After trying to find out what animals are rodents, I tried to find a song with one of the more unusual ones, including chinchillas and beavers. I learned that rap artists love to use chinchilla fur as a symbol of luxury. Beavers have a connotation that some might find objectionable so I skipped them. I finally found three really good songs with rat in them:

1) “You & Your Folks, Me & My Folks,” by Funkadelic from their 1971 album, Maggot Brain.
2) “Patterns” by Simon & Garfunkel, from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

I went with #3:
3) “Snakes and Ladders,” by Joni Mitchell from Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm.

I have posted about 2 other songs on the album, “My Secret Place,” a duet with Peter Gabriel; and “Cool Water,” a duet with Willie Nelson.  “Snakes and Ladders” is a duet with Don Henley, which is a narrative about the trajectory of a relationship.

From wikipedia: Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm is the 13th studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1988. It was her third for Geffen Records.  Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 1989 Grammy Awards…

Other favorite songs on “Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm” are My Secret Place, Dancin Clown, and Cool Water.  Impressive are how many well-known singers back her up on it. Here’s a list:
“My Secret Place” Peter Gabriel
“Number One” Benjamin Orr
“Lakota” Iron Eyes Cody, Don Henley
“The Tea Leaf Prophesy” Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman (Wendy & Lisa)
“Dancin’ Clown” Billy Idol, Tom Petty, Manu Ketche, Julie Last, Larry Klein, Michael Landau
“Cool Water” Willie Nelson
“The Beat of Black Wings” Benjamin Orr

“Snakes and Ladders” was issued as a pre-release single to radio stations in January 1988. It was co-written with Larry Klein, with Joni writing lyrics and Klein co-writing music with her. Joni and Klein were married in November 1982 and divorced in 1994, so they were married at the time the album was made; the two co-produced it.

I remember playing the game, Snakes and Ladders, as a kid. Doing a little research I found the following:

Snakes and Ladders is a board game for two or more players regarded today as a worldwide classic.  The game originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam, and was brought to the United Kingdom in the 1890s. It is played on a game board with numbered, gridded squares. A number of “ladders” and “snakes” are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one’s game piece, according to die rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped by climbing ladders but hindered by falling down snakes.

The game is a simple race based on sheer luck, and it is popular with young children.  The historic version had its roots in morality lessons, on which a player’s progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes.)

I like how Joni likens relationships to a game and how the above description can apply as a metaphor for relationships.

Personnel on just this song:
Joni – keyboards and drum programming
Larry Klein – bass and keyboards
Michael Landau – guitar
Don Henley – background vocals

Snakes and Ladders

He
In a shopping mall
Finally met the perfect girl
She is all that matters
The only one in all the world
Like a Barbie doll
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

She
Just to have and hold
Is the perfect air-brushed angel
Makes you hot just looking at her
Stapled into all his braincells
Like a centerfold
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Buy the townhouse
Call the preacher
Get to the bottom climb back up
Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Set up credit for the lovely creature
The lovely creature

He
On a corporate climb
Set his sights on power for her
On a silver platter
He gave up happy hour for her
Perrier and lime
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

She
In a handsome world
Put her mind to social graces
All the privileged chatter
Setting pretty table places
For the girls in pearls
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Buy the carphone
Call the broker
Get to the bottom climb back up
Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Buy the wife a diamond choker
A diamond choker

True love true love true love
He's so nervous
New love new love new love
When he's with her
Oh he's wasting away
True love true love true love
It's so curious
New love new love new love
Just to kiss her
To kiss her to kiss her to kiss her
To kiss her to kiss her to kiss her
To kiss her he has to shave

She
In the gilded mirrors
In the swing of fancy places
Where the black ties flatter
Started seeing other faces
Young fogie financiers
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

See
In the crimes of time
How the seasons steal away
How the rungs are shattered
First you're green then you're grey
Still the snakes unwind
Still playin' snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Sell the vineyard
Call the lawyer
Get to the bottom climb back up
Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Gather garbage to destroy her
To destroy her

Ladders ladders ladders
The perfect girl
Ladders ladders ladders
The paper chase Love is snakes and ladders
Ladders ladders ladders
The social whirl
Ladders ladders
The rat race
Barbie doll
© 1988; Crazy Crow Music

Jim Adams is the host of Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim wants us to look for tunes about rodents suggested by Clive of Take It Easy.