Born in the farming community of Niagara in Henderson County, Kentucky, Jones spent his teenage years in Akron, Ohio, where he began singing country music tunes on a radio show on WJW. In 1931, Jones joined the Pine Ridge String Band, which provided the musical accompaniment for the very popular Lum and Abner show. By 1935 his pursuit of a musical career took him to WBZ (AM) radio in Boston, Massachusetts where he met musician/songwriter Bradley Kincaid, who gave him the nickname "Grandpa" because of his off-stage grumpiness at early-morning radio shows. Jones liked the name and decided to create a stage persona based around it. Later in life, he lived in Mountain View, Arkansas.
Performing as Grandpa Jones, he played the guitar or banjo, yodeled, and sang mostly old-time ballads. By 1937, Jones had made his way to West Virginia, where Cousin Emmy taught Jones the art of the clawhammer style of banjo playing, which gave a rough backwoods flavor to his performances. In 1942, Jones joined WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was there that he met fellow Kentuckian Merle Travis. In 1943, they made their recording debuts together for Syd Nathan's upstart King Records. Jones was making records under his own name for King by 1944 and had his first hit with "It's Raining Here This Morning". His recording career was put on hold when he enlisted in the United States Army during World War II. Discharged in 1946, he recorded again for King. In March 1946, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee and started performing on the Grand Ole Opry and married Ramona Riggins on October 14, 1946. As an accomplished performer herself, she would take part in his performances. Jones' vaudeville humor was a bridge to television. His more famous songs include "T For Texas", "Are You From Dixie", "Night Train To Memphis" and "Mountain Dew". He also wrote "Eight More Miles To Louisville".
In 1969, Jones became a charter cast member on the long-running television show Hee Haw, often responding to the show's skits with his trademark phrase "Outrageous". He also played banjo, by himself or with banjo player David "Stringbean" Akeman. A musical segment featured in the early years had Jones and "his lovely wife Ramona" singing while ringing bells held in their hands and feet. A favorite skit had off-camera cast members ask, "Hey Grandpa, what's for supper?" He would describe a delicious, country-style meal ("Buttermilk biscuits smothered in chicken gravy, home-fried potatoes, collard greens and Grandmother's fresh-baked blueberry pie à la mode!" The cast would reply, "Yum, yum!"), though he sometimes would describe something not so good, ("Because you were bad, thawed out TV dinners!" The cast would scoff, "Yuck!") A running gag was a window that he pretended to polish had no glass. Jones would slip his fingers through the empty frame. He also joined Buck Owens, Roy Clark and Kenny Price in a gospel segment at the end of some shows.
A resident of rural Ridgetop, Tennessee outside of Nashville, he was a neighbor and friend of fellow musician David "Stringbean" Akeman. On the morning of November 11, 1973, Jones discovered the bodies of Akeman and his wife, who had been murdered during the night by robbers. Jones testified at the trial of the killers, his testimony helping to secure a conviction. He identified a firearm found in their possession as one he had given to Akeman.
In 1978, Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His autobiography, Everybody's Grandpa: Fifty Years Behind The Mike was published in 1984 (written with assistance from Charles K. Wolfe).
In early January 1998, Jones suffered two strokes after his second show performance at the Grand Ole Opry. He died at 7:00 p.m. Central Time on February 19, 1998 at the McKendree village Home Health Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, at age 84. He was buried in the Luton Memorial Methodist Church cemetery in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
Discography
Grandpa Jones Sings His Greatest Hits (1954)
Country Music Hall of Fame Series (1992) MCA
Grandpa Jones & The Brown's Ferry Four 16 Sacred Gospel Songs, King Records
Grandpa Jones Yodeling Hits (1963) Monument
Grandpa Jones Remembers The Brown's Ferry Four (1966) Monument
Singles
1944 "It's Raining Here This Morning"
1946 "Eight More Miles To Louisville"
1947 "Mountain Dew"
1947 "Old Rattler"
1959 "The All-American Boy"
1962 "T for Texas"
1963 "Night Train To Memphis"
Old Rattler
Grandpa Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As blind as he could be
Ev'ry night 'bout supper time
I believe that dog could see
Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here!
Call old Rattler from the barn, Here! Rattler! Here!
And I tho't he'd tree'd a 'coon
When I come to find out
He was barkin' at the moon
Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here!
Call old Rattler from the barn, Here! Rattler! Here!
Grandpa had a muley cow
She was muley when she's born
It took a jaybird forty year
To fly from horn to horn
Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here!
Call old Rattler from the barn, Here! Rattler! Here!
Well, grandma had a yeller hen
We set her as you know
We set her on three buzzard eggs
And hatched out one old crow
Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here!
