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Robbert Johnson and "selling the soul"
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I've found a great and clear article about blues guitarist Robert Johnson, who according to many story's, has sold his soul to the devil for fame.
The original is in Dutch, but I've passed it through google translate so everyone can read it.
The article about Johnson
Have fun and I hope it clears some things up about the subject of "selling your soul".
The original is in Dutch, but I've passed it through google translate so everyone can read it.
The article about Johnson
Have fun and I hope it clears some things up about the subject of "selling your soul".
edit on 1-7-2012 by yougetwhatyoudeserve because: (no
reason given)
How can somebody sell something that doesn't exist?
I know the 'sell you soul for talent' is a famous story (see black sabbaths greatest hits album "we sold our soul for rock n' roll") but if anyone really believes in this.....
Besides: There are always legends and tales surrounding famous people who died young and 99% of them are far from true.
I know the 'sell you soul for talent' is a famous story (see black sabbaths greatest hits album "we sold our soul for rock n' roll") but if anyone really believes in this.....
Besides: There are always legends and tales surrounding famous people who died young and 99% of them are far from true.
edit on 1/7/2012 by
ShadowAngel85 because: (no reason given)
I was thinking more along the lines of "how can you sell yourself?", considering you are not a human body, but a soul temporarily inhabiting a human
body..
Someone should tell these soul-sellers about the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here is Bob Dylan explaining why he is still around and how he got to "where he is"
I find it interesting.
I find it interesting.
reply to post by yougetwhatyoudeserve
Well I guess selling his soul for fame didn't work, because I've never heard of him!
Also, it seems to me, the Devil would have kept him alive. Having a soul do the Devil's work would be a bonus, no? He can't do the Devil's bidding from hell.
Well I guess selling his soul for fame didn't work, because I've never heard of him!
Also, it seems to me, the Devil would have kept him alive. Having a soul do the Devil's work would be a bonus, no? He can't do the Devil's bidding from hell.
It was Tommy Johnson, not Robert Johnson (no relation, but they knew each other). The source of the story is Ladell Johnson, Tommy's brother. The
story was written about by David Evans. All that's searchable if you really want to dig it out. Long story short is that Tommy was a fine singer, and
then suddenly one day he was a great guitarist, too. He told his brother he had done a deal at the crossroads.
The devil, however, had nothing to do with it. The figure Tommy met at the crossroads is the black man. Meh, if Tommy can become Robert, then the black man can become the devil, I suppose. At least it happened at a crossroads - which is a cross-cultural worldwide image of the place of power.
The black man is a teacher, and neither evil nor a deceiver. When Tommy said he met the black man at the crossroads to learn guitar, he means that a supernatural figure taught him how to play. And what is called "selling his soul" is not something out of Faust or The Devil and Daniel Webster. The image is to give yourself over to the ritual there and then, not to sell anything for future delivery.
There is a lot of crosstalk between Christian language and the folk practices inherited from non-Chrisitan ancestors of the people who are describing this. That "selling your soul" came to be attached to participating in a non-Christian ritual with a folk spirit probably reflects a Christian attitude against doing anything of that kind, ever, for whatever reason.
Anyway, if you're interested in this sort of stuff, then googlebing hoodoo - notice the "h," you aren't looking for voodoo, that's another religious tradition.
-
The devil, however, had nothing to do with it. The figure Tommy met at the crossroads is the black man. Meh, if Tommy can become Robert, then the black man can become the devil, I suppose. At least it happened at a crossroads - which is a cross-cultural worldwide image of the place of power.
The black man is a teacher, and neither evil nor a deceiver. When Tommy said he met the black man at the crossroads to learn guitar, he means that a supernatural figure taught him how to play. And what is called "selling his soul" is not something out of Faust or The Devil and Daniel Webster. The image is to give yourself over to the ritual there and then, not to sell anything for future delivery.
There is a lot of crosstalk between Christian language and the folk practices inherited from non-Chrisitan ancestors of the people who are describing this. That "selling your soul" came to be attached to participating in a non-Christian ritual with a folk spirit probably reflects a Christian attitude against doing anything of that kind, ever, for whatever reason.
Anyway, if you're interested in this sort of stuff, then googlebing hoodoo - notice the "h," you aren't looking for voodoo, that's another religious tradition.
-
edit on 1-7-2012 by eight bits because: the devil made me do it.
