Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Up Jumped The Devil Lyrics

Overtones of Satie in the piano bits...

Up Jumped the Devil

O my o my, what a wretched life
I was born on the day that my poor mama died
I was cut from her belly with a Stanley knife
My daddy did a jig with the drunk midwife
Who's that yonder all in flames?
Dragging behind him a sack of chains
Who's that yonder all in flames?
Well up jumped the Devil and he staked his claim on me
O poor heart, I was doomed from the start
Doomed to play the villains part
I was the baddest Johnny in the apple cart
My blood was blacker than the chambers of a dead nun's heart
Who's that milling round the courthouse steps?
Nailing my face to the hitching fence
Who's that milling round the courthouse steps?
Up jumped the Devil and off we crept
O no o no, where could I go?
With my hump of trouble and my sack of woe
To the digs and the deserts of Mexico
Where my neck was safer from the lynching rope
Who's that yonder laughing at me?
Like I was the brunt of some hilarity
Who's that yonder laughing at me?
Well up jumped the Devil, 1, 2, 3
H-h-how lucky we were
We hit the cat houses and we sampled their whares
We got as drunk as a couple of Czars
That night I swallowed my lucky stars
Who's that dancing on the jail house roof?
Stamping on the ramping with a cloven hoof
Who's that dancing on the jail house roof?
Well up jumped the Devil and said, "Here is your man, I got proof"
O no, o no don't go, o slow down Joe
The righteous path is straight as an arrow
Take a walk and you'll find it's too narrow
Too narrow for the likes of me
And who's that hanging from the gallow tree?
His eyes are blocked but he looks like me
Now who's that swinging from the gallow tree?
Well up jumped the Devil and took my soul from me
Down we go
Down we go
Down we go
...

Anyone ever listened to this song while high on meth?

The pinnacle of Halloween music

Peaky Blinders.

boring!

I bought the album on cassette tape when it came out and I'm seeing this video now for the first time. Very well done! Love it.

The lyrics are absolutely remarkable and this video is just as remarkable! Just goes so smoothly with Caves lyrics.

Complimenti!! Grande lavoro!!

A Masterpiece.

and now i just read number ten.

awesome video very tim burton love it.

Brilliant video bud.

I came here because Far Cry 5 copyrights issue.

So I basically thought this was the song's music video all this time.

I mean, technically, you're not wrong... They just didn't ask me to make it ;)

alan WAKE DUDE !!!!!!1

I just have to say this is so amazing!!!!

WTF is alan wake and what does he have to do with nick cave or this song

this was my main page song on MySpace

it's not a lake, it's an ocean

10 years ago today I uploaded this video. I created it as a graduation project from a photography school I went to...It led to a bunch of weird opportunists.
In celebration, here are 10 random facts about this video:

1. It took about 3 months to make.
2. I had never worked with stop-motion technique before, this was my first.
3. The sound in the song that fits perfectly with the hat being flicked away at 0:52 -ish was completely coincidental.
4. 1:16 yep, it did leave a mark on my floor.
5. 2:07 I still have that skeleton, it was a key-chain my mother had when she was young, so it's likely close to 50 years old.
6. Making this video kind of ruined the song for me. Listening to it over and over in small bites at the time will do that.
7. The bone creature is a hare skull and chicken bones.
8. Mick Harvey sent me a message that he had seen it, and that it was fine by him that I'd put in on YouTube. (Way back when;)
9. The ending is ridiculous, I know, I just had to fill the last 40 sec with something... should have picked a shorter song...
10. The look of the devil was inspired by Tim Burton characters.

Anyway, that's it. If you've read this and are curious as to what else I do:
https://www.instagram.com/thelovelycreature/
https://thelovelycreature.tumblr.com/
https://twitter.com/TheLCreature

I absolutely love this video :) ( sure song too) good job! <3

TheLovelyCreature it’s great suits the song perfectly I know the feeling of songs being ruined from editing skate videos

Absolutely love this piece. Wonderful work! I watch it every once in while when I'm having a shite sort of day for an evil chuckle & then all is right in my world once again. Thank you for this!

lovely, creature

Jezzez "titty fucking" christ ! For ten years Ive believed this was The video

Cracking video of a great song. Half a million views. Deserves more.

