Eric Church stunned the invite-only music industry crowd at Universal Music Group Nashville’s Team UMG Live at the Ryman 16th Anniversary showcase during Country Radio Seminar in Nashville this week.
The song, which he called “Johnny,” is an interpolation of Charlie Daniel’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” inspired by the turmoil he experienced the morning after Nashville’s Covenant School shooting. Church‘s sons attend school about one mile from Covenant School, and he said watching them walk through the doors that day was the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life.
“I sat in the parking lot for a long time,” Church said. “As fate would have it, as I was pulling out, Charlie Daniels was playing ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia.’”
As Church drove home, he heard Daniels sing: Johnny rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard because hell has broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards. If you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold. If you lose, the devil gets your soul.
“I remember thinking, ‘Man, we could use Johnny right now because the devil’s not in Georgia,’” Church said. “He’s everywhere.”
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Eric Church: The Devil’s Not in Georgia; He’s Everywhere
He wrote “Johnny” when he got home. Church weaves iconic lyrics from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” into his song about the dangerous crumbling of humanity.
Church’s lyrics include: Johnny oh Johnny, where did you go? The devil’s broke out in Georgia, and he’s feasting on our soul. There’s fire on the mountain, and flames are closing in. So run and get your fiddle bow and send him to hell again.
The verses lament how much life has changed since Church was a kid.
He sings, “No machines control the people, and people shoot at kids. I shudder to think about what the next thing is.”
At the end of the first chorus, a gospel choir made its way through Ryman Auditorium’s aisles, singing and meeting Church at the front of the stage.
While the school shooting devastated Nashville and rocked the entire country, the tragedy impacted Church in a more personal way than it did many. In 2018, Church played the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on a Friday night in October. His fans had traveled from all over the country to see him perform. The next day, the festival became the site of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, and many of his fans were in the audience. Some didn’t survive.
“We lost a lot of fans there, and it was a changing moment for me,” he said. “It was a paradigm shift, and it broke me in a lot of ways.”
The Route 91 Shooting Broke Eric Church in “A Lot of Ways”
While country music is known for storytelling, it’s uncommon these days for songs to tackle current events –especially ones that some people may view as politically charged. And while gun control is undoubtedly a hot topic, Church steered clear of the controversy and instead linked one of country music’s most iconic songs to the undeniable truth that no child should risk their life to attend school. He’s bravely pleading for help.
“I know redemption comes, but it’s taking way too long,” he sings. “Can’t you see it in our faces? Can’t you hear it in our songs? We’re holding on to hope, but we’re hanging by a thread. Won’t you put on your rattlesnake boots and crush that serpent head.”
Photo by Debby Wong
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