How can one sell what has never belonged to them in the first place?
reply to post by yougetwhatyoudeserve
\do you know soul music? or rhythem and blues can be called soulful? a musican performs from their soul.... lets loose and just goes with the flow?
this is what i think is meant,,,,,,,, he would perform his spirit via the craft of music,,, for money,,, booze,, he played his heart out and is still remembered today......
thats what i think anyway,,,, i guess the negativity of selling ones soul to the devil comes in,,,, maybe having to command ones own soul to perform at will,,, like some beast,,,,, when made the decision to perform music for a living,,, he made the deal to have to whore out his soul at will for profit,,
maybe it can also be related to the blues music,,, and him having a close and constant relationship with misery and despair,,,,,, I love the blues music,,,,, and view it as an escape from the bad,,, playing the blues one is getting rid of their blues,,,,,, but if you play the blues everyday,,, you must have the blues often,,,,,
those are my guesses at least,,,,, by the way i love robert johnson,,,
\do you know soul music? or rhythem and blues can be called soulful? a musican performs from their soul.... lets loose and just goes with the flow?
this is what i think is meant,,,,,,,, he would perform his spirit via the craft of music,,, for money,,, booze,, he played his heart out and is still remembered today......
thats what i think anyway,,,, i guess the negativity of selling ones soul to the devil comes in,,,, maybe having to command ones own soul to perform at will,,, like some beast,,,,, when made the decision to perform music for a living,,, he made the deal to have to whore out his soul at will for profit,,
maybe it can also be related to the blues music,,, and him having a close and constant relationship with misery and despair,,,,,, I love the blues music,,,,, and view it as an escape from the bad,,, playing the blues one is getting rid of their blues,,,,,, but if you play the blues everyday,,, you must have the blues often,,,,,
those are my guesses at least,,,,, by the way i love robert johnson,,,
Originally posted by MoneyIsWorthless
Here is Bob Dylan explaining why he is still around and how he got to "where he is"
I find it interesting.
Was the original bob dylan replaced?
Is this what Fob Fylan is referring to?
www.whale.to...
I have always been a fan so i was kinda crushed to realise this.
It goes on more than we know.
Look at Faul McFartney, for example.
reply to post by eight bits
Nice post.
I agree but I also think that a "crossroad" can also mean that your way is being "crossed" by someone elses way, for example when I was making music and playing gigs around my country I met 2 guys at an interview which came from 2 big and well known record labels. Like we are being brought together for "somekind of purpose".
Their road was crossing mine road, but I never made the deal or signed anything so I guess I still have a soul.
After that moment, my musical career at that time and with that particular "project" came to a stop really fast, that was kind of strange haha.
But I learned one important thing from it, don't make music for fame, money and all other well-known benefits which you have when you are famous, but for recreation, pleasure and the fun you share with your fellow band mates when you create a cool song (atleast, if you are in a band). I think that is what music is for, fun and recreation, nothing more nothing less.
Nice post.
I agree but I also think that a "crossroad" can also mean that your way is being "crossed" by someone elses way, for example when I was making music and playing gigs around my country I met 2 guys at an interview which came from 2 big and well known record labels. Like we are being brought together for "somekind of purpose".
Their road was crossing mine road, but I never made the deal or signed anything so I guess I still have a soul.
After that moment, my musical career at that time and with that particular "project" came to a stop really fast, that was kind of strange haha.
But I learned one important thing from it, don't make music for fame, money and all other well-known benefits which you have when you are famous, but for recreation, pleasure and the fun you share with your fellow band mates when you create a cool song (atleast, if you are in a band). I think that is what music is for, fun and recreation, nothing more nothing less.
edit on 2-7-2012 by yougetwhatyoudeserve because: (no reason
given)
edit on 2-7-2012 by yougetwhatyoudeserve because: (no reason given)
I would have loved to sell my soul. I'm still up for it, if anyone is buying.
The problem is that there is no Devil, and our soul is just a piece of a larger unit, so selling it would be pretty impossible, and pretty useless to the buyer anyway.
Still, if anyone is listening, I'm happy to put a price tag on it, because I can do more good with the money than you can do bad with the soul. Plus, I'm not real good at following orders, so I might just take it back when I need it again.
The problem is that there is no Devil, and our soul is just a piece of a larger unit, so selling it would be pretty impossible, and pretty useless to the buyer anyway.
Still, if anyone is listening, I'm happy to put a price tag on it, because I can do more good with the money than you can do bad with the soul. Plus, I'm not real good at following orders, so I might just take it back when I need it again.
Originally posted by getreadyalready
I would have loved to sell my soul. I'm still up for it, if anyone is buying.
The problem is that there is no Devil, and our soul is just a piece of a larger unit, so selling it would be pretty impossible, and pretty useless to the buyer anyway.
