Lyrics Laura Veirs – Devil’s Hootenanny

I was walking through the snow
When I saw a distant glow
Of a farmhouse nestled down beneath the trees
With a guitar on my back

I walked up to the house
And then I knocked hard on the door
That old dark piece of wood
She fell right in there on the floor
And as she did a fire burst out on all sides
I wondered what the hell was going on inside

Then the music that I heard
It was bizarre, it was absurd
Like no banjo fiddle bass I’d ever seen
I stepped into a room of flames
Shook my head and looked again
It was the kind of company to make you scream

It was a devil’s hootenanny
An old-time fire band
A drunken whiskey choir singing
Round me you understand
And then they said, «We’ve been searching near and far
For a thing like you to sing and play guitar»

Well I opened up my case
And all the blood rushed to my face
I sang a fragile note, picked a minor tune
Well those devils yelled and clapped
And all their asses they did slap

‘Cause that old house burnt on down
There were cinders on the ground
I snuggled up inside, closed my eyes
I was sleeping sound
And I dreamt of summer nights down by the sea
With a devil’s banjo playing on my knee