Origins: It Rained a Mist (Child #155)

06 Oct 00 - 10:41 PM (#313883)
Subject: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: AzDave

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

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06 Oct 00 - 10:52 PM (#313887)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: GUEST,Bruce O.

Search DT for #155 (Child #)

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07 Oct 00 - 06:18 AM (#314020)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: The Shambles

Click here: IT RAINED A MIST.

It does appear to be a rather unpleasant song. What its history?

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07 Oct 00 - 07:24 AM (#314036)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)

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?

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09 Oct 00 - 10:44 AM (#314665)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: AzDave

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

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09 Oct 00 - 10:58 AM (#314677)
Subject: Lyr Add: IT RAINED A MIST^^
From: guinnesschik

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
And then they tossed it too low
And then they tossed it in the lady's yard
Where no one was allowed to go, to go
Where no one was allowed to go

There came a fair miss to the door
Dressed in linen so fine
Come in, come in my little one
You may have your ball again, again
You may have your ball again

I won't come in, I won't come in
Unless my playmate comes, too
I've often heard of little boys going in
And never coming out again, again
And never coming out again

Well, first she showed him a rotten apple
And then she showed him a chain
And then she showed him a diomand ring
To entice this little one in, one in
To entice this little one in

She took him by his lily white hand
And led him across the hall
She led him to a dark lonesome room
Where no one could hear his call, his call
Where no one could hear his call

She placed a napkin on his face
And pinned it with a pin
And then she's taken her carving knife
And carved his little heart in, heart in
And carved his little heart in

Tell Mamma and Daddy I cannot come home
I was their only boy
For some evil lady has taken my life
Their pleasures to destroy, destroy
Their pleasures to destroy

Gruesome little tale, but one of my all time favorites. Shocks the heck outta your audiences.

;-)g'chik ^^

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09 Oct 00 - 05:47 PM (#315010)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: mousethief

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
O..O
=o=

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09 Oct 00 - 06:32 PM (#315051)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: Stewie

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.

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09 Oct 00 - 07:02 PM (#315078)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: AzDave

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

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09 Oct 00 - 07:42 PM (#315115)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: guinnesschik

Welcome aboard, then, AzDave. Have fun here!

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09 Oct 00 - 09:09 PM (#315146)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: Joe Offer

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-

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09 Oct 00 - 09:20 PM (#315153)
Subject: Lyr Add: IT RAINED A MIST^^
From: Joe Offer

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-

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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.
^^

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09 Oct 00 - 09:27 PM (#315159)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: Malcolm Douglas

Guinesschik:

Do you have a source for that text, and perhaps a tune?

Malcolm

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10 Oct 00 - 03:22 PM (#315666)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: mousethief

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
O..O
=o=

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10 Oct 00 - 09:37 PM (#315906)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It Rained A Mist
From: guinnesschik

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.

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10 Jan 01 - 04:08 PM (#372379)
Subject: Lyr Add: IT RAINED A MIST
From: Joe Offer

IT RAINED A MIST

It rained a mist, it rained all day,
Two little boys went out to play
Went out to play, play, play
Went out on the grass to play

The first ball tossed, it was too high,
The next one was too low,
The next one was in Jew's room,
Where no one's allowed to go, go, go,
Where no one's allowed to go.

Out stepped the Jew, all dressed so fine,
"Come in, come in" she calls,
"Come in, come, in you brave little lad,
And you may have your ball, ball, ball,
And you may have your ball."

"I won't come in, I'll not come in,
I won't come in your hall.
For he who passes through your hall
Will never get out at all, all, all,
Will never get out at all."

The first she showed him was gold rings,
The next one was gold pins,
The next was all find gold things,
To invite the little lad in, in, in,
To invite the little lad in.

She taken him by his little white hand,
And led him through the hall,
And down in a cellar dark and deep,
Where no one hear him call, call, call,
Where no one hear him call.

She pinned a napkin o'er his face,
And pinned it with gold pin,
Then called for a vessel of gold
To catch his heart-blood in, in, in,
To catch his heart-blood in.

"Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
Go dig a grave for me.
And when my playmates call for me,
Tell them that I do sleep, sleep, sleep
Tell them that I do sleep."

"Go place my song-book at my feet,
My Bible at my head;
And when my parents call for me
Tell them their little boy's dead, dead, dead,
Tell them their little boy's dead."

Child #155, sung by Ollie Gilbert. Recorded by Alan Lomax in October, 1959, in Timbo, Arkansas.
Ollie Gilbert sings an Arkansas variant of the well-known British ballad, "Little Sir Hugh," which was the subject of Chaucer's "The Prioress's Tale." It is related to such British-American variants as "The Fatal Flower Garden," in which the disappearances or deaths of children in the community were attributed to ritual murder by Jews, gypsies, witches, or other "outsiders." In Europe such charges (stemming from deaths which might actually have been due to infanticide, disease, abuse and neglect, or child murder for gain) could serve to precipitate pogroms. Ollie did not regard herself as a performer. She was a shy person who sang only for herself and her children, but her quiet, rather private manner is the classic way in which the old ballads have been passed on for generations, both in Europe and America.

Child #155
@murder
filename[ SIRHUGH5
JRO
Apr01

From Southern Journey Volume 7: Ozark Frontier, Ballads and old-timey music from Arkansas.

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01 Aug 17 - 09:59 PM (#3869487)
Subject: ADD: Tell Them That I Am Dead Lullaby
From: GUEST,elpadg

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.

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02 Aug 17 - 06:30 PM (#3869593)
Subject: RE: Origins: It Rained a Mist (Child #155)
From: Joe_F

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.

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24 Jan 22 - 01:06 PM (#4133636)
Subject: RE: Origins: It Rained a Mist (Child #155)
From: GUEST

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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