Body in the Bag (Charles O'Hegarty) Our old cat died last night Me wife says to bury it out of sight But we didn't have a garden; We was livin' in a flat So what was I to do with the body of a cat, Then a big brown paper bag I spied I put our old dead kittycat inside. And now I'm off down the street with the body in the bag, The body in the bag, ta ra ra. I went off down the street to have a whisky neat And carefully laid my dead cat underneath my seat. Then I got down on my hands and knees; Went halfway through the town, When the barman stops me, ``Here's your parcel Mr. Brown,'' So I had to thank the silly fool And give him half a crown For bringing me the body in the bag. I threw it in the river but the hero of a play, Well he jumped right in after, Shouting, ``Hip hip hip, hooray!'' Then he crawled out on the bank And he stood there in a pool. He said, ``I'm really rather wet And also rather cool.'' So I had to take me trousers off And give 'em to the fool For bringing me the body in the bag. Well, I crept off down the street as quiet as a mouse An' carefully laid me burden on The doorstep of a house, When the door it was flung open And a lady dressed in blue said, ``Pardonnez-moi monsieur, But do you want a room?'' I said, ``Good heavens no, an' I've got Something else to do!'' And skeddaddled with the body in the bag. I crept into a garden, feeling very brave, And with a pick and shovel I commenced to dig a grave, But I got an awful shock when a voice behind me said, ``You're digging my potatoes!'' Oh, you could've shot me dead. But there I was a-diggin' in his cauliflower bed So I hit him with the body in the bag. All at once from in the bag There came a plaintive meow Say Puss, ``I'm dead no longer, You needn't bother now. You've often heard it said That a cat has got nine lives, Well, I'm a married Tabby, One of Tommy's wives And our families they usually come In threes, and fours, and fives...'' But there were seven little bodies in the bag! note: see CATBACK sung by Jean Redpath BR
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!