Digital Tradition Mirror

Craw Killed the Pussy

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Craw Killed the Pussy

1.
The craws hae killed the poussie, O,
The craws hae killed the poussie, O;
The little cat sat down and grat,
Into its wee bit housie, O.

2.
The craws killt the pusie, O:
The craws killt the pusie, O:
The muckle cat
Sat doon an grat,
At the back o' Johnnie's hoosie, O.

3.
The craw killed the pussie O,
The craw killed the pussie O;
The muckle cat sat doon an' grat
In Johnny's little hoosie O.

Comin' thro' the mossie O,
Comin' thro' the mossie O,
I licket oot my puckle meal,
An' played me wi pouckie O.

4.
The craw's killed the pussie, O!
The craw's killed the pussie, O!
The muckle cat sat doon an grat
In Willie's wee bit housie, O!
The craw's killed the pussie, O!
The craw's killed the pussie, O!
An aye, aye, the kitten cried,
`Oh, wha'll bring me a mousie, O?'

Comin by the rockie, O!
Comin by the rockie, O!
I lickit oot the pickle meal
An played wi the pockie, O!
The collie dog he sat an growled,
But wae than a the muckle craw
Has gane an killed oor pussie, O!

5.
The craw killed the pussie O!
The craw killed the pussie O!
   The muckle cat
   Sat doun and grat
Behind the wee bit hoosie O.

The craw killed the pussie O!
The craw killed the pussie O!
  And aye, aye,
  The kitten cried,
O wha'll bring me a moosie O?
________________________________________________________

(1), Chambers PRS (1847), 183; the 1870 ed. (p. 26) has
1.3 mickle 1.4 In [Jeanie's] wee bit housie, O; "the
name is liable to variation according to that of the
infant dealt with."  Indicated tune, Green grow the
Rashes. 1870 version ["muckle"] in MacLennan SNR (1909),
14.
(2), Gregor (1881), 137.
(3), Greig FSNE cliv.2, originally from Cunnyknowe, New
Deer parish. [Also in Paul, Past & Present (1881), 144.]
Another correspondent (art. clv) says his grandmother
sang it to "Green Grows the Rashes", and the last line
of st. 1 was "At the back o' Johnnie's Housie O.'
Buchan 101 SS (1962), 145 (with music), is very similar
(begins "The craw's taen the pussie-oh"), with extra
verse:

     It happened on a Wednesday
     A windy windy Wednesday
     It happened on a Wednesday
     Gin I can richtly mind it-oh.

(Evidently a borrowing from another rhyme, "The Cattie
Rade to Passelet".)
(4) Burnett BSV (1932), 20. [Defective: one line
wanting in st. 2.]  St. 1 with music in Moffat TSNR
(1933), 4.
(5) Variant of (4) st. 1, from NAE (1932), 25, with
music [original has O in lower case]; Montgomerie SNR
(1946) 91 (no. 113), with music.

MS

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