To Sell One's Soul....

I am sorry if this makes little to no sense. I was trying to write it late at night, so I hope it reads okay because little is making sense to me at the moment.

To sell one’s soul….

I pose this question to you…can one sell their soul to the devil? Legend has it that famous blues singer, Robert Johnson did. His lyrics are certainly suggestive of it.

Cross Road Blues

I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees

I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees

Asked the Lord above "Have mercy, now save poor Bob, if you please"

However, we all know how much attention inflammatory lyrics can generate a musician. We live in a pop-culture where we have songs on the radio about girls kissing girls and liking it. It’s all about shock value and grabbing the audience’s attention. Robert Johnson sure created hype with his lyrics and mysterious ways. Just like the tabloids today, rumors held sway during the 1930s. And the rumors about Robert Johnson were that he’d sold his soul to the devil to play the way he did.

Hell-Hound on My Trail

Blues fallin down like hail

And the days keeps on worryin me

theres a hellhound on my trail

hellhound on my trail

hellhound on my trail

I certainly do not want a hellhound on my trail. I can't think of anything more frightening.

It is now speculated that Robert Johnson’s actions were not as peculiar as his fans might have thought they were. He would leave immediately after playing, but that is characteristic of a celebrity not wanting to run into fans. He would turn his back while playing, now thought so no one would realize how he created the notes.

Me and the Devil Blues

Early this mornin' when you knocked upon my door
…

And I said, "Hello, Satan, I believe it's time to go."

…

Me and the Devil was walkin' side by side

I have no desire to walk side-by-side with the devil either. Neither do I want to recognize him when he knocks on my door. No, thank you.

We will never know if Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. It makes for interesting discussions, but it leaves me a little sad too because if he did sell his soul to the devil, then his success was so short lived, he didn’t get to enjoy his fame. He was born in 1911, and died at the age of 27 in 1938. His landmark songs were recorded from 1936-1937. If he sold his soul, what a very shallow victory in my opinion because Satan surely come out of that crossroads deal smelling like a rose.

I grew up with stories of finding a crossroad and selling one’s soul to the devil for greatness. But is it even possible? I certainly do not have the answer to that question. But I can tell you, I don’t want to take the chance and find out. Mysterious ways are afoot in our world, so I think anything is possible. If the stories of Satan are true, then I think he would wander about in this world obtaining souls any way he could get them and he would use any nefarious scheme he could to capture our soul.

Charlie Daniels – The Devil Went Down to Georgia

The devil went down to Georgia

He was lookin' for a soul to steal

He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind

and he was willin' to make a deal

Just the thought that the devil's has a quote of souls to steal terrifies me. What about you? It makes it all the worse to think he'd be "willin' to make a deal". Yikes! I wonder what lengths and how low he would go to "make a deal". Call me Mrs. Scaredy because I don't want to find out. *looks about nervously*

Would you sell your soul for greatness? No? Yes? To me, selling one’s soul sounds desperate and needy. But, let’s face it, we all have different needs, desires and wants. All of us define importance to things differently. I can say, for me and my soul, I cannot think of anything I want bad enough to sell my soul for.

However, what if a beloved family member were terminally ill—a son, a daughter, a spouse—would you reconsider then? Again, my first thought is absolutely not! But, who knows what we would do when faced with such dire circumstances. Then again, I cannot imagine I would ever be in the mood to burn in hell for eternity…if one believes in that hell anyway.

I like to think if I ever met Satan, then I’d be able to outsmart him. Realistically, I’d probably be puppy chow for his demonic hellhounds. *shudders* Not a pretty thought or sight.

And with that, I wish you all a very happy and safe weekend! *waves*