[Verse 1]
He came on a mule with a split black grin
Boots full of mud from the river bend
Passed the churchyard slow, tipped his brim
And the dogs all barked like they knew him then
Ash in the road, straw in his coat
Carved a red sign in the side of the boat
Maggie shut the latch, Pa drew steel
But the air went thin and the house went still
[Pre-Chorus]
Hear that knock on the pane?
Hear that iron rain?
Everybody knows his name
When the crows fly low again
[Chorus]
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
He come for your name
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
And he won’t go away
[Verse 2]
He sat by the fire with his boots out wide
Said the town been hungry on the inside
Gave the judge a smile, gave the preacher a cough
Then the youngest boy just ran clean off
Women at the well with their hands all red
Swore they saw a shadow over Barnum’s shed
By the meeting house, with the gallows rope
Every whispered prayer turned thin as smoke
[Pre-Chorus]
Hear that knock on the pane?
Hear that iron rain?
Everybody knows his name
When the crows fly low again
[Chorus]
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
He come for your name
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
And he won’t go away
[Bridge]
He rode in on the August heat
Left hoofmarks burned in the cobbled street
Now the women hum and the lanterns sway
And the good folk bow when he passes by
[Final Chorus]
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
He come for your name
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
And he won’t go away
Devil in Salem
Devil in Salem
The town done learned to pray