Lyr Add: The Cat

Subject: Lyr Add: THE CAT (from Bodleian)^^
From: pavane
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 08:16 AM


THE CAT
(anon, from a broadside in the Bodleian Ballad collection)

All you that are married give ear to my song
It is of frolic that lately was done
By a young man and maid, if the truth I may tell
The sport was so pretty it pleased me well

By the light of a candle I happened to spy
A pretty young couple together did lie
Said Nelly to John if you'll pull up my smock
You'll find a young hen full as good as your cock

Then Johnny kissed her and pleased her awhile
When he pulled up her smock it made him to smile
Instead of a hen it appeared like a cat
For there was her beard and her rough hairy back

Then Nelly she opened her lily white thighs
John played with the cat till the bristle did rise
He stroked down the hair as black as a coal
She catched his finger right snap in her hole

Then Nelly she held him so fast in her arms
While John was enjoying her beautiful charms
He pushed in his dagger so stiff and so stout
Saying I'll kill the cat and I'll knock her brains out

A desperate battle between them was fought
And John kept knocking poor pussy about
The cat spit upon him and fought him so bo[l]d
That pussy beat him right out of her hole

The Nelly she held him so fast by the back
While she wriggled her ass & cried push it in Jack
He pushed in with courage so stout and so strong
She smiled in his face crying well done John

I burst in to laughter and spoiled the fun
But Nelly kept crying push it in John
Then John fell a laughing at Nell on her back
And swore he'd no more be plagued with a cat.

Not tune specified, but various well known tunes would fit. E.g. Villikins,
An alternative copy has [And she catched his pillock right slap in her hole] in verse 4. I didn't know of that meaning of pillock!^^

NHJ I hope no-one has already postsed this - a search on the word cat threw up too many threads to check!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: English Jon
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 08:20 AM

What other meaning of "pillock" is there?

Great song Pavanne!

EJ

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: pavane
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 08:30 AM

Pillock meaning foolish person, rather than a portion of the male anatomy!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 12:42 PM

OED- Pillock or pillicock is an obsolete word for penis; also for pill, also for a stupid person, also a handsome young boy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: English Jon
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 12:48 PM

Pillock or pillicock is an obsolete word for penis,

Hence "stupid person": modern equivalent would be "dickhead"

"a handsome young boy", being from Polari (gay slang)

so yes, it's a willy.

EJ

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: MMario
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 12:50 PM

many people would say the four members of that set are all equal.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: pavane
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 02:20 PM

Wonderful what a song can bring to light

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: Louie Roy
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 10:13 PM

Does any one have the rest of the word to this poem that was around in the 1940s If a Cat drank a quart of milk before he started
And ran a mile before he farted
How far can he go if he hold his gas If he ran the first mile with a puckered ass
This is all I can remember help and thanks

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Cat
From: GUEST,Calico
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 02:24 AM

This thread should be connected with the current "cat song" thread, but I don't know how to do clickies.

I'd like to hear the rest of that poem, too, Louie.

Calico