THE CAT CAME BACK
(Traditional - Harry Miller)
Fiddlin' John Carson - 1924
Also recorded by:
New Christy Minstels; Don McLean; Yodeling Slim Clark;
Wendy Wiseman; Bill Harrell; Merle Travis; Tex Morton;
Marais and Miranda; Fred Penner: ......... and others.
Now old Mr. Johnson had troubles of his own
He had an old yellow cat that wouldn't leave home
Tried everything he knew to do to keep the cat away
Took him up to Canada and told him for to stay...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
On the telegraph wire the birds were sittin' in a bunch
Saw an even number, thought he'd' have `em for his lunch
Climbed softly up the pole, until he reached the top
Put his foot upon the electric wire, tied him in a knot...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
This old cat had company out in the backyard
Somebody threw a boot, and threw it awful hard
Hit the cat behind the ear and he thought it was a slight
And down came a brick and knocked him out of sight...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They threw him in the kennel where the dog was asleep
And the bones of cats lay piled in a heap
That ol' kennel burst apart and the dog flew out the side
With his ears chewed off and holes in his hide...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They sneaked into the shop with the butcher not around
And they dropped him in the hopper where the meat was ground
The old cat disappeared with a blood-curdling shriek
And that shop's hamburger tasted furry for a week...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They put him in a cotton sack and give him to a girl
Who was startin' on a bicycle all around the world
Well over there in China, a terrible wreck was found
She's singin' now in heaven with the angels all around...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
Now this cat was a terror and they thought it would be best
To give him to a feller who was goin' out West
Train ran around a curve and hit a broken rail
Not a blessed soul aboard the train lived to tell the tale...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They gave the old cat to the man in the balloon
And they told him to give him to the man in the moon
Well the balloon, it busted and everybody said,
"Ten miles away they picked a man up dead"...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
Well at last they found the way this cat they'd really fix
They put him in an orange crate on Highway Sixty-Six
Come a ten ton truck with a twenty ton load
Scattered pieces of the orange crate a mile down the road...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They put him on a boat bound for Cambridge town
They thought with all the rain there, he'd surely drown
When the rain come down on the ninety-second day
The whole darn city just a-floated out the bay...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
Now the farmer on the corner said he'd shoot the cat on sight
And he loaded up his gun with nails and dynamite
And he hid in the garden till the cat come around
Seven little pieces of the man was all they found...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They put him on the White House lawn, I'll tell you the reason why
They thought with all those golf balls flyin' there, he'd surely die
The very next morning, what do you think they found
Ninety-four squirrels lyin' dead upon the ground...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They took him down to Cape Canaveral and they put him in a place
And they shot him in a satellite way into space
They thought that cat was beyond human reach
Then they got a phone call from Miami Beach, sayin'...
The cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
******
ALTERNATE VERSION (1):
Old Mister Johnson had troubles of his own
He had a yellow cat which wouldn't leave its home
He tried and he tried to give the cat away
He gave it to a man goin' far, far away
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The man around the corner swore he'd kill the cat on sight
He loaded up his shotgun with nails and dynamite
He waited and he waited for the cat to come around
Ninety seven pieces of the man is all they found
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
He gave it to a little boy with a dollar note
Told him for to take it up the river in a boat
They tied a rope around its neck, it must have weighed a pound
Now they drag the river for a little boy that's drowned
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
He gave it to a man going up in a balloon
He told him for to take it to the man in the moon
The balloon came down about ninety miles away
Where he is now, well I dare not say
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
He gave it to a man going way out West
Told him for to take it to the one he loved the best
First the train hit the curve, then it jumped the rail
Not a soul was left behind to tell the gruesome tale
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The cat it had some company one night out in the yard
Someone threw a boot-jack, and they threw it mighty hard
It caught the cat behind the ear, she thought it rather slight
When along came a brick-bat and knocked the cat out of sight
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
Away across the ocean they did send the cat at last
Vessel only out a day and making water fast
People all began to pray, the boat began to toss
A great big gust of wind came by and every soul was lost
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
On a telegraph wire, sparrows sitting in a bunch
The cat was feeling hungry, thought she'd like 'em for a lunch
Climbing softly up the pole, and when she reached the top
Put her foot upon the electric wire, which tied her in a knot
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The cat was a possessor of a family of its own
With seven little kittens till there came a cyclone
Blew the houses all apart and tossed the cat around
The air was full of kittens, and not a one was ever found
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The atom bomb fell just the other day
The H-Bomb fell in the very same way
Russia went, England went, and then the U.S.A.
