Rabbit in the Log
Jam-Along Backing Track
Lyrics
Got a rabbit in a log and I ain't got my dog
How will I get him I don't know
Come, get me a briar and I'll twist in his hair
That's the way I'll get him I know
I know, I know, I know, I know
That's the way I'll get him I know
Come and get me a briar and I'll twist it in his hair
That's the way I'll get him I know
Gonna build me a fire and I'll roast that old hare
Roll him in the flames, so nice and brown
Have a feast here tonight while the moon's shining bright
And find me a place to lie down
To lie down, to lie down, to lie down, to lie down
Find me a place to lie down
Have a feast here tonight while the moon's shining bright
And find me a place to lie down
I'm going down that track with a chicken on my back
Soles on my shoes are nearly gone, wore out
Just a little ways ahead there's an old farmer's shed
And that's where I'll rest my weary bones
Weary bones, your weary bones
Your lazy bones, your lazy bones
That's where I'll rest my weary bones
Just a little ways ahead there's an old farmer's shed
And that's where I'll rest my weary bonesAbout This Song
Rabbit in the Log (Feast Here Tonight) is a traditional Southern song. A one-verse fragment, identified as African American in origin, was collected in North Carolina in 1913 and later printed in Frank C. Brown's North Carolina Folklore. The Prairie Ramblers, regulars on the WLS National Barn Dance in Chicago, recorded it in the 1930s as "Gonna Have a Feast Here Tonight."
The record that made it a bluegrass song is the Monroe Brothers' "Have a Feast Here Tonight," made in Charlotte, North Carolina, on January 28, 1938. The label credited Charlie Monroe, and his name still shows up on it.
| Year | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Monroe Brothers | |
| 1978 | Bill Monroe | With his son James |
| 1993 | Bill Monroe and Doc Watson | Live duets from 1963 to 1980, released together for the first time; many players learned it from these |
Also recorded by Jim & Jesse.