Subject: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: AzDave Date: 06 Oct 00 - 10:41 PM A gruesome old song about two boys hitting a ball into a lady's yard then getting enticed into the house by a lady who "carved his little heart in." I have most of the lyrics but can't make out the end of one line. At first she showed him ???????? And then she showed him a chain And then she showed her diamond ring To entice the little one in, one in To entice the little one in AzDave |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: GUEST,Bruce O. Date: 06 Oct 00 - 10:52 PM Search DT for #155 (Child #) |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: The Shambles Date: 07 Oct 00 - 06:18 AM Click here: IT RAINED A MIST. It does appear to be a rather unpleasant song. What its history? |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: AllisonA(Animaterra) Date: 07 Oct 00 - 07:24 AM Yeesh, that is nasty! I teach a song of one verse that resembles the first two lines, but the melody is completely different. It rained a mist, it rained a mist, It rained all over the town, town, town, It rained all over the town. It's a charming little ditty and I was hoping this thread would give me more charming little verses or details about the song. Not so! Did this song give rise to the dreadful stereotype against Jews , or was it merely adding fuel to the already burning fire? |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: AzDave Date: 09 Oct 00 - 10:44 AM Wow, what a surprise. It is Child #155, (Thanks Bruce O) though the version I have is slightly different...no references to Jews. I have the song by Ted Lundy and the Southern Mountain Boys on Rounder, "Old Time Music" (11510). It was originaly released in 1973 (Rounder 0020) on "The Old Swinging Bridge." Looking at #155, I'd imagine your guess of "adding fuel to an already smoldering fire" is correct,Animaterra. Thanks for the responses. AzDave |
Subject: Lyr Add: IT RAINED A MIST^^ From: guinnesschik Date: 09 Oct 00 - 10:58 AM IT RAINED A MIST It rained a mist It rained a mist It rained all over the town When two little boys went out to play And toss their ball around, around And toss their ball around
Well first they tossed it up too high
There came a fair miss to the door
I won't come in, I won't come in
Well, first she showed him a rotten apple
She took him by his lily white hand
She placed a napkin on his face
Tell Mamma and Daddy I cannot come home Gruesome little tale, but one of my all time favorites. Shocks the heck outta your audiences. ;-)g'chik ^^ |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: mousethief Date: 09 Oct 00 - 05:47 PM There is a version of this, with slightly different words, in the Harry Smith anthology, I think it's entitled "Fatal Flower Garden." It's about a gypsy lady in that version -- more vilifying people who are different, probably. I've tried to find the lyrics on the web but to no avail.
Alex
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: Stewie Date: 09 Oct 00 - 06:32 PM The notes to 'Old Swinging Bridge' indicate that Ted Lundy learned the song from his mother, Rena Lundy, of Galax who knew lots of old ballads, songs and hymns. Mrs Lundy learned it while attending High Point Elementary School. Other songs on the album that Ted learned from his mother include 'Little Bonnie', 'Come Home' and 'Jack and Joe'. --Stewie. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: AzDave Date: 09 Oct 00 - 07:02 PM Thanks to all. Guinesschik, those are exactly the lyrics I have and "Rotten apple," the words I couldn't make out. Wow, I sure learned a lot about the song. This is my first query on mudcat...mighty nice place to learn stuff. Thanks all, AzDave |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: guinnesschik Date: 09 Oct 00 - 07:42 PM Welcome aboard, then, AzDave. Have fun here! |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: Joe Offer Date: 09 Oct 00 - 09:09 PM Alex, I checked the Harry Smith Anthology. Their recording (by Nelstone's Hawaiians) has the very same lyrics for FATAL FLOWER GARDEN as we have in the Digital Tradition. I like the lyrics Guinnesschik submitted. They keep all the power of the story without the anti-Semitic, anti-Gypsy references that can turn an audience into an angry mob. -Joe Offer- |
Subject: Lyr Add: IT RAINED A MIST^^ From: Joe Offer Date: 09 Oct 00 - 09:20 PM Hmmmm. Could it be that I've uncovered a serious case of Bowdlerism from Ruth Crawford Seeger?. Look at this song from American Folk Songs for Children. -Joe Offer- IT RAINED A MIST It rained a mist, it rained a mist It rained all over the town, town, town. It rained all over the town. And all the boys went out to play. A-tossing their ball around, round, round, A-tossing their ball around. At first they tossed their ball too low, And then they tossed it to high, high, high, And then they tossed it too high. They tossed it into a lady's garden Where roses and lilies lie, lie, lie, Where roses and lilies lie. ^^ |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 09 Oct 00 - 09:27 PM Guinesschik: Do you have a source for that text, and perhaps a tune? Malcolm |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: mousethief Date: 10 Oct 00 - 03:22 PM Joe: The Hawaiians/Seeger words can easily be made nonsectarian by changing one word = "Gypsy" -- that's the only place in the song where something needs to be changed, it seems, to make the song acceptable to any audience (any audience not too squeamish for murder ballads, anyway). There's nothing else in the song that indicates that the murderess is of any particular ethnic or racial persuasion. I wonder what "smoke them with your breath" means? I always heard "smoke them with your dress" on the Hawaiians' version, which makes no more sense, but at least rhymes better. I love their harmony on that version, and their phrasing. It makes it all the more spooky.
