They Caught The Devil And Put Him In Jail In Eudora, Arkansas Lyrics - The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings - Tony Joe White

I was walking down a dirt road 

and the night was coming on fast 

I had gone to for some corn meal for our supper 

By the time I got to miss Johnson's house 

I knew there was something wrong 

by the worried look she had upon her face 

I said "Miss Johnson, could you tell me 

what are you shaking for?" 

She said "Lord, they caught the devil 

and they got him in jail in Eudora, Arkansas" 

And he's got wings that look like leather 

and a long and forky tail 

And when he touches it against the cellbars 

Sparks would fly 

I did not know of what she spoke 

but I believed every word she said 

And I burned the soles of my feet 

on my way back home 

Well the next day a crowd had gathered 

Out in front of the Eudora jailhouse 

But there was not a trace 

to be seen of the devil 

Now the jailer had been a poor man 

And now his pockets were stuffed with money 

And he was sitting outside 

in a brand new Continental Lincoln 

With fender skirts on it