About The Song
“The Tattler” appears as track two on Linda Ronstadt’s album Hasten Down the Wind, released August 9, 1976, via Asylum Records. Produced by Peter Asher at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, the song runs 3:56 and features a loose, bluesy country-rock arrangement with acoustic guitar, subtle percussion, and Ronstadt’s relaxed yet pointed vocal that captures the song’s sly, cautionary tone.
The track is a cover of a cover. It originated as the 1927 gospel-blues recording “You Can’t Stop a Tattler” by Washington Phillips. Ry Cooder re-arranged and recorded it for his 1974 album Paradise and Lunch, crediting co-writers Russ Titelman and himself alongside Phillips. Ronstadt’s version follows Cooder’s modern folk-blues template, bringing it to a wider mainstream audience.
The lyrics deliver a wry warning about gossip and romantic trouble: “Whenever you find a man / That loves every woman he sees / There’s always some kind of woman / That’s putting him up a tree.” The narrator observes how certain people thrive on stirring conflict, spreading rumors and creating drama wherever a free-spirited man tries to roam. The chorus repeats the title with a knowing shake of the head, turning the song into a light-hearted but sharp commentary on human nature and the cost of playing the field. The melody’s easy-rolling groove and understated production keep the focus on the storytelling rather than drama.
Though never released as a single, the track became a subtle album highlight on Ronstadt’s third consecutive million-selling record. Hasten Down the Wind reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned platinum certification. The song has appeared on various compilations and playlists of her mid-1970s work, where it is often noted for its clever lyricism and relaxed groove that contrasts with the album’s bigger hits like “That’ll Be the Day” and “Crazy.”
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Lyric
Whenever you find a man
That loves every woman he sees
There’s always some kind of woman
That’s putting him up a tree
Well that kind of man he ain’t got
As much sense as a mule
You know everyone don’t love you
They’re just playing you for a foolOh no it’s not hard for you to understand
True love can be such a sweet harmony
If you do the best that you canNow if you marry the wrong kind of woman
And you get where you can’t agree
Well you just as well forget your plan
Let that woman be
But a man ought to make a good husband
And quit trying to lead a fast life
Going about dressing up other women
Won’t put clothes on his own wifeOh no it’s not hard for you to understand
True love can be such a sweet harmony
If you do the best that you canWell there’s lots of good women want to marry
And they want to live well at home
But they’re ‘fraid they’ll get hold of some rowdy man
Can’t let other women alone
And there’s lots of good men want to marry
And they want to live well at home
But every time they turn their back there’s a man there
Asking darling is he goneOh no it’s not hard for you to understand
True love can be such a sweet harmony
If you do the best that you can
True love can be such a sweet harmony
If you do the best that you can