Alex |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist From: guinnesschik Date: 10 Oct 00 - 09:37 PM I've got it on a tape a friend made for me a long, long time ago. I believe it's the Osburne Brothers singing, but I'm not sure. I just wrote out the words by hand, but I maybe could figure a way to get the melody to you through a PDF file, or something similar. |
Subject: Lyr Add: IT RAINED A MIST From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 01 - 04:08 PM IT RAINED A MIST It rained a mist, it rained all day, The first ball tossed, it was too high, Out stepped the Jew, all dressed so fine, "I won't come in, I'll not come in, The first she showed him was gold rings, She taken him by his little white hand, She pinned a napkin o'er his face, "Go dig my grave both wide and deep, "Go place my song-book at my feet,
Child #155 From Southern Journey Volume 7: Ozark Frontier, Ballads and old-timey music from Arkansas. |
Subject: ADD: Tell Them That I Am Dead Lullaby From: GUEST,elpadg Date: 01 Aug 17 - 09:59 PM My mother sang me to sleep with this song over 65 years ago. At least she tried to. She told me in later life that when I learned how to talk, she tried singing it to me and I said, "Mom, please shut up so I can go to sleep." We both agreed that it was a horrible song and I doubt much good will ever come from it. But in the name of history, I will copy down the words as she sang them. TELL THEM THAT I AM DEAD LULLABY It mist and rained it mist and rained, It mist and rained all day, And the little boys throughout the town, Came out on the green to play to play, Came out on the green to play. Some tossed too high some tossed too low, Some tossed against the wall, And the ball went over in a Jewish garden, Where none might enter at all at all, Where none might enter at all. Out came a Jewish lady fine, She was dressed she was dressed so fine, "Come in my dear little boy," she said, "Come in and get your ball your ball," "Come in and get your ball." "I can't come in, I won't come in," "I won't come in at all," "For I've heard it said if you enter a Jew garden," "You'll never come out at all at all," "You'll never come out at all." She took him by his little white hand, And led him through a hall, And down the deep dark stairs they went, Where none might hear him call him call, Where none might hear him call. She placed a napkin around his head, And pinned it with a gold pin, And brought a basin all made of gold, To catch his life's blood in, in, in, To catch his life's blood in. Now place the bible at my head, And the prayer book at my feet, And when my friends inquire for me, Tell them that I'm asleep, asleep, Tell them that I'm asleep. Then place the bible at my feet, And the prayer book at my head, And when my parents inquire for me, Tell them that I am dead am dead, Tell them that I am dead. Pleasant dreams, now, you go to sleep. You see if you can stay in your own room tonight and not come in and wake us up, OK? The tune to the way my mother sang this to me is in my head but I don't know how to write music. I will look (or listen) around and see if I can find something else that has the same musical sound (I don't know what that is called), a tune, melody, whatever, and I will leave a note here if I find something. If I were more computer savvy and had a pleasant singing voice I guess I could record it if anyone is interested. If anyone shows any interest and can tell me how to record my singing and upload it, I will be glad to do so. If I become a star, I'll tell them where I got my start. |
Subject: RE: Origins: It Rained a Mist (Child #155) From: Joe Offer Date: 01 Aug 17 - 10:31 PM Hi, elpadg - The usual tune for "It Rained a Mist" is like this:
If your version is much different from that, then we're going to have to figure out how to get a recording posted. If your tune is different, please email me and we'll work something out. Joe Offer, Mudcat Music Editor joe@mudcat.org |
Subject: RE: Origins: It Rained a Mist (Child #155) From: Joe_F Date: 02 Aug 17 - 06:30 PM Child's notes on this song are well worth reading. He traces the story (Jew and all) all over Europe. It is connected to the so-called blood libel, a folk belief that the Jews needed a Christian child's blood to make Passover matzoh. Child does not let scholarly objectivity interfere with expressing his judgment of this vileness. |
Subject: RE: Origins: It Rained a Mist (Child #155) From: GUEST Date: 24 Jan 22 - 01:06 PM My Grandmother was born in 1913 She sang this song to me as a little girl. I remember it well ..I was just talking about this. She would sing It rained it mistd it rained it mistd it rained all over the World and when the little boys went out to play they tossed their balls n tossed their balls they tossed their ball to high n over the fence it went. It went into a Paroler where no one had dare to go go go.. Where no one had dare to go. |
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