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Cover Art

The Devil You Know Lyrics by Henry Krieger

Side Show (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

1997

[JAKE]
I'm not gonna tell you
You're making a mistake
Tell you not to go
No I won't
I'll only say
What I've learned along my way
The devil you know
Beats the devil you don't
We don't work
In the best of situations
We don't live very well
We don't live in the neighborhood of heaven
We live somewhere closer to hell
Now we have learned
To work around the situation
Learned to hide
'Til the heat has passed
You will learn a promise of salvation
Can mask another inferno's blast
The devil you know
Beats the devil you don't
That promised land
Could turn out to be dry
Once you're gone
You might ask yourselves why
Maybe you will
Or maybe you won't
But the devil you know
Beats the devil you don't
Oh yeah
[ROUSTABOUT #1]
You don't know
The world beyond the sideshow
[ROUSTABOUT #2]
You don't know
What Satan can plan
[BEARDED LADY]
You don't know
The safety you'd be leaving
[SHEIK]
We're your family
We're your clan
[SNAKE GIRL]
Here we're got
Each other to depend on
[HAREM GIRL #2]
Here you've got
The best home you'll ever find
[BEARDED LADY]
Other folk
Don't know how to take us
[JAKE]
The world out there can be so unkind
[JAKE]
The devil you know
Beats the devil you don't
His game of chance
Just might be a scam
 
[ROUSTABOUT #1]
Devil you know
[ROUSTABOUT #2]
Devil you know
[SNAKE LADY, BEARDED LADY, HAREM GIRL #2, ROUSTABOUT #2]
Beats the devil
The devil you don't
[SHEIK]
Don't take that chance
[SHEIK, HAREM GIRL #2, SNAKE LADY]
It's just a scam
[JAKE, ROUSTABOUT #3]
You can't play
Then decide you should scram
[JAKE, ROUSTABOUT #1 & 3, SHEIK]
Maybe you'll win
Or maybe you won't
But the devil you know
[BEARDED LADY, HAREM GIRL #2, JAKE, ROUSTABOUTS #1, 2, 3, SHEIK, SNAKE LADY]
Beats the devil you don't
[6th EXHIBIT]
How can you
Say that man's a devil?
[ROUSTABOUT #4]
How can you
Say he's wicked and bad?
[GEEK]
How can you
Criticize an angel
[6th EXHIBIT, GEEK, ROUSTABOUT #4)
Promising more heaven
Than they've ever had
[FORTUNE TELLER]
I'm a fortune teller
I can see the future
I can look at people
See what's lying ahead
Violet and Daisy
I see you're bound for glory
That man who was here
Will do all that he said
That man's not a devil
No—believe it I won't
He's not a devil
No—miss this chance?
I hope that they don't
No don't
No don't
No don't
[THE "NO" GROUP]
What if he's a devil?
[THE "YES" GROUP]
What if he's not?
He could be an angel
[THE "NO" GROUP]
That heaven forgot
[FORTUNE TELLER]
I think you may be jealous
[JAKE]
Hah! Jealous of what?
[ALL]
That Violet and Daisy
Might give him a shot!
[THE "NO" GROUP]
The devil you know
Beats the devil you don't
That promised land
Could turn out to be dry
So dry—
Once you're gone
You might ask yourselves why
Maybe you will
But the devil you know
But the devil you know
But the devil you know
 
[THE "YES" GROUP]
—He's not a devil
I won't believe it
Believe it I won't!
Understand
He could be a good guy
Why?
Or maybe you won't
No no, he's not a devil
No no, he's not a devil
No no, he's not a devil
[JAKE]
Alright!
Now we could argue all night
Because we care about you two
Maybe you will go
Or maybe you won't
But I hope you will remember
That that mean old
Money-grubbin'
Gin-guzzlin'
Name-callin'
Devil you know
Might be better than
That smooth talkin'
Fine-lookin'
Dream-spinnin'
Promise makin'
Devil
You don't
[THE "YES" GROUP]
No, no, no
Don't call him a devil!
No, no, no
Don't call him a devil!
No, no, no
Don't call him a devil!
[THE "NO" GROUP]
Beats the devil you don't
Beats the devil you don't
Beats the devil you
[ALL]
Don't!
Credits
Henry Krieger

Henry Krieger

About “The Devil You Know” by Henry Krieger

Read the complete lyrics to "The Devil You Know" by Henry Krieger from the album "Side Show (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1997. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop, Musicals.

"The Devil You Know" is performed by Henry Krieger. from the album "Side Show (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1997 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Devil You Know", explore more songs by Henry Krieger using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Devil You Know" is credited to Henry Krieger. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Devil You Know" appears on "Side Show (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1997.

Visit the Henry Krieger artist page at /artist/henry-krieger for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.