Devil to Pay - guitar chords and comments
Lyrics without distraction HERE
Merle Travis and Leon Rusk wrote several songs together. This one is as far as I know only recorded by Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson : Johnny as 2nd track on "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" (1970) and Kris on his last Monument album "To the Bones", 1980.I ran into trouble, searhing for a Travis' recording of his own song. Wiki threw me on a loop, and YouTube gave me a strictly different song with a similiar title - obviously uploaded by some dope. So : if ANYBODY out there have reliable information, I'd appreciate a mail.
About Malcolm Leon Rusk (1921 - 1950), I only know that he was a 1940's country singer and songwriter. He was born in Canyon, Texas and died in an accident near Tulia, Texas. He had been badly injured during World War II, and began a musical career after the war recording for King records. But here we go, the way I've played it for some fifty years:
C E go on girl take your chances Dm G7 see how long you can go on from man to man E Am I can read the lines between your stolen glances D D7 G7 and I know it's time to fold this loosing hand C G7 C G7 cause you're drawn to the flame by the thrill and the shame C F G7 of the cheatin' game they taught you how to play C E Am F you've got nothing to lose but your soul girl C G7 Am ... and you've only the devil to pay ... G7 you've been flying so high you don't know C that you're blind to the writin' on the wall D but some day you'll look down D7 G7 and you'll find you've got no place to fall C G7 C G7 when the bright lights're gone you'll be standing alone C F G7 forsaken in the naked light of day C E Am F then you'll know that it's all over but the dying C G7 and you've still got the devil to pay
C
Am
Dm
G7
E
D
D7
F
