Paul McCartney – Run Devil Run

By a swamp in Alabama in the cold in the damp
Sittin reading by the light of a kerosene lamp

This song jumped out at me when I heard it on a radio show. The echo on Paul’s voice was fantastic. His voice sounded like he was doing his rock and roll voice again.

This song could have easily been done by John Fogerty…a very rootsy song by Paul. The album Run Devil Run was a mostly covers album by Paul. The song Run Devil Run was one of the originals by Paul. He made the album shortly after Linda passed away. After he took time off he booked some time in Abbey Road and recorded this album rather quickly.

It’s a nice album. Not his best but he does a great job on some of the covers like Lonesome Town, the old Ricky Nelson song.

Paul McCartney: I was in Atlanta with my son and he wanted to visit the funky side of town. So we went down there and were just wandering around the block and we came across this sort of voodoo shop selling cures for everything. I was looking in the shop window and I saw this bottle of bath salts called Ran Devil Run. I thought that was a good title for a song. So when I was on holiday after that I started thinking of words for it and it came quite easily – ‘Run Devil Run, the angels having fun, making, winners out of sinners, better leave before he’s done, and when he gets through he’ll be coming after you, so listen to what I’m telling you, run Devil run.

Run Devil Run

Run devil run, the angels having fun
Making winners out of sinners better leave before it’s done
When he gets through, he’ll be coming after you,
Listen what I’m saying to you Run . . . Run Devil Run

By a swamp in Alabama in the cold in the damp
Sittin reading by the light of a kerosene lamp
Lives a holly roller with a mission on her mind
Got to spread the word to anybody she can find
You can hear her screaming any time in night or day
This is what she says to keep the demons away

Run devil run, the angels having fun
Making winners out of sinners better leave before it’s done
When he gets through, he’ll be coming after you,
Listen what I’m saying to you Run . . . Run Devil Run

Her brother and her sister said that she brought them down
Steppin on the bus that was heading to town
There they started drinking, they got into a fight
The sheriff introduced them to the jailhouse for a night
When the holy roller came to town to pay the bail
This is what she sang as she was leaving the jail

Run devil run, the angels having fun

Making winners out of sinners better leave before it’s done
When he gets through, he’ll be coming after you,
Listen what I’m saying to you Run . . . Run Devil Run

[Lead solo (8 bars)]

[Piano (8 bars)]

Well by the middle of the summer they were back in the shack
Picking cotton for a livin keep ’em on the right track
Visiting the nieghbours trying to spread the good news
Singing gospel music with a hint of the blues
All of them determined to deliver the goods
Now you you hear the music comin out on the woods

Run devil run, the angel having fun
Making winners out of sinners better leave before it’s done
When he gets through, he’ll be coming after you,
Listen what I’m saying to you Run . . . Run Devil Run

Ah you’ld better Run . . . Run Devil Run
You better Run . . . Run Devil Run

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player. View all posts by Badfinger (Max)