ADD: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County

Subject: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Sd
Date: 17 Aug 99 - 12:29 PM

I am looking for the rest of the lyrics (and chords) to fill out a song I heard many years ago, beginning:

When it's chitlin picking time in Cheatem County I'll be callin in the cheatem county hills Somethingsomethingsomething chitlin cooking and along with that a mess of chitlins too. etc...

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Michael Ray
Date: 17 Aug 99 - 09:27 PM

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: CHITLIN COOKIN' TIME IN CHEATHAM..
From: Michael Ray
Date: 17 Aug 99 - 10:09 PM

Hey SD. I'm not having much luck formatting this, but here's the way I do that song. It's called

CHITLIN COOKIN' TIME IN CHEATHAM COUNTY

1. (Em) There's a quiet and peaceful county in sunny Tennes(Am)see.
You'll (Em) find it in the book they call geo(B7)gra(Em)phy.
Not noted for it's farmin', minin', or its (Am) stills,
But they (Em) know their chitlin cookin' in those Cheatham (B7) County (Em) hills.

BRIDGE: When it's (Em) chitlin cookin' time in Cheatham County,
I'll be courtin' in those Cheatham County (Am) hills,
And I'll (Em) take a Cheatham County chitlin cooker
For I've a longin' that a (B7) mess of chitlin (Em) fills.

2. There's art in chitlin cookin', and all good chitlin cooks
Must master it by practice; it ain't wrote down in books.
In the hills of Cheatham County, in sunny Tennessee,
When the chitlins are in season, that's where I want to be.

BRIDGE. SORT OF SECOND BRIDGE, I GUESS:

Well, if (Em) all good things would be to me
I think that chitlins are the (Am) best,
And when I (Em) press my (C) dyin' (Em) pillow (C)
Let a (Em) chitlin be my (B7) last re(Em)quest.

BRIDGE AGAIN.

Man, I hope this is makin' sense! It's a great song and is done in Em, Am, and B7. The second bridge rocks between Em and C to give it a kind of death and funeral feel. I did it a long time ago with an old-time and gospel band. We did mess with lyrics some so these words may or may not be true to the original. I hope you have some hint of the melody. It's not too tough. Have fun! MR

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Pete Peterson
Date: 17 Aug 99 - 10:13 PM

It may help if you know the tune to be a very close relative of the St. James Infirmary. Wonder where Arthur Smith got it. I also remember the county name as Cheatham, always thought it to be named for the Civil War general (in the Army of Tennessee) anybody know for sure? PETE

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Michael Ray
Date: 18 Aug 99 - 12:40 AM

Pete may well be right about the spelling. I don't think I knew for sure, but 'cheatham' looks good. I wonder, is this the same 'Fiddling Arthur Smith'? Here again I don't think I ever knew who wrote the song. I do believe it was recorded some time ago by a bluegrass band. Right on the St.James melody. di di di di di di di da di da di da. Bluesy. MR

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 18 Aug 99 - 12:54 AM

Sure WAS "Fiddlin" Arthur Smith (with the Dixieliners) It's a wonderful song that was also recorded in the 60s on The McGee Bros. and Arthur Smith. Folkways records. Blountville Tennessee fiddler Ralph Blizzard (who knew Smith well) has done a great version recently.

Rick

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Frank Hamilton
Date: 18 Aug 99 - 11:07 AM

Sure it isn't "When It's Chitlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County'?

Frank

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Susan A-R
Date: 18 Aug 99 - 09:50 PM

If it's Chtli' Cookin Time in Cheatham County, The Rude Girls did a recording of it. They are a Western Mass based group (or were) The recording in question is called Rude Awakening and is on Flying Fish. Hmmm, I'm looking back at my record jacket and it's interesting. Molly Mason on base, Cathy Fink as producer, It's a fun album.

Susan

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: CHITLIN COOKIN' TIME IN CHEATHAM..
From: Barbara
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 01:50 AM

I don't have one of those fancy 'edit' buttons, but I can do cut and paste, so here's the song with line breaks. If you want to find out how to do this, go to the HTML thread.
Blessings,
Barbara

Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County.

[Em] There's a quiet and peaceful county in sunny Tennes[Am]see.
You'll [Em]find it in the book they call geo[B7]gra[Em]phy.
Not noted for it's farmin', minin' or it's [Am]stills,
but they [Em]know their chitlin cookin' in those Cheatham [B7] County [Em]hills.

