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14 Nov 04 - 12:20 PM (#1326481) Subject: ADD: The Rattin Family From: Charley Noble Here's an old ballad to cheer you up, all blood and general mayhem. My mother and her Greenwich Village friends used to amuse themselves in the early 1930's be singing a version of it. It's probably from the Southern Appalachians or maybe older. It clearly was folk-processed by the college crowd in the version printed below, as collected by Dick and Beth Best. I've failed to find an earlier version in my search but maybe you can: RATTIN FAMILY, THE (Anon., in Dick & Beth Best's SONG FEST DELUXE, 1970 edition, pp. 66-67) Home came old Pa Rattin, A-drinkin' he had been, He knocked upon the front door, And bellowed, "Let me in!" First came old Ma Rattin, She came to let him in, He stuck her with the bread knife, And let the daylight in. Then came Grandma Rattin, A sittin' by the fire, He snuck up close behind her, And choked her with a wire. Then came Grandpa Rattin, Old and feeble and gray, He put up an awful struggle, Until his strength gave way. Then came sister Rattin, A-playin' with a doll, He shot her in the temple, Just to see which way she'd fall. Then came Baby Rattin, Asleep in her trundle bed, He kicked her in the short ribs Until the child was dead, And spat terbaccer juice All over her golden head. Then came play-boy Rattin, Drove up in his limousine, He wrapped him in old newspapers, And poured on gasoline, And lit him with a blowtorch Just to hear the old boy scream. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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14 Nov 04 - 12:35 PM (#1326498) Subject: Lyr Add: THE RATTIN FAMILY From: Joe Offer Truly an inspiring song for a Sunday morning, Charley. It will help me deal with the church ladies. The version in Songs for Swinging Housemothers (1961, 1963) is about the same, but I think it's worth posting. I'll post the tune after Mass. -Joe Offer- The Rattin Family Home came old Pa Rattin, And drinkin' he had been, He pounded on the front door, And bellowed, "Let me in!" To the door came old Ma Rattin, Come to let him in. He stabbed her with a bread knife, And let the daylight in. Then came Grammaw Rattin, Settin' by the fire, He snuck up close behind her, And choked her with a wire. Then came Grampaw Rattin, Feeble, old, and gray, He put up an awful struggle, Until his strength gave way. Then came sister Rattin, Cookin' her asparagus, He grabbed her by the windpipe, Tore out her esophagus. Then came Suzy Rattin, Playin' with her doll, He shot her in the forehead, Just to see which way she'd fall. Then came baby Rattin, Sleepin' in her bed, He kicked her in the short ribs, Till the pore little thing was dead, Then he spit tobacco juice All over her golden head. Then came playboy Rattin, Drove up In his limousine, He wrapped him up in newspapers, And poured on kerosene, Then he lit him like a blowtorch Just to hear the old boy scream. Click to play |
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14 Nov 04 - 02:17 PM (#1326581) Subject: RE: Origins: The Rattin Family Murder Ballad From: Charley Noble Joe- Thanks so much for the extra verse: Then came sister Rattin, Cookin' her asparagus, He grabbed her by the windpipe, Tore out her esophagus. It will make my mother's day! While I was growing up I heard snatches of this song from mother. I assumed it was about the first settlers who were buried in the pine grove by the lower back field on our family farm. They were the Radin family as I learned years later. Probably no relation. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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14 Nov 04 - 09:56 PM (#1326916) Subject: RE: Origins: The Rattin Family Murder Ballad From: Joe Offer I posted the tune from Songs for Swinging Housemothers. the tune in the 1958 Song Fest is almost the same - except that the first note on the second and fourth lines goes down a third to "E". -Joe Offer- |
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15 Nov 04 - 12:16 AM (#1326998) Subject: RE: Origins: The Rattin Family Murder Ballad From: Lin in Kansas Okay--now you've got me curious. Who were the Rattin Family, and why did Pa Rattin (other than because he was drunk) feel compelled to murder them all? Lin |
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15 Nov 04 - 12:28 PM (#1327443) Subject: RE: Origins: The Rattin Family Murder Ballad From: Dave Bryant In the last verse, does pa kill playboy or vice-versa ? The last line reference to "old boy" makes me wonder. |
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18 Nov 04 - 11:59 PM (#1331916) Subject: RE: Origins: The Rattin Family Murder Ballad From: Joe Offer To keep things together, here's a version from a thread that I closed: Thread #75677 Message #1331887 Posted By: GUEST,sspackma@yahoo.com 18-Nov-04 - 11:31 PM Thread Name: Lyr Request: The Ratten Murders Subject: Lyr Request: The Ratten Murders Has anyone heard of this song? Here's what I can remember: The first was mammy Ratten She tried not to let him in He [forgotten lyrics] That's how the crime begin That's how the crime begin The next was granny Ratten A settin' a 'fore the fire He snuck on up behind her And choked her with a wire And choked her with a wire The last was baby Ratten All in his trundel bed He stuck him in the short ribs Until that child were dead And he spat tabacie juice down on that golden head Much appreciated for any help in solving my memory gap! |
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17 Jul 13 - 09:42 AM (#3538438) Subject: RE: Origins: The Rattin Family Murder Ballad From: GUEST, Paul Slade Carlyn Maw of Pasadena, California, wrote to me at PlanetSlade a few days ago to ask me if I knew anything about this ballad. Her name for it was The Ballad of the Rhetton Family, and she'd been taught it by her mother while living back in New York. After a bit of research, I discovered the family's real name was Wratten, and that all six of them were murdered - in much the way the lyrics describe - near Washington, Indiana, back in 1893. I've written up the full story here. |