Her introduction to music, as with most fellow blues legends, started in the Baptist church. The daughter of a minister, she and her six siblings began to sing at a very early age. While still a child, Willie Mae taught herself to play the drums and harmonica, and by the age of 14, she had run away from home to make her career in secular music.
She joined Sammy Green's "Hot Harlem Revue" and toured throughout the South in the 1940's, first beginning her musical career in 1947. While touring Texas in 1948, Thornton left the Revue in favor of the state's growing club scene, which she immersed herself in. It was during this time that she was discovered by Don Robey, a black entrepreneur who owned several clubs and record stores in the Houston, TX area. Impressed by her massive size (6 ft, 350+ lb),formidable multi-instrument abilities, and fiery stage presence, Robey signed her to his Peacock Records label, where he began the task of translating the forceful belter's energy onto record.
Her big hit came, not from Robey's capable pen, but from the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was "Hound Dog," which she recorded in 1952 with the Johnny Otis band and released in February 1953. Big Mama Thornton always claimed to have written the song herself (a claim which may actually hold some validity), and her ferocious rendition of it ( complete with Big Mama's growl and a nasty guitar line by Pete Lewis) held the #1 spot in the Billboard rhythm and blues charts for nine weeks. Unfortunately for Thornton, Elvis Presley's smoother and bowdlerized version was a major pop hit in 1956 and successfully eclipsed her biggest claim to fame.
Thornton continued to tour the "chitlin' circuit" as fans began to favour newer R&B sounds over blues. For some years, Big Mama suffered in obscurity like most of her fellow bluesmen. Her name gained wider prominence and her career enjoyed a significant resurgence as her song "Ball and Chain" was covered by Janis Joplin, making it a regular number in her repertoire. From that point onward, Thornton would remain a headliner at blues festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout the country and even in Europe. She began recording again, and released albums for the Arhoolie, Mercury, and Vanguard labels. Years of hard drinking and living began to take their toll, however, and by the late 1970s her health (and her trademark girth) had declined greatly. She nevertheless performed until her death at the age of 57 on July 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, where she was found dead from natural causes in the boarding house room in which she had been living. Johnny Otis conducted her funeral services, and she was laid to rest in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
I Smell A Rat
Big Mama Thornton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I smell a rat, baby
You'd better watch out
I smell a rat
You won't tell me where you been
Whiskey running all down your chin
I smell a rat, baby
I smell a rat, baby
I smell a rat, baby
You come stumbling down the hall
Bump your head up against the wall
Knock down drunk, that ain't all
I know you been having yourself a ball
I smell a rat, baby
I smell a rat, baby
You'd better watch out
I smell a rat, baby
You'd better catch up with some of those rats, baby
'Cause I smell it
Ah, I know you ain't nothing but a old big ole' warf rat
Ah, you'd better watch those rats running under your foot boy,
They're gonna get ya
Ah, I smell a rat
The lyrics to "I Smell A Rat" by Big Mama Thornton provide a poignant commentary on a failing romantic relationship. The song's protagonist is fed up with her partner's infidelity and general irresponsibility, as evidenced by the lines that describe his drunkenness and unwillingness to communicate. The repetition of the phrase "I smell a rat" throughout the song serves as a metaphor for the singer's intuition and suspicion about her partner's actions.
The song's lyrics also suggest a power dynamic between the two characters, as the singer warns her partner that "you'd better watch out" and encourages him to "catch up with some of those rats." This suggests that the singer is ready to take action and confront her partner about his behavior, rather than continuing to let him get away with his actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I smell a rat, baby
The singer suspects that something is wrong and that their partner is being unfaithful to them.
You'd better watch out
The singer warns their partner that they are aware something is going on and their partner should be careful.
You won't tell me where you been
The singer is suspicious because their partner is being secretive about where they have been.
Whiskey running all down your chin
The partner has clearly been drinking excessively, which adds to the artist's suspicions.
You come stumbling down the hall
The partner is physically unsteady, indicating that they are not in control of themselves and may have been engaging in irresponsible behavior.
Bump your head up against the wall
The partner is so unsteady that they are unable to walk straight and have physically collided with a wall.
Knock down drunk, that ain't all
Not only is the partner excessively drunk, but the singer is afraid there is more going on than just heavy drinking.
I know you been having yourself a ball
The artist is convinced that their partner has been having fun without them, possibly with another person.
You'd better catch up with some of those rats, baby
The artist sarcastically suggests that their partner should continue to engage in their suspected unfaithful behavior in order to catch up with their alleged companions.
Ah, I know you ain't nothing but a old big ole' warf rat
The artist insults their partner by referring to them as a worthless liar and cheater.
Ah, you'd better watch those rats running under your foot boy,
They're gonna get ya
The singer again warns their partner that if their suspected behavior continues, they will eventually be caught and face consequences.
Ah, I smell a rat
The artist concludes the song by reasserting their suspicion and warning their partner that they are onto them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JERRY LEIBER, MIKE STOLLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@silkeden1
This should be played in the background of the Chambers of Congress. 🔥
@2Buellerballs
Original version of I Smell a Rat written by immortal hitmakers Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller,
Young ignorant me knew nothing of Big Mama till I saw her at the Electric Theater (Kinetic Playground?) in Chicago, spring of '69.
She'd close the show, saying, "Drive careful on your way home, cause I'll be walkin'."
What a babe!
@360FlipTime
I think i have to use that closing quote for the end of my shows. Thats brilliant!
@eld6407
Randall Holmes That would have been a wonderful concert to attend, wishful here.
@tadeo517
read this comment like 2 years ago and the last part stuck in my mind, but I didn't know where it was from, now I found it
@MarianGamer
Marc Ecko's Getting Up Contents Under Preasure
@MegaVinny64
we need a Marc Ecko's Getting Up Contents Under Preasure N°2 , 7 years later we really need !!! go street bombing
@jesusguillermorodriguezmer4616
igual mente vengo por eso viva Getting Up
@user-xc2vs5om1z
Under Pleasure*
@thornettadavis78
I LOVE BIG MAMA THORNTON! SHE'S ONE OF MY INSPIRATIONS THIS IS A GREAT SONG. THE PHOTOS ARE A MIX OF BIG MAYBELLE AND BIG MAMA THOUGH