Nick cave brought me here

take my soul devil it s yours im satan child my name alan im your second nature im ridle kiler im your voice temptating you porn sex girls imlike dorian grey come with me im your friend im domed from star im lucy first fallen butcher hymn take my soul devil come to play city is ours souls waiting genius nicksong like curse milhaven sounds

RIP Alan Wake

Who ever put a thumbs down. Sorry you have no taste....

nice touch with the bones in a stopmotion animation... The motion of the still... you gave me a great ideea for what I want to do next

Nice, really Nice

My favourite song by them, followed by the Carny

asi joí

like Czech version of Alice in Wonderland

ALAN WAKE!!!

It's not a lake, it's an ocean (c) Alan Wake

love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what a fucking song!

have my soul, its yours

I used to watch this video back when it came out when I was a kid. I was just listening to Nicks discography unrelated and found this song again. Thanks for this intense nostalgia trip and thanks for the vid.

You're quite welcome :) Can't believe it's almost 10 years ago I made this! I feel old now, haha.

+TheLovelyCreature how long did it take?

+Bo PeEp About 3 - 4 month in total.

Ha-me too! Except Iwasn;t a kid, because i'm 30 now.. But I just found this 2 nights ago again when we were getting shit faced ;)

Great animation THANKS for such a fabulous illustration for the perfect pirate song!

I've been a fan of this song before Alan Wake!

Alan Wake brought me here

Great Nick Cave song. That video kills it. Complementary, hard and fantastic!

Great video!

If not for Alan Wake, I never would have heard of this song. I see why - it totally sucks donkey balls. It seems to try to be hard, heavy, and dangerous, but only sounds like a fag threatening to claw your eyes out.

+Laurence Pinney You're entirely missing the point and it seems like no amount of explaining would help. It's not trying to be hard, heavy or dangerous. It is what it is and if you don't understand, that's okay. It's not for everyone.

I see you're a metal head... Well I assure you that you won't be able to write a darker riff no matter how much heavy distortions and drop L tunings you use...

Yo, Big Jesus Trash Can, not all of us MetalHeads are like that, I love this song for its humor. But I did see you say "Most" so at least you, hopefully, know this.

I listen to almost exclusively to Black and Death metal. That being said, I absolutely love Nick Cave. If you can't see the authenticity and darkness in this song you're blind in many ways.

enjoy having your eyes gouged then ;)

this video is genius

You, good sir, have a remarkable talent. Take it from me, a fellow animator, stop motion requires ungodly effort and omnipotent talent. Brilliant video.

Hey, this alright!... the anime Satan, though: rather cringe-worthy.

Fantastic video!

Great animation! Good job

Great animation, been watching this for, years? Months at least, love it.

Great song. Sad to hear about his son, hope he's dealing with it alright.

@Valeren Yeah I hope so too, it absolutely broke my heart when I read the news. So sad.

Yeah, thats something no one should have to deal with

+TheLovelyCreature Just listening to the song again, and I wanted to say: Great music video btw. Its very good.

+Valeren Thanks :-)

+Valeren Pictures seem to indicate he's working on music and movies. However... They can do what they want, that's a serious blow..

Your animation should be the official video clip of the song !!!! ++++++++++++

great job !

Yay! 300th comment!

Great video as well!

pretty fucking great vid- and song, naturally!

I was attempting to hear Robert Johnson when I typed it "Up Jumped the Devil," and this popped up. A co-worker of mine LOVES Nick Cave so I though I'd check it out. I have very little previous exposure to Nick Cave, but this is nice! Not Robert Johnson.... but awesome either way.  

thumps up if alan wank brought u here

I don't know about alan wank but alan wake certainly did :-D

He's talking about the Alan Wake porn parody, "Alan Wank", obviously. "Armed with his trusty fleshlight Alan takes on dark forces in an idyllic town..." XD

This is terrifying. I love it. 

Alan wake is where I first heard this.

*Cough* Alan Wake* cough cough*

@Cody Cotten - I love Nick Cave and when I heard this song come on while playing Alan Wake I thought: "Okay, this game is officially awesome." A lot excellent music featured in that game, actually - Roy Orbison, Harry Nilsson...

wow great job!

