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The Cat’s Got The Measles (And The Dog's Got The Whooping Cough)
Old-Time Breakdown and Song; Appalachian Region
ARTIST: From Walter "Kid" Smith, vocal, with Posey Rorer on fiddle and Norman Woodlieff on guitar (Richmond, IN, 20 March 1929, mx 14943, released on Gennett 6825 plus a couple of pseudonymous cheap label reissues on Champion and Supertone, the latter credited to "Jerry Jordan" on Supertone (Sears) 9407.
Listen: Papa Charlie Jackson; Cat's Got The Measles
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: Early 1900’s (1924 by Papa Charlie Jackson)
RECORDING INFO: Papa Charlie Jackson Vol 1 1924 - 1926 DOCD-5087; Walter Smith and Friends Vol 1 (1929 - 1930) DOCD 8062; Also Walter "Kid" Smith, vocal, with Posey Rorer on fiddle and Norman Woodlieff on guitar (Richmond, IN, 20 March 1929, mx 14943, released on Gennett 6825 plus a couple of pseudonymous cheap label reissues on Champion and Supertone, the latter credited to "Jerry Jordan" on Supertone (Sears) 9407; “Lawdy, Lawdy, Blues (Alabama Shieks- 1931 on Vi 23265); Cousin Emmy (Cynthia May Carver). New Lost City Ramblers with Cousin Emmy, Folkways FTS 31015, LP (1968), cut# 10; Fink, Cathy. Doggone My Time, Rooster 120, LP (1982), cut#A.01; New Lost City Ramblers. Remembrance of Things to Come, Folkways FTS 31035, LP (1973), cut# 7;
OTHER NAMES: Cat’s Got The Measles; “Lawdy, Lawdy, Blues (Alabama Shieks- 1931);
SOURCES: Folk Song Index; Country Music Sources;
NOTES: The early version of “Cat’s Got The Measles” is jazz banjoist Papa Charlie Jackson’s, who recorded the song in Jan. 1924. The recording by Walter "Kid" Smith, vocal, with Posey Rorer on fiddle and Norman Woodlieff on guitar (Richmond, IN, 20 March 1929) features great fiddle breaks. According to Jon Pankake's Old Time Herald review of Document Records' Smith reissue, Smith was mainly a singer, relying on others to play the instruments. From the 1920s to the 1960s, he recorded with lots of different musicians; toured as a tent show comedian with a red wig and blacked-out teeth; formed a family band with his daughters; and performed on radio, stage and TV with his guitarist wife and a yodeling dog. Less than a third of his recordings used his real name. He'd sign an exclusive record contract with each company, then go to the next one and record under a new name.
The lyrics to "Cat's Got The Measels" may have derived from the English popular song "The Keel Row" and one set of lyrics is:
The cat caught the measles, the measles, the measles,
The cat caught the measles, the measles caught the cat.
Similar lyrics from African-American community in US were collected by Talley as "The Jaybird Died With The Whooping Cough" and have been traced back to 1846:
De Jaybird died wid de Whoopin' Cough,
De Bluebird died wid de Measles.
Smith probably got his version from Papa Charlie Jackson who recorded the song first circa 1925. Papa Charlie Jackson's lyrics are:
CAT'S GOT THE MEASLES
Listen: Papa Charlie Jackson
Now the cat's got the measles, the dog's got the whooping cough
Doggone my soul, Lord, Lord.
The cat's got the measles, the dog's got the whooping cough,
Doggone a man let a woman be his boss, doggone my soul.
Now I ain’t no devil, born in the lion’s den,
Doggone my soul, Lord, Lord.
Now I ain’t no devil born in the lion’s den
My chief oc'pation's takin' women from de monkey men, doggone my soul.
Says, I ain’t good lookin’ my teeth don’t shine like pearls,
Doggone my soul, Lord, Lord.
I ain’t good lookin’ my teeth don’t shine like pearls,
But I got something babe, to carry through this *great-fine world, doggone my soul.
Now I think I heard a rumblin' deep down in the ground,
Doggone my soul, Lord, Lord.
I think I heard a rumblin' deep down in the ground,
It musta been the devil a-chainin’ my good gal down, doggone my soul.
Now The men don’t like me just because I speak my mind
Doggone my soul, Lord, Lord.
The men don’t like me just because I speak my mind
But the women cyin’ Papa just because I takes my time, doggone my soul.
[Repeat first verse]
*unclear
Here is the “Cat’s Got The Measles” by Walter "Kid" Smith:
Chorus: The cat's got the measles and the dog's got the whooping cough doggone
The cat's got the measles, dog's got the whooping cough,
Doggone a man let a woman be his boss, doggone my time.
I ain’t no devil just born in the lion’s den, doggone
I ain’t no devil just born in the lion’s den
My chief oc'pation's takin' women from the monkey men
Thought I heard a rockin' deep down in the ground, doggone
Thought I heard a rockin' deep down in the ground,
It musta been the devil a-chainin’ my good gal down.
(instrumental)
I ain’t good lookin’ and my teeth don’t shine like pearls, doggone
I ain’t good lookin’ and my teeth don’t shine like pearls
But I got what it takes to carry me through this cock-eyed world
The cat's got the measles and the dog's got the whooping cough doggone
The cat's got the measles, and dog's got the whooping cough,
Doggone a man let a woman be his boss, doggone my time.
(instrumental)
I ain’t no devil just born in the lion’s den, doggone
I ain’t no devil just born in the lion’s den
My chief oc'pation's takin' women from the monkey men
The men don’t like me just because I *keep my side doggone
The men don’t like me just because I keep my side
But the women cyin’ papa they don’t want to be my bride.
The cat's got the measles and the dog's got the whooping cough doggone
The cat's got the measles, dog's got the whooping cough,
Doggone a man let a woman be his boss, doggone my time.
(instrumental)
* see Jackson's lyrics "speak my mind"
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