The human race was finished without a chance to pray
But the cat came back the very next day
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
******
ALTERNATE VERSION (2):
Freddy Wilson had a cat that he didn't want to keep
He offered it for sale, but no-one would buy it cheap
He called upon the preacher to ask for his advice
The preacher said just leave him here, for it would be so nice
But the cat came back, he wouldn't stay away
He was sitting on the porch on the very next day
The cat came back, he didn't want to roam
The very next day he was home sweet home
Freddy put the cat on board a ship, was headed for Ceylon
The ship was overloaded, about forty thousand ton
Not many miles from shore that gallant ship went down
There wasn't any doubt about it, everybody drowned
But the cat came back, he wouldn't stay away
He was sitting on the porch on the very next day
The cat came back, he didn't want to roam
The very next day he was home sweet home
Freddy put the cat on board with a man in a balloon
Who would give the cat away to the man up in the moon
The balloon it didn't rise, it burst in bits instead
Ten miles away they found the man stone dead
But the cat came back, he wouldn't stay away
He was sitting on the porch on the very next day
The cat came back, he didn't want to roam
The very next day he was home sweet home
Freddy Wilson took his gun and he hid behind a bush
In the barrel of his gun lead and powder he did push
He aimed it at the spot where the cat would appear
The next day all they found was Freddie Wilson's ear
But the cat came back, he wouldn't stay away
He was sitting on the porch on the very next day
The cat came back, he didn't want to roam
The very next day he was home sweet home
Now the cat sat on the porch and he ate a piece of cheese
An Irishman came by, he was feeling well at ease
The cat he was a-smiling, for he was fully fed
The Irishman sang "Rule Britannia" and the cat fell dead
But his ghost came back, he wouldn't stay away
He was sitting on the porch on the very next day
His ghost came back, he didn't want to roam
He haunted Freddy's house and his home sweet home
******
ALTERNATE VERSION (3)
Little Bennie had a cat that they wouldn't let him keep
So he put her up for sale at a price he thought was cheap
He took her to a neighbour to ask him for advice
He said, "Leave the kitty here, she can help me with the mice"
But the cat came back, she wouldn't stay away
She was sitting on the porch the very next day
The cat came back, she didn't want to roam
The very next day it was Home, Sweet Home
Then Bennie met a man who was driving way out West
He would take the cat along as a special honored guest
The steering wheel was wobbly, he drove into a tree
The car was just a total wreck as anyone could see
But the cat came back, she wouldn't stay away
She was sitting on the porch the very next day
The cat came back, she didn't want to roam
The very next day it was Home, Sweet Home
So Bennie bought a gun from the Human Cannonball
He put the cat inside with tri-nitro-toluol
When he pulled the trigger, the cannon made a roar
The neighbours all surrendered 'cause they thought it was a war
But the cat came back, she wouldn't stay away
She was sitting on the porch the very next day
The cat came back, she didn't want to roam
The very next day it was Home, Sweet Home
Then Bennie gave the cat to a man who had a bomb
When he took the cat away, she was acting cool and calm
And then the bomb exploded, it made an awful sound
They searched and searched for ages but the man was never found
But the cat came back, she wouldn't stay away
She was sitting on the porch the very next day
The cat came back, she didn't want to roam
The very next day it was Home, Sweet Home
******
As recorded by the NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS:
Well, just like everybody you have troubles of your own
But let me tell you, Mister, of the sorrow I have known
I had an old gray cat, that I couldn't bear to keep
He spent the nights a-howl'n and he wouldn't let me sleep
So I put him in a box and I tied it up quite well.
I had some fellows help me and I paid them not to tell
We put it in a boxcar, the Westbound Seven-Ten
The train pulled away and was never seen again
But the cat came back, the very next day
Yes the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away
Meow, kitty! Meow, so pretty!
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back
So I took him to the harbor and I put in on a ship
I bid him bon voyage! for that oceanic trip
The captain was obligin' and glad to help us out
We tied him to the anchor so that there could be no doubt
Well, we heard that sad report of that might storm at sea
And though it may sound heartless, I was happy as could be
The paper said the ship went down beneath a heavy gale
And not a single soul was left to tell the awful tale
But the cat came back, the very next day
Yes the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away
Meow, kitty! Meow, so pretty!
