Rattlesnake

1. Rattlesnake, O rattlesnake,
What makes your teeth so white?
I’ve been in the bottom all my life,
An’ I ain’t done nothin’ but bite, bite,
Ain’t done nothin’ but bite.

2. Muskrat, O muskrat,
What makes you smell so bad?
I’ve been in the bottom all my life,
Till I’m mortified in my head, head,
Mortified in my head.

3. Groundhog, O groundhog,
What makes your back so brown?
It’s a wonder I don’t smotherfy,
Livin’ down in the ground, ground,
Livin’ down in the ground.

4.Rooster, O rooster,
What makes your claws so hard?
Been scratchin’ this gravel all my days,
It’s a wonder I ain’t tired, tired,
A wonder I ain’t tired.

5.Jaybird, O jaybird,
What makes you fly so high?
Been robbin’ your cornpatch all my life,
It’s a wonder I don’t die, die,
A wonder I don’t die.


 From singing of Aunt Molly Jackson, Clay County, KY.  Collected and arranged by Alan Lomax, “Folksongs of North America”, 1960.