BRIDGE
When it's [Em]chitlin' cookin' time in Cheatham County
I'll be courtin' in those Cheatham County [Am]hills,
and I'll [Em]take a Cheatham County chitlin cooker
for I've a longin' that a [B7]mess of chitlin [Em]fills

2. There's art in chitlin cookin', and all good chitlin cooks
must master it by practice it aint wrote down in books.
In the hills of Cheatham County, in sunny Tennessee,
when the chitlins are in season that's where I want to be.

BRIDGE. SORT OF SECOND BRIDGE, I GUESS.
Well if [Em]all good things would be to me
I think that chitlins are the [Am]best,
and when I [Em]press my [C]dyin' [Em]pillow[C]
[C]let a [Em]chitlin be my [B7]last re[Em]quest.

BRIDGE AGAIN.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Barbara
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 02:01 AM

And, BTW, SD, I'd be curious to know how you pick chitlins.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 02:09 AM

I'd be hellishly interested in HOW you cook 'em. Oh, and exactly what ARE chitlins?
Rick (who doesn't remember his mother cooking too many chitlins while growing up in Montreal)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Michael Ray
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 03:08 PM

I do believe that chitlins are a part of the pig's intestines. Fried is the way most are cooked. Maybe deep-fried. Some, however, prefer boiling. Don't know about pickin' chitlins. Could be a fig newton of the imagination. Speaking of fig newtons, whatever became of SD on this thread?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Barbara
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 05:06 PM

Well, in general chitlins (short for chitterlings) are, as my daughter puts it, critter bits. Entrails. Innards. The soft parts. Yucky bits. Giblets. I'm not sure they are critter specific, but pig seems likely. I was trying to remember the elegant french name for the same but the ol' steel trap had snapped its last snap. Thought it was possible a Montreal mom would more likely cook those, Rick.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Bert
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 05:27 PM

Isn't it 'Tripes' in French?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 05:53 PM

Barbara, my mom was so English that her favourite spice was "flour"! I doubt if she'd have let a chitlin' through the door!

You're right Michael, we seemed to have scared SD off! Perhaps this was more information than they wanted!

Rick

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Adam
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 06:19 PM

It was also recorded by some combination of Stampfel/Weber/HolymodalRounders. They apparently only knew one verse. The first is run through, then the chorus twice, then some mumbling:

mumbledadadadamumble mumbledadadain books.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Michael Ray
Date: 19 Aug 99 - 08:26 PM

Well garsh it just occured to me to see what Mr. Webster had to say about this subject. Especially since the book is right at my elbow. Let's see.....Yup, sure enough. "The small intestines of the pig used for food". And there you have it--hog guts!!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Bob Schwarer
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 07:22 AM

My wifes Granny cleaned them in a washing machine.

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Chet W.
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 12:27 PM

Okay, Chitlins are the small intestines of hogs. Tripe is from a cow. Chitlins are prepared first by cleaning (thank God, and you don't want to see this for yourself), putting a hose in one end and letting it run until the water is clear. They are then sliced into short lengths and boiled, and may be eaten as they are, but many prefer to fry the already boiled chitlin, usually after rolled in some breading mixture, sort of like you would do with fried chicken. I don't like them myself, probably because I had to help make them as a rural youth. One fond memory is that my uncle Harry, at church dinners, would go get a handful of shelled (dry) corn out of his truck and put some in the pot if somebody brought chitlins. Others would see the corn, think that the chitlins had not been cleaned enough (corn being common in hog digestive systems), and he would then have them all to himself and whoever else he let in on the trick.

Chet, who may possibly have been named after chitlins.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: Mark Clark
Date: 10 May 03 - 03:58 PM

Chitlins are also touted as soul food. The only time I've eaten chitlins was at a friends house on Chicago's South Side. His wife fixed them along with black-eyed peas and collard greens. I remember not wanting to display my considerable anxiety over the menu but when dinner was served, all worries were gone. She was a great cook and her chitlins were terrific.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: GUEST,Nate
Date: 29 Jan 10 - 03:25 PM

It is Cheatham County. I live there. Folks around here say "chittlin's" but it's spelled "chitterlings."

