"You Can't Stop a Tattler" is a

gospel blues Gospel blues (or holy blues) is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. It combines evangelistic lyrics with blues instrumentation, often blues guitar accompaniment. According to musician and ...

song, written by

Washington Phillips George Washington "Wash" Phillips (January 11, 1880 – September 20, 1954) was an American gospel music, gospel and gospel blues singer and instrumentalist. The exact nature of the instrument or instruments he played is uncertain, being identi ...

(18801954) and recorded by him for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1929 (vocals and

zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat bo ...

). The song is in two parts, intended to occupy both sides of a 10-inch

78 rpm record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

. However, it remained unreleased for many years. Part 2 was included on the 1971 album ''This Old World's in a Hell of a Fix'' ( Biograph BLP 12027). Both parts were included on a 1980 compilation album of songs by Phillips, ''Denomination Blues'' (Agram 2006). The song is unusual in that the verses are separated by a wordless hummed

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

; a similar device to the wordless

vocalise A vocal warm-up is a series of exercises meant to prepare the voice for singing, acting, or other use. There is very little scientific data about the benefits of vocal warm-ups. Relatively few studies have researched the effects of thesexercis ...

which Phillips had used in "

I Had a Good Father and Mother "I Had a Good Father and Mother" is a 1929 gospel blues song by Washington Phillips (18801954, vocals and zither). The song has sometimes been covered as "I Had a Good Mother and Father"; or with, in both cases, "Real" inserted before "Good". U ...

". The song first came to wider notice when

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

included a version of Part 2, titled "Tattler", on his 1974 album, '' Paradise and Lunch'' (note, however, that Cooder does not label it as "Part 2"; he also includes two verses from Part 1, which seems to have been unreleased at the time); and when

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

covered that version on her 1976 album, ''

Hasten Down the Wind ''Hasten Down the Wind'' is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt. Released in 1976, it became her third straight million-selling album. Ronstadt was the first female artist to accomplish this feat. The album earned her ...

''. It has since been recorded several times.

Recordings

* 1929Washington Phillips, "You Can't Stop a Tattler, Part 1" * 1929Washington Phillips, "You Can't Stop a Tattler, Part 2" * 1974

, "Tattler" on the album '' Paradise and Lunch'' * 1976

, "The Tattler" on the album ''

'' * 1977

David Soul David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943) is an American-British actor and singer. He is known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series ''Starsky & Hutch'' from 1975 to 1979; Joshua Bolt on ' ...

, "Tattler" on the album ''Playing to an Audience of One'' * 1995Betty and the Bobs, "Tattler" on the album ''Betty and the Bobs'' * 1999Charles Walker, "The Tattler" on the album ''I'm Available'' * 2004J. Thibodeau, "Tattler" on the album ''Everyday Shoes'' * 2006

Freddie Roulette Frederick Martin Roulette (May 3, 1939 – December 24, 2022) was an American electric blues lap steel guitarist and singer. He was best known as an exponent of the lap steel guitar. He was a member of the band Daphne Blue and collaborated with E ...

, "Tattler" on the album ''Man of Steel''

Other songs

These songs have related titles to some of those used for the one which is the subject of this article, but are different from it and from each other: * 1996

Ralph Towner Ralph Towner (born March 1, 1940) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn. Biography Towner was born i ...

, "Tattler" on the album ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' * 2002Bittersweet Manics, "Tattler" on the album ''Bittersweet Manics'' The following song may or may not be related to any of those already discussed: * 2005Southern Boys, "Tattler" on the album ''Deep Down South''

References

{{Washington Phillips Gospel songs Washington Phillips songs 1929 songs Songs about marriage Ry Cooder songs Linda Ronstadt songs