Sonny Boy Williamson - Fattening Frogs For Snakes
It took me a long time, to find out my mistakes
Took me a long time, to find out my mistakes,
it sho'h did man
But I bet you my bottom dollar, I'm not fattenin' no more frogs for snakes
- Sonny Boy Williamson - Fattening Frogs For Snakes
more...
So after featuring The Animals yesterday I'm bringing them back, this time backing up a master of the Blues, Sonny Boy Williamson II aka Rice Miller. Sonny Boy not only defined the blues harp sound that has now transcended genres he is also widely acknowledged to be one of the best blues lyricists of all time.
A lot of people wonder, "What does he mean fattening frogs for snakes?" Let me explain it this way considering the mortgage crisis we are going through right now.
When George W. Bush talked about the ownership society he was fattening frogs for snakes. When he talked about ownership what he should have said is, "You're about to be owned." This was not an accident. The Republicans, and unfortunately some Democrats too including our VP candidate, were intentionally passing laws to remove regulations on mortgages and to make it harder for consumers to lose bad debt. They were doing this to bring us to this moment of crisis. A lot of people got richer. A lot of people are still getting richer today in spite of the fact that they're not getting handed an additional 700 billion. This was all part of the plan.
And George W. Bush's job in executing this plan was to use the bully pulpit to fatten frogs for snakes.
The really terrible thing about it is that he specifically encouraged minority home ownership and often pointed to it as proof that the economy was doing great. And now that the bubble's burst conservatives are blaming those lazy minorites for not being able to keep up with their mortgage payments.
New home owners not being able to keep up with their payments was a feature, not a bug. Those contracts were written with that in mind. They were sold a bill of goods and now they're being blamed for the crisis. They were frogs being fattened for snakes.
Just so you can see the man in action here's a real video of Sonny Boy doing one of my favorites, "Keep It To Yourself".
Sonny Boy Williamson - Keep it to Yourself
I particularly like the line, "Don't you tell nobody, and don't you tell nobody else."
Not everyone knows this but another famous Arkansas blues band was called Nobody Else before they became Black Oak Arkansas.
I cover this song and in the true blues tradition I add my own verse at the end about yet another famous Arkansas musician.
Don't breathe a word
And don't let your tongue slip.
And don't get on the phone
With old Linda Tripp.
Please baby please won't you keep our business to yourself.
Here's a website dedicated to Sonny Boy Williamson where you can find featured recordings, videos and a lot more information.
Sonny Boy's Lonesome Cabin
One last story. Levon Helm, lead singer and drummer for The Band, is also from Helena, Arkansas. He took The Band to visit Sonny Boy and they all loved him. They even talked about doing some recordings with Sonny Boy playing in front of The Band. But Sonny boy was already deathly ill and he passed before any recordings could be made.
Please post your favorite Sonny Boy stories or myths. Like many Bluesmen Sonny Boy was much more interested in promoting his career through Blues mythology than he was in historical truth and much of his life including his birth date remains an enigma. Also please post your favorite Blues that changed the world.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry