The Ad-dressing of Cats Songtext
von T. S. Eliot
The Ad-dressing of Cats Songtext
The Ad-dressing of Cats
You′ve heard of several kinds of cat
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character
You now have learned enough to see
That cats are much like you and me
And other people, whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind
For some are sane and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse
But all may be described in verse
You've seen them both at work and games
And learnt about their proper names
Their habits and their habitat
But how would you ad-dress a cat?
So first your memory I′ll jog
And say a cat is not a dog
Now dogs pretend they like to fight
They often bark, more seldom bite
But yet a dog is on the whole
What you would call a simple soul
Of course I'm not including Pekes
And such fantastic canine freaks
The usual dog about the town
Is much inclined to play the clown
And far from showing too much pride
Is frequently undignified
He's very easily taken in
Just chuck him underneath the chin
Or slap his back or shake his paw
And he will gambol and guffaw
He′s such an easy-going lout
He′ll answer any hail or shout
Again I must remind you that
A dog's a dog, a cat′s a cat
With cats, some say, one rule is true
Don't speak till you are spoken to
Myself I do not hold with that
I say you should ad-dress a cat
But always keep in mind that
He resents familiarity
I bow, and taking off my hat
Address him in this form: "Oh, Cat!"
But if he is the cat next door
Whom I have often met before
He comes to see me in my flat
I greet him with an "Oop-sa, Cat!"
I think I′ve heard them call him James
But we've not got so far as names
Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream
And you might now and then supply
Some caviar or Strasbourg pie
Some potted grouse or salmon paste
He′s sure to have his personal taste
I know a cat who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit
And when he's finished, licks his paws
So's not to waste the onion sauce
A cat′s entitled to expect
These evidences of respect
And so in time you reach your aim
And finally call him by his name
So this is this and that is that
And there′s how you ad-dress a cat
You′ve heard of several kinds of cat
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character
You now have learned enough to see
That cats are much like you and me
And other people, whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind
For some are sane and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse
But all may be described in verse
You've seen them both at work and games
And learnt about their proper names
Their habits and their habitat
But how would you ad-dress a cat?
So first your memory I′ll jog
And say a cat is not a dog
Now dogs pretend they like to fight
They often bark, more seldom bite
But yet a dog is on the whole
What you would call a simple soul
Of course I'm not including Pekes
And such fantastic canine freaks
The usual dog about the town
Is much inclined to play the clown
And far from showing too much pride
Is frequently undignified
He's very easily taken in
Just chuck him underneath the chin
Or slap his back or shake his paw
And he will gambol and guffaw
He′s such an easy-going lout
He′ll answer any hail or shout
Again I must remind you that
A dog's a dog, a cat′s a cat
With cats, some say, one rule is true
Don't speak till you are spoken to
Myself I do not hold with that
I say you should ad-dress a cat
But always keep in mind that
He resents familiarity
I bow, and taking off my hat
Address him in this form: "Oh, Cat!"
But if he is the cat next door
Whom I have often met before
He comes to see me in my flat
I greet him with an "Oop-sa, Cat!"
I think I′ve heard them call him James
But we've not got so far as names
Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream
And you might now and then supply
Some caviar or Strasbourg pie
Some potted grouse or salmon paste
He′s sure to have his personal taste
I know a cat who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit
And when he's finished, licks his paws
So's not to waste the onion sauce
A cat′s entitled to expect
These evidences of respect
And so in time you reach your aim
And finally call him by his name
So this is this and that is that
And there′s how you ad-dress a cat
Writer(s): Andrew Lloyd Webber, T. S. Eliot Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
