The Owl and the Pussycat

Lyrics: Edward Lear (1871)\ Music: Farewell Sweet Lovely Nancy (Trad)

Recordings:

Lyrics [pdf] [txt] [cho]

\performance{Sing it in A; works well with multi-part harmony.}

The words here are as Lear wrote them, not as I (and Oak, Ash, and Thorn) sing them. Leave off the italicized repeats (i.e., ``You are,/You are...'').

	G	C	G
The	Owl and the Pussy-cat w	ent to s	ea

	D7	G
In a beautiful p	ea green b	oat,

	C	G
They took some honey, and pl	enty of m	oney,

	D7	G
Wrapped up in a f	ive pound n	ote.

	C	G	C	G	C
The	Owl l	ooked up t	o the st	ars ab	ove,

	G	C	G	D7
	And s	ang t	o a small guit	ar,

	G	C	G
'O l	ovely Pussy! O P	ussy my l	ove,

	D7	G
What a beautiful P	ussy you	are,

You are, You are!What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

But what shall we do for a ring?'

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose, His nose,With a ring at the end of his nose.

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'

So they took it away, and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon, The moon,They danced by the light of the moon.

For the moment we'll forego speculation about what kind of produce one gets from a Bong-tree.