Still, if anyone is listening, I'm happy to put a price tag on it, because I can do more good with the money than you can do bad with the soul. Plus, I'm not real good at following orders, so I might just take it back when I need it again.
Your eternal life is at stake. God gave Cain the choice - choose good and life and evil and death. We know how it turned out for him. His fruit was rotten and that's what you would be getting.
reply to post by WhoKnows100
I believe in the existence of a soul, but I don't believe in the existence of evil, so it would be a no-brainer for me. I believe everything that happens under the guidance of an omnipotent presence is a good thing. If the creator is omnipotent, then there is no room for a notion of evil. My soul is not mine to give away, but if I could run a scam on some wannabe demon, and sell him something he couldn't even use, then I'm all for it.
I believe in the existence of a soul, but I don't believe in the existence of evil, so it would be a no-brainer for me. I believe everything that happens under the guidance of an omnipotent presence is a good thing. If the creator is omnipotent, then there is no room for a notion of evil. My soul is not mine to give away, but if I could run a scam on some wannabe demon, and sell him something he couldn't even use, then I'm all for it.
Rumor Has It... That Eric Clapton was the first to use the term, "the 27 Club." He himself has claimed to have narrowly escaped the spector of death at the age of 27 due mainly to heroin addiction. But many famous musicians have fallen prey to the imfamous club that was founded by Robert Johnson.
st-james.hubpages.com... -Legend--the-Devil--the-Crossroads--and-27
Here is a site with some pretty good info.
We have no way to know either way but there are clues in his lyrics.
Also there is a movie about him made in the 90's called cross roads.
Would you go out and try to buy something you already own?
I think not!
edit on 4-7-2012 by deadeyedick because: (no reason given)
edit on 4-7-2012 by deadeyedick because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by ShadowAngel85
How can somebody sell something that doesn't exist?
Do you mean to tell us that you have access to or have empirically observed scientific experiments that were formulated with the express intent of either detecting or disproving this "soul" ? Wow. I am a believer and even i don't know of any such evidence. I believe via philosophy and thought alone, and i am comfortable with admitting that at any given moment i could be wrong. It's my own personal experience that leads me to my belief and at no point do i expect anyone to accept it as proof that ANYTHING.
So what methods were used to detect the soul?
Did they figure out what this "soul" is made of and create equipment that is capable of detecting such things?
If you can't prove a negative then isn't the safe bet to remain humble in our thoughts and actions and just admit that via our scientific methods that a "soul" is unknowable? Therefore we should keep this in mind when making statements in regard to the supposed existence or lack thereof of said things.
Can you please link evidence that supports your claim?
Let me guess here, You don't have to prove anything because you are not making a positive assertion or some variant thereof? I hope i am just being presumptuous.
reply to post by RustynailsK
People sell themselves and others all the time. The extremes would be prostitution or slavery. It's not that far of a jump to assert that if a soul exists then it would have value to either yourself or someone else. What you would use said soul for once purchased is a whole other matter. As humans we would probably have no use for another persons soul. But if we are to assume that other beings exist beyond our physical realm then we can start making guesses as to why a soul would be valuable. Perhaps they would enslave or prostitute a soul? Maybe the soul is a form of energy and these beings are capable of "feeding" off of it or applying it to otherworldly uses. The possibilities are endless when you consider that the human experience itself is endless in its applications. We can build airplanes and program computers and create virtual universes that mirror our own.
Now as to whether or not any of it is real...well even the (apocryphal) bible says that we can't be so bold as to assert knowledge or "truth" of nature let alone gods judgment or reasoning. At best we can observe and interpret. But i believe i am starting to stray from the topic at hand...
People sell themselves and others all the time. The extremes would be prostitution or slavery. It's not that far of a jump to assert that if a soul exists then it would have value to either yourself or someone else. What you would use said soul for once purchased is a whole other matter. As humans we would probably have no use for another persons soul. But if we are to assume that other beings exist beyond our physical realm then we can start making guesses as to why a soul would be valuable. Perhaps they would enslave or prostitute a soul? Maybe the soul is a form of energy and these beings are capable of "feeding" off of it or applying it to otherworldly uses. The possibilities are endless when you consider that the human experience itself is endless in its applications. We can build airplanes and program computers and create virtual universes that mirror our own.
Now as to whether or not any of it is real...well even the (apocryphal) bible says that we can't be so bold as to assert knowledge or "truth" of nature let alone gods judgment or reasoning. At best we can observe and interpret. But i believe i am starting to stray from the topic at hand...