Audio quality is a bit rough, but great freaking job on the animation.  Really impressive.

Audio stinks

You really did a great job on this. I come back and watch it from time to time.

Thank you so much, I appreciate that.

so do I ... since years

Agreed, I was lost in the visuals, truly deserving of the song. Good job!

Mr. Scratch song? :D

lol I love your profile picture. Rammstein are one of my great favourite bands.

Amazing video! The images fit this song PERFECTLY!!! And to weigh in on debate, Tom Waits is incredible but Nick Cave is a GOD!!! Wish he would do Up-Jumped The Devil live but I've seen him probably a dozen times at least & I have tons of live recordings, never once heard it live. I LOVE LOVE LOVE NICK CAVE!!!!

The fuck with all the negative votes, man!!! YOU KNOW YOUR SHIT!!!
He is amazing...but not as good as Mr. W!!!

One of cave's inspirations.

Oh, its like Tom Waits but not as good.

More like completely different from Waits, but just as good

Hes written a few books too. The best in my opinion is and the ass saw the angel. I thought that was pretty rad they were in alan wake.

i came from alan wake , thank you!!

try to listen:
1985 - The First Born Is Dead\05 - Knockin' On Joe.mp3
1986 - Kicking Against The Pricks\01 - Muddy Water.mp3
1986 - Kicking Against The Pricks\05 - Hey Joe.mp3
1986 - Kicking Against The Pricks\08 - Running Scared.mp3 (i know - it's Roy Orbison theme but in Cave interpritation it's sounds very different)

I love old Cave albums - prior 'Ballads' - they have so dark songs full of helpness and sorrow... at least in music as english is not my native and i can't understand meaning bunch of his lyrics in details... 1985 - The First Born Is Dead - "Knoking On joe" my favourite one - it's so desperate...

lovely video, some one push my arrector pili back down

The whole album Murder Ballads. 'Curse of Milhaven' is a favorite.

The Carney! Thank god I came to youtube I've been trying to remember that songs name for hours now.

I always forget how much I like stop motion.
Great video

Red Right Hand has a bit of the Tom Waits feel that you're talking about here, and so does The Carny. His sadder songs have a similar vibe to Tom Waits' sadder stuff/Leonard Cohen as well.

Im so glad there are people like nick cave in the world, i dont feel so out of place in a small conservative town knowing he is still out there making awesome music that scares people who are close minded

Great song. From what I've heard of him so far, this guy reminds me somewhat of a less guttural sounding Tom Waits. Anyways, I just got into Nick Cave recently, and this is one of my favorites by him. What are some other songs by him similar to this?

Frank C. Well Frank, you made this comment 6 years ago, saying you had just got into Nick Cave, and I bet you’re stuck till today... and will be forever! Words fail me to express what Nick and the Seeds mean to my life... they’re simply amazing and beyond comparison.
But you asked for other songs by them which would be similar to this one... Well, by now you have certainly found them, but anyway, I would say Loverman, Red Right Hand, Stagger Lee, Mercy Seat, and even The Carny and From Her To Eternity (the last two have a similar “mood” and darkness, I would say).
Excuse any errors in structure or misspellings, for I’m not a native English speaker...
Good to speak to you!
And keep listening to them ❤️ It gets better and better

thksssssssssssssssssssssssssss

lol yep, welcome to the world of cave!

Haha happy you do! Thanks ^_^

I agree! :D

Hello, your work is awesome!!!!

I really like the video and your nick too ;).

Like any Nick Cave's Music

Well I prefer Silent Hill to Alan Wake but in comparison they are very different. Silent Hill is the archetypal Survival Horror game whereas Alan Wake is just a plain Horror game as there are not any Survival aspects.

Really? I finished it over a weekend.

This is kinda like his book "And the Ass Saw the Angel".

Alan Wake is a rather lengthy game in itself, without the add-ons.

I absoluteley LOVE Silent hill series. Alan Wake is something else, it's unique and dark with nice gameplay, story and graphics. You should check it out bro.

Most amazing thing I have seen in a while

for a game like alan wake, the curse of millhaven would fit quite well to.^^

wretched

Ha Ha Ha Kangaroo penis :D

Cool visual concepts.