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Chitlin Picking Time
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Dec 12 - 02:35 PM

Just from having listened to a very old recording with fiddle and guitar, I had thought that it was,

"Of all good things put before me,
I think chittlin's are the best.
And when I dress (must be pressed, as you all say so) my dyin' pillow,
let chittlin's be my last request!"

PB

Subject: ADD: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Sep 15 - 03:31 AM

Here are the lyrics we came up with for the Rise Again Songbook:

CHITLIN COOKIN' TIME IN CHEATHAM COUNTY
(Arthur Smith, 1944)

There's a quiet and peaceful county in the state of Tennessee
You will find it in the book they call "Geography"
Not famous for its farming, its minin' or its stills,
But they know they're their chitlin cookin' in them Cheatham County hills

CHORUS
When it's chitlin cookin' time in Cheatham County,
I'll be courtin' in them Cheatham County hills
And I'll pick a Cheatham County chitlin cooker,
I've a longin' that a mess of chitlin fills

There's an art in chitlin cookin' and all good chitlin cooks
They must master it by practice 'cos it ain't wrote down in books
In the hills of Cheatham County in sunny Tennessee
When chitlins are in season is where I long to be
Of all good things put before me, I think chitlins are the best
And when I press my dying pillow, let chitlins be my last request

——w & m: Arthur Smith
© 1944 (renewed) Berwick Music Corp. Recs by Ralph Blizard, Pokey LaFarge, Malcolm Price & Holy Modal Rounders. In Sing Out! 39:2. Tune is derived fron "St. James Infirmary Blues".


Pokey LaFarge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G5WDCPBb48

Justin Townes Earle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz3NdRNS6bw

So, is it "they're" or "their" in the first verse?

Subject: RE: ADD: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County
From: maeve
Date: 09 Sep 15 - 05:51 AM

"So, is it "they're" or "their" in the first verse? "

You must be tired, Joe. It's:
"But they know their chitlin cookin' in them Cheatham County hills", meaning, they are not known for farming, mining, or making moonshine, but they do know how to cook chitlins.

Subject: RE: ADD: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Sep 15 - 06:08 AM

That's what I thought, too, Maeve. Unfortunately, "they're" is what made it into the book. Don't know where that word came from, or if I'm the one who missed it the first time around. If I read the history right in Google Docs, it was corrected to "their" and then changed back again. Darn. Worse yet, it looks like the mistake might have been mine...

-Joe-

Subject: RE: ADD: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County
From: maeve
Date: 09 Sep 15 - 06:59 AM

Drat. Time for some white-out. :)

Subject: Version: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Sep 15 - 01:40 PM

Here are the lyrics from Sing Out! Magazine, Volume 39, No. 2, Aug/Sep/Oct 1994

CHITTLIN' COOKIN' TIME IN CHEATHAM COUNTY
(Arthur Smith, 1944)

There's a quiet and peaceful county in the state of Tennessee
You will find it in the book they call geography
Not famous for its farming, its mining or its stills,
But they know their chittlin' cookin' in them Cheatham County hills

CHORUS
When it's chittlin' cookin' time in Cheatham County,
I'll be courtin' in them Cheatham County hills
Gonna pick a Cheatham County chittlin cooker,
For the longin' that a mess of chittlins fill

There's art in chittlin' cookin' and all good chittlin' cooks.
They must master it by practice, it can't be found in books
In the hills of Cheatham County in sunny Tennessee
When chittlins are in season, that is where I long to be

Of all good things put before me, I think chittlins are the best,
And when I press my dying pillow, let chittlins be my last request

——w & m: Arthur Smith

Notes: Venerable Tennessee musician Arthur Smith wrote the words to "Chittlin' Cookin' Time" and set them to an older tune (St. James Infirmary). The song celebrates three of life's most universal rituals - rural or urban - eating, courting, and the longing for home.

---

I have to say that except for the "their/they're" question, the lyrics in Rise Again work for me. I prefer to spell the word chittlin' (from "chitterling"), but Rise Again chose "chitlin." Anybody have a really definitive source for lyrics for this song?

Subject: RE: ADD: Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County
From: GUEST,OldNicKilby
Date: 10 Sep 15 - 08:11 AM

It has been suggested that the names for parts of a pigs tripes can be cross referenced to the same dialect names for these bits in the U K. Thus by cross referencing these names it is possible to work out where the original founding families came from . I was in Chicago about 20 years ago and spent almost the whole evening talking to two guys who were heavily into this