to practice, and the notes would flow from his fingertips.
He disappeared from the music scene for a year and no one heard from him. When he emerged again, he played his guitar like a wizard. Some musicians thought there were two people playing the same song. Some believed that the devil was playing with him. He had a technique that no-one else mastered. The devil had provided Johnson with a tremendous talent for playing blues guitar, writing songs, and singing. The devil now owned his soul.
That’s how the legend goes.
One thing we know, he became a great blues musician. He disappeared from the music scene for a while only to come back oozing talent. It’s hard to grasp that an untalented lousy guitar player can come back as a talented musician. It’s understandable to go from bad to good, and from bad to great even, but from terrible to genius. Well, don’t you need to have some talent to start with to be that good? Those that heard him play beforehand always said how bad he was. They would rather not have to listen to him, so there was no spark of genius, no talent there. So where did it come from?
In one of his famous songs: ‘The Cross Road Blues’, the lyrics say that he prayed to God for mercy, to save his soul:
“I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
Ask the Lord above for mercy
Save me if you please.”
Lyrics by Robert Johnson
Why would he want saving? Could it just mean that he was repenting for his sins?
Did he go back later to undo the deal, to pray to God to save him from the devil?
The song’s last two lines.
“And I’m standing at the crossroads
I believe I’m sinking down”
Lyrics by Robert Johnson
It sounds like he is imagining himself to be heading down into hell. Of course, it could have other meanings. Maybe it’s a metaphor for the way he feels. After all, that’s why it’s called blues music, to express how you feel sadness and despair inside.
Whether he agreed with the devil or some demonic spirit, we’ll never know. One thing’s for sure, he was a talented musician. He had a significant influence on blues music and inspired many artists around today.
Cross Road Blues
I went down to the crossroads
Tried to flag a ride,
I went down to the crossroads
Tried to flag a ride,
Nobody seemed to know me
Everybody passed me by
I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
Ask the Lord above for mercy
Save me if you please
I am going down to Rosedale
Taking my rider by my side,
I am going down to Rosedale
Take my rider by my side
You can still barrelhouse, baby
They call us on the riverside
You can run, you can run
Go and tell my friend-boy Willie Brown
You can run, you can run
Go and tell my friend-boy Willie Brown
And I’m standing at the crossroads
I believe I’m sinking down.
Lyrics by Robert Johnson
D. Marsden © 2020
Dave's blog 