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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

I bought me a cat
Language: English 
Our translations:  CHI
I bought me a cat, my cat pleased me,
I fed my cat under yonder tree.
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a duck, my duck pleased me,
I fed my duck under yonder tree.
My duck says, "Quaa, quaa",
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a goose, my goose pleased me,
I fed my goose under yonder tree.
My goose says, "Quaw, quaw",
My duck says. . .

I bought me a hen, my hen pleased me.
I fed my hen under yonder tree.
My hen says, Shimmy shack, shimmy shack",
My goose says. . .

I bought me a pig, my pig pleased me.
I fed my pig under yonder tree.
My pig says, "Griffey, griffey".
My hen says. . .

I bought me a cow, my cow pleased me.
I fed my cow under yonder tree.
My cow says "Moo, moo",
my pig says . . .

I bought me a horse, my horse pleased me.
I fed my horse under yonder tree.
My horse says, "Neigh, neigh",
My cow says. . .

I bought me a wife, my wife pleased me.
I fed my wife under yonder tree.
My wife says, "Honey, honey",
My horse says "Neigh, neigh". . .

Note: some singers choose to change the word "bought" in the last stanza to "got" or "wed" or "found".


Text Authorship:

  • from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , a children's nonsense song sung to the composer by the American playwright Lynn Riggs, who learned in during his boyhood in Oklahoma [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990), "I bought me a cat", 1950, first performed 1950 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Old American Songs, First Set, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "我買了一隻貓", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Joel Ayau

This text was added to the website: 2004-06-26
Line count: 31
Word count: 210

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