Call old Rattler from the barn, Here! Rattler! Here!
Now old Rattler's dead and gone
Like all good dogs do
You better not act a dog yourself
Or you'll be goin' there too
Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here!
Call old Rattler from the barn, Here! Rattler! Here!
The song Old Rattler by Grandpa Jones is a nostalgic tribute to a beloved dog. The lyrics paint a picture of a simple rural life where supper time and treeing coons were the highlights of the day. Grandpa Jones sings with a fondness for Old Rattler, despite his blindness. The song's refrain, "Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here! Call old Rattler from the barn, Here! Rattler! Here!" shows the bond between man and dog.
The song also features humorous anecdotes about other animals on the farm. Grandpa's muley cow, who had no horns, was so old that it took a jaybird forty years to fly from horn to horn. His grandma's attempt to hatch three buzzard eggs resulted in the hatching of an old crow. The gentle humor of the lyrics adds to the song's charm.
Overall, the song Old Rattler by Grandpa Jones is a heartwarming tribute to a dog who was a loyal companion and a fixture in the singer's rural life. It's a song that reminds us of the simple joys in life that we may take for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
Old Rattler was a good old dog
Old Rattler was a faithful and loyal dog
As blind as he could be
Although he was visually impaired, it didn't stop him from doing what he needed to do
Ev'ry night 'bout supper time
Every evening around dinner time
I believe that dog could see
Despite his blindness, Rattler had an amazing sense of smell and intuition
Here! Rattler, Here! Here! Here! Rattler! Here!
Calling out to Rattler from afar, asking him to come back
Now Rattler tree'd the other night
Rattler treed an animal up in a tree the other night
And I tho't he'd tree'd a 'coon
At first, it seemed like Rattler treed a raccoon
When I come to find out
However, upon further investigation
He was barkin' at the moon
It turned out that Rattler was actually just barking at the moon, not a raccoon
Grandpa had a muley cow
Grandpa owned a cow without horns
She was muley when she's born
The cow was born without horns
It took a jaybird forty year
It took a very long time
To fly from horn to horn
To fly from one horn of the cow to the other
Well, grandma had a yeller hen
Grandma owned a yellow-colored hen
We set her as you know
As you may be aware, we put her on eggs to hatch
We set her on three buzzard eggs
We put her on three buzzard eggs to incubate
And hatched out one old crow
And surprisingly, one of the eggs hatched into a crow instead of a chicken
Now old Rattler's dead and gone
Unfortunately, Rattler has passed away
Like all good dogs do
Like all dogs who have lived a long and happy life
You better not act a dog yourself
You better not behave like a dog, or you may meet the same fate as Rattler
Or you'll be goin' there too
...meaning you'll also end up dying someday
Contributed by Mila M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@RichardP539
Old Rattler was a good old dog;
As blind as he could be
Ev'ry night 'bout supper time;
I believe that dog could see.
Refrain:
Here! Rattler, Here! Here!; Here! Rattler! Here!
Call old Rattler from the barn; Here! Rattler! Here!
Old Rattler tree'd the other night;
And I tho't he'd tree'd a 'c***
When I come to find out;
He was barkin' at the moon.
Grandpa had a muley cow;
She was muley when she's born
It took a jaybird forty year;
To fly from horn to horn.
Well, grandma had a yeller hen;
We set her as you know
We set her on three buzzard eggs;
And hatched out one old crow.
Now old Rattler's dead and gone;
Like all good dogs do
You better not act a dog yourself;
Or you'll be goin' there too.
@AkiraShima2828
My great-grandpa hated this song so much. All because back when he was a woods rider for the turpentine business, someone came riding by with a car radio (brand new back then) blaring and barking. It scared the horse so bad, it bucked my great-grandpa off into the ditch. He hated it ever since.
@johnnyharley
When my daughter was a baby she would laugh at this for hours 😅
@01clb
My third grade teacher taught our class this song, I've sang it all my life now and then. I'm 65 now! Loved finding this by Grandpa Jones!
@rshuler6967
What an awesome teacher!
@Weekenday
My scout master sang this to the whole scout troop every morning as a wake up alarm and now 15 years later I still sing it almost every morning
@shaggydogg3786
Grandpa Jones in my opinion is some of the finest “ mountain music “ ever made.
@twirlerchica
my grandpa is 95 and he sang this the other night!!! he used to play guitar and sing when he was younger :)
@franzliebkind551
bless you and your memories.
@ganderstein3426
You're awesome for loving your grand daddy, and seeming to care about your roots.
@user-ym4pv9qt4p
グランドパパ 大好き‼️