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Rattlesnake Bit The Baby/Take Me Back to Georgia/Ladies in the Ballroom
Old-Time Fiddle beakdown and song USA;
ARTIST: from Kenny Hall by Kuntz/ other lyrics
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Negro Poems By William C. Blades 1921; Dates back to minstrel era; published in 1967 by Thede;
RECORDING INFO: Take Me Back to Georgia [Me IV-E 41]
Rt - Brody, David (ed.) / Guitar Picker's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1984), p141
Ashby, John; and the Free State Ramblers. Old Virginia Fiddling, County 727, LP (1970), trk# 5 (Rattlesnake Bit the Baby)
Hall, Kenny; & the Long Haul String Band. Kenny Hall and the Long Haul String band, Voyager VRLP 328-S, LP (198?), trk# 14 (Rattlesnake Bit the Baby)
Hall, Kenny. Gray, Vykki M,; and Kenny Hall / Kenny Hall's Music Book, Mel Bay, Sof (1999), p 73 (Rattlesnake Bit the Baby)
Johnson, Vesta Wilson. Blue Flame, Marimac 9057, Cas (1994/1991), trk# B.05 (Rattlesnake Bit the Baby)
Miller, Sonny; & the Southern Mtn Boys. Virginia Breakdown, County 705, LP (1966), trk# B.01 (Katy Did)
New Lost City Ramblers. String Band Instrumentals, Folkways FA 2492, LP (1964), trk# A.09
New Lost City Ramblers. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p272
Pickin' Around the Cookstove. Pickin' Around the Cookstove, Rounder 0040, LP (1975), trk# 5
Sisco, Carthy. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p194
Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 355-356. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 195. County 727, John Ashby and the Free State Ramblers - "Old Virginia Fiddling." Marimac 9057, Vesta Johnson - "Blue Flame" (1994). Voyager 328, "Kenny Hall and the Long Haul String Band" (Learned from Hank Bradley via Harry Liedstrand).
OTHER NAMES: Take Me Back to Georgia/Ladies in the Ballroom/Katy Did
RELATED TO: Northeast Texas; Sugar Betty Ann; Boston Boy; Black River; Spider Bit the Baby; Coming Down From Boston; "Pateroller," "Pat the Budgie," "Rocky Pallet," and "Wild John."
SOURCES: Thede; Ceolas; Folk Index;
NOTES: Lowe Stokes recorded that same melody as "Take Me Back To Georgia" in the late 1920s (Columbia 15486-D), as by Lowe Stokes and His North Georgians. C Major. Standard. AABB.
"Rattlesnake Bit The Baby" from Kenny Hall:
Rattlesnake Bit the Baby, foreign girls drive me crazy,
Rattlesnake Bit the Baby, ha, ha, ha, the baby.
**
Frankie shot Albert, Frankie shot Albert,
Frankie shot Albert, ha, ha, ha, Albert.
**
Tadly shot Homer, Tadly shot Homer,
Tadly shot Homer, ha, ha, ha, Homer.
**
Tadly smashed Homer, Tadly smashed Homer,
Tadly smashed Homer, ha, ha, ha, Homer. (Kenny Hall)
"Rattlesnake Bit The Baby" from Mudcat:
Lowe Stokes' fiddle tune, Take Me Back to Georgia (best available on Document DOCD-8045) , you sing to the B part:
Rattlesnake bit the baby
Rattlesnake bit the baby
Rattlesnake bit the baby
Run and get the doctor!
"Rattlesnake Bit the Baby" was our most requested song when we played at Silver Dollar City, near Branson, MO, many years ago! Our mandolin player was always coming up with these obscure songs to play as instrumentals. One day he played that song. The lyrics came to us instantly:
Rattlesnake bit the baby!
Rattlesnake bit the baby!
Rattlesnake bit the baby!
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Another version from Mudcat:
Lookee, lookee, lookee
Rattlesnake bit the baby
Nothin' to be done nohow
Baby is a big girl now
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