Story Behind The Song

I lived in New Orleans for many happy years and fell in love with the deep swamps and forests and the people of Louisiana. The old ways and traditions fascinated me and I studied them whenever I could. I wanted to write a song about the old superstitions and "Devils Fool Ya" was born.

Song Description

The ingrained superstition of a back-country population makes it easy prey for a clever manipulator (or perhaps even a demon!) posing as a preacher.

Lyrics

Devils Fool Ya
lyrics by Rainey Lewis
music by Rainey Lewis and Detlaf Petersen


Ain't no man like the preacher man
Gets as close to God as any mortal man can
Oooh, he's looking through ya
Charms the snakes right out of the trees
Holy rolls the sins right out of you and me
Oooh, healing's due ya

He got the power inside his eyes
Fire, water gonna baptize
Mason jar full of coins to pay
Lay on hands and fever goes away
I say

Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya
If the sin stays the same then the pain will remain and
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils rule ya
Preacher man wash the stain cause we're all sons of Cain and
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya baby

River deep, don't you get too near
Some folks been known to disappear
Oooh, it's peculiar
If you lean down under full moon sky
You can watch each face come drifting by
Oooh, appearing to ya

Chicken claw on a sleepers head
He'll wake up and do every thing you said
Read your name in a spider's web
Hoot owl call, don't you wake the dead
I said

Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya
Preacher man wash the stain cause we're all sons of Cain and
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils rule ya
If the sin stays the same then the pain will remain and
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya baby

I heard tell they ran him out of town
And then the whole damn town was burning down
Oh yeah, yeah yeah

Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya
Preacher man wash the stain cause we're all sons of Cain and
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils rule ya
If the sin stays the same then the pain will remain and
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya baby
Devils fool fool fool ya
Oooh ooh, yeah yeah
Devils fool ya, devils fool ya

Repeat to fade
End