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Rufus Rastus/Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown/Whatcha Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round
Old-Time, Breakdown US. Based on Sterling and Von Tilzer's Tin-Pan-Alley song "Whatcha Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round.”
ARTIST: From Kuntz
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1905 song "Whatcha Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round” by Andrew Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer; 1930 recording by Mississippi Possum Hunters.
RECORDING INFO: Rufus Rastas [Me II-Y 88] - Sterling, Andrew/Von Tilzer, Harry
Spaeth, Sigmund / Read 'Em and Weep, Arco, Sof (1959/1926), p212 (What You Goin' to Do When the Rent Comes 'Round)
Arm and Hammer String Band. Stay on the Farm, Grooveless, Cas (1983/1978), trk# B.05a
Mississippi Possum Hunters. Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, Vol. 1, County 528, LP (1975), trk# 4 [1930/05/28]
RELATED TO: C-H-I-C-K-E-N
OTHER NAMES: "Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown" "Whatcha Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round"
SOURCES: Kuntz; Mudcat; Folk Index; Fiddler John Holloway with the Mississippi Possum Hunters (Miss.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 117. County 528, Mississippi Possum Hunters ‑ "Mississippi Breakdown: Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, Vol. 1." Document 8028, The Mississippi Possum Hunters – “Mississippi String Bands, Vol. 2” (reissue). Victor 23644 (78 RPM), Mississippi Possum Hunters (1930).
NOTES: From Kuntz: C Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The tune was derived from Sterling and Von Tilzer's Tin-Pan-Alley song "Whatcha Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round.” It is said that the Mississippi Possum Hunters (Avalon, Miss.) were friends with bluesman Mississippi John Hurt.
"WHAT YOU GOIN' TO DO WHEN THE RENT COMES 'ROUND?"
(RUFUS RASTUS JOHNSON BROWN)
Words by Andrew B. Sterling Music by Harry Von Tilzer; Copyright 1905
VERSE 1: Who dat a-knockin' at the door below?
Who dat a-shiv'rin in the hail and snow?
I can hear you grumblin', Mister Rufus Brown.
Just keep on a-knockin', babe. I won't come down.
I wants to tell you that you can't get in.
Have you been a-gamblin', honey? Did you win?
What's that you tell me, coon? You lost your breath?
I hopes you freezes to death!
CHORUS: Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
What you goin' to do when the rent comes 'round?
What you goin' to say? How you goin' to pay?
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgment day.
You know, I know, rent means dough.
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow.
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
What you goin' to do when the rent comes 'round?
VERSE 2: Keep on a-bangin' on the old front door.
In just a minute, babe, you'll hear me snore.
If I goes to bed without a bite or sup,
You will be an icicle when I wakes up.
Where's all the money that you said you'd bring?
Melted all away just like the snow last spring.
Rufus, I loves you, but this serves you right.
Guess that's sufficient. Good night! CHORUS
RUFUS RASTUS JOHNSON BROWN Collected by Sigmund Spaeth
(Source) Sigmund Spaeth, Read 'Em and Weep: The Songs You Forgot to Remember (Doubleday, Page & Company, 1927, p. 231)
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
What you goin' to do when the rent comes 'round?
What you goin' to say? How you goin' to pray?
You'll never have a bit of sense till Judgment Day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
What you goin' to do when the rent comes round?
There appears to be a number of similar versions of this song as a campfire/children's song with the C-H-I-C-K-E-N . Here's a number of them.
Rufus Rustus Johnson Brown From Kendra Kelly:
Rufus Rustus Johnson Brown,
Oh what you gonna do when the rain comes down
Oh what ya gonna do and what ya gonna say
If you can't pay the rent 'till the rain goes away
C- thats the way it begins
H- is the next letter in
I- you're in the middle of the word
C- you've already heard
K- now you're roundin' the bend
E- you're nearin' the end
C-H-I-C-K-E-N
That's the way you spell CHICKEN!
From James Althaus:
Oh Roofus Rastus Johnson Brown
What ya gonna do when the rent comes round.
What ya gonna do? What ya gonna say?
What ya gonna do come the Judgement Day?
Oh you know, he know, we all know,
Landlord kick you out in the snow.
Roofus Rastus Johnson Brown
What ya gonna do when the rent comes round?
C- that's the way you begin
H- that's the second letter in
I- I am the third
And C is the fourth letter in that word
Well, O - K I'm fill'in in
E- I'm near the end.
Yea, C-H-I-C-K-E-N
That is the way you spell chicken
From Amy Reynolds:
Roofus Rustas Johnson and Brown
Whatcha gonna do when the rent comes around
Whatcha gonna do and whatcha gonna say
When you can't pay the rent 'till the break of day
You know, and I know and everyone knows
That you can't pay the rent if you ain't got the dough
Roofus Rustas Johnson and Brown
Whatcha gonna do when the rent comes around
C - that's the way it begins,
And H - that's the next letter in,
And I - that's the middle of the word,
And C - that you've already heard,
And K - that's the name of the hen,
And E - now we're nearing the N
C-H-I-C-K-E-N
That's the way you spell (clap) Chicken.
From Jennifer Ring:
Oh, Rofus Rufus Johnson Brown
Watcha gonna do when the rent comes round
Watcha gonna say, watcha gonna pay
Watcha gonna do on judgment day
Oh, you know I know rent means dough
Landlord throw you out in the snow
Oh, Rofus Rufus Johnson Brown
Watcha gonna do when the rent comes round
C - that's the way it begins
H - I'm the second one in
I - I am the third, and
C - I'm the forth letter of that bird, oh
K - I'm movin' in
E - I'm near the N
Oh, C-H-I-C-K-E-N
That's how you spell chicken.
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