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back
So I gave him to a scientist, destined for the moon
The cat was used for ballast in an outer space balloon
I guess you know what happened, that balloon's up there still
And early that next morning, guess what came across the hill
(Meow! That's right)
Now, everyone in town was sworn to shoot that cat on sight
With that crazy cat around you couldn't sleep at night
We even formed a posse just to hunt that critter down
You could hear the guns a-blazin' as they ran him out of town
But the cat came back, the very next day
Yes the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away!
Meow, kitty! Meow, so pretty!
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back
******
As recorded by MARAIS & MIRANDA:
Now old Mr. Johnson had troubles of his own
He had an old yellow cat that wouldn't leave home
Tried everything he knew to do to keep the cat away
Took him up to Canada and told him for to stay...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
On the telegraph wire the birds were sittin' in a bunch
Saw an even number, thought he'd' have `em for his lunch
Climbed softly up the pole, until he reached the top
Put his foot upon the electric wire, tied him in a knot...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
This old cat had company out in the backyard
Somebody threw a boot, and threw it awful hard
Hit the cat behind the ear and he thought it was a slight
And down came a brick and knocked him out of sight...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They threw him in the kennel where the dog was asleep
And the bones of cats lay piled in a heap
That ol' kennel burst apart and the dog flew out the side
With his ears chewed off and holes in his hide...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They sneaked into the shop with the butcher not around
And they dropped him in the hopper where the meat was ground
The old cat disappeared with a blood-curdling shriek
And that shop's hamburger tasted furry for a week...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They put him in a cotton sack and give him to a girl
Who was startin' on a bicycle all around the world
Well over there in China, a terrible wreck was found
She's singin' now in heaven with the angels all around...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
Now this cat was a terror and they thought it would be best
To give him to a feller who was goin' out West
Train ran around a curve and hit a broken rail
Not a blessed soul aboard the train lived to tell the tale...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They gave the old cat to the man in the balloon
And they told him to give him to the man in the moon
Well the balloon, it busted and everybody said,
"Ten miles away they picked a man up dead"...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
Well at last they found the way this cat they'd really fix
They put him in an orange crate on Highway Sixty-Six
Come a ten ton truck with a twenty ton load
Scattered pieces of the orange crate a mile down the road...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They put him on a boat bound for Cambridge town
They thought with all the rain there, he'd surely drown
When the rain come down on the ninety-second day
The whole darn city just a-floated out the bay...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
Now the farmer on the corner said he'd shoot the cat on sight
And he loaded up his gun with nails and dynamite
And he hid in the garden till the cat come around
Seven little pieces of the man was all they found...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They put him on the White House lawn, I'll tell you the reason why
They thought with all those golf balls flyin' there, he'd surely die
The very next morning, what do you think they found
Ninety-four squirrels lyin' dead upon the ground...
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
They took him down to Cape Canaveral and they put him in a place
And they shot him in a satellite way into space
They thought that cat was beyond human reach
Then they got a phone call from Miami Beach, sayin'...
The cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
`Cause he wouldn't stay away
******
As recorded by TEX MORTON:
Now, old Mr. Johnson had worries of his own
He had an old yeller cat that wouldn't leave home
Tried everything he knew to do to keep the cat away
He took him up to Canada and told him for to stay
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
He wouldn't stay away
Now, this cat was a terror, so they thought it was the best
To give him to a feller who was going out West
Train ran around a curve and it hit a broken rail
Not a blessed soul aboard the train lived to tell the tale
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
He wouldn't stay away
Now, they throwed him in a kennel where the dog was asleep
And the bones o' cats lay piled in a heap
That kennel burst open and the dog come out the side
His ears chewed off and holes in his hide
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
He wouldn't stay away
Oh, they snuck into a shop when the butcher wasn't 'round
And they throwed him in the hopper where the meat is ground
The ol' cat disappeared with a blood curdlin' shriek
And the town's minced meat tasted furry for a week
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
He wouldn't stay away
(SPOKEN: I like this bit, heh-heh)
Now, the farmer on the corner said he'd shoot the cat on sight
Loaded up his gun with nails and dynamite
He waited in the garden 'til the cat came around
Seven little pieces of the man was all they found
But the cat came back
The very next day the old cat came back
Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back
He wouldn't stay away
(SPOKEN: Heh, how many lives does a cat have?)
Well, they put him in a rocket ship headin' for the stars
Got a message back sayin' "Landed up on Mars"
Said the men were doin' fine, and the monkey and the rat
But they couldn't find a trace of the old yeller cat
And the cat showed up
The very next day the old cat came home
We don't know how he did it, but the cat came back
He wouldn't stay away
No, he wouldn't stay away
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - October 2005)
******
