The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for musical genius.

This is based largely on folklore of the American South that identifies a crossroads as the site where Faustian bargains can be made, as the lyrics do not contain any references to Satan.

The second, which reached a wider audience, was included on King of the Delta Blues Singers, a compilation album of some of Johnson's songs released in 1961 during the American folk music revival.

[20] Both versions of the song open with the protagonist kneeling at a crossroads to ask God's mercy; the second section tells of his failed attempts to hitch a ride.

[21] In the third and fourth sections, he expresses apprehension at being stranded as darkness approaches and asks that his friend Willie Brown be advised that "I'm sinkin' down".

[24] According to authors Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow, "many blues fans and even some scholars [have attempted] to link this song to some Satanic or Faustian bargain", as an explanation for how quickly Johnson progressed from being an average musician to an accomplished one.

[26] Wald writes: As for "Cross Road Blues", the satanic connection has to be made by first citing the Tommy Johnson story, tracing it through the ancient beliefs in a dark spirit who appears at the meeting of pathways, then jury-rigging it to fit a song that never suggests any such theme.

[27]Although "Cross Road Blues" does not contain any references to Satan or a Faustian bargain,[21][28][29] Robert Johnson later recorded two songs that include such themes: "Hellhound on My Trail" tells of trying to stay ahead of the demon hound that is pursuing him and in "Me and the Devil Blues" he sings, "Early this mornin' when you knocked upon my door, and I said 'Hello Satan I believe it's time to go'".

[32] Music historian Ted Gioia believes that the use of satanic themes and imagery generated much needed publicity for blues musicians who were struggling through the Great Depression.

[33] The second verse includes "the sun goin' down now boy, dark gon' catch me here", a reference to the "sundown laws" or curfew during racial segregation in the United States.

[35][36] Writers Barry Lee Pearson and Bill McCulloch feel that the fifth verse in the single version captures the essence of the song: "left alone, abandoned, or mistreated, he stands at the crossroad, looking this way or that for his woman".

[43] Harp-style playing employs percussive accents on the bass strings (an imitation of the sharp draw used by harmonica players) and allows Johnson to explore different chord voicings and fills.

[15] Johnson prepares to go into the fifth section for the slower second take, but the engineer apparently cut him off because of the time limits of ten-inch 78 rpm records.

[57] Producer Frank Driggs substituted it for the original on Johnson's first long-playing record album compilation King of the Delta Blues Singers.

[61] Both titled "Standing at the Crossroads", they feature James' trademark "Dust My Broom" amplified slide-guitar figure and a backing ensemble; the lyrics focus on the lost-love aspect of the song:[46] Well I was standin' at the crossroad, and my baby not around (2×) Well I begin to wonder, "Is poor Elmore sinkin' down" James first recorded the song in August 1954 at Modern Records' new studio in Culver City, California.

[71] Their attention turned to Robert Johnson songs and Boyd proposed "Crossroads",[d] though Clapton favored "Traveling Riverside Blues".

[70] "Crossroads" became a part of Cream's repertoire when Clapton began performing with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in July 1966.

[78] Clapton previously recorded "Ramblin' on My Mind" with Mayall and "From Four Until Late" with Cream using arrangements that followed Johnson's original songs more closely.

[80] He and Bruce on bass continuously emphasize the riff throughout the song to give it a strong and regular metric drive combined with Baker's drumming.

[51] Bruce's bass lines blend rhythm and harmony, and Baker adds fills and more complex techniques typical of drummers in jazz trios.

[51] Cash Box called it "a new winner" for Cream and added "the blazing instrumental break gives this track a luster which will bring home the sales".

[89] After the group's breakup, Atco issued the song as a single in January 1969,[90] which reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart[91] and 17 on Cashbox.

"[101] Several music writers have explained that Cream's recording for Wheels of Fire was edited from a much longer performance that was typical for the trio – in the notes for Clapton's Crossroads box set, Anthony DeCurtis credits the trimming to engineer Tom Dowd,[102] but critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine attributes the editing to producer Felix Pappalardi, who "cut together the best bits of a winding improvisation to a tight four minutes", to allow the song's drive more continuity.

"[104] Barry Levenson, who produced Cream's 1997 box set Those Were the Days, commented: It's not edited, and I've got an audience tape from the same show which verifies that [it] was a typical performance of the song.

[106] Writing for the foundation, Jim O'Neal said that "Regardless of mythology and rock 'n' roll renditions, Johnson's record was indeed a powerful one, a song that would stand the test of time on its own.

[108] Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Cross Road Blues" at number 481 on its 2021 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

[113] A review in Living Blues includes: "Texas Alexander rushes the beat so determinably on the Delta standby 'Cross Roads', it can't help but make you smile.

[46][116] Homesick derived his guitar style from Elmore, which music critic Bill Dahl calls "aggressive, sometimes chaotic slide work".

[117] Author Colin Larkin describes it as Homesick's "most famous track ... Its pounding rhythms and heavily amplified bottle-neck made it a landmark in city blues".

Thom Jurek writes in an AllMusic review: "a romper-stomper wailing performance ... [guitarist Alex] Lifeson leaves Eric what's-his-name in the dust [and bassist Geddy Lee in] his moment of glory in this cut tears the roof off the song".