Swing the Cat
Words and music by Meg Davis © 1985


       Am
It was just after midnight when I heard the captain shout,
           G                         E
"Curse the devil below but there are rats about!"
          Am
They were streaming up the gangplank, they were crawling up the sheets,
      C                             G  E   Am
Every sailor had a hundred snapping at his feet.


"What can we do?" cried the sailors as the rats began to dance.
"Here's a hopeless situation but we have one chance--
Every man go ashore searching this way and that,
Don't dare to show your faces 'til you find a cat."

Well, we sprang to the docks and we bolted through the town,
Every young man and old man searching up and down.
Three hundred sailors on the loose, what do you think of that?
And every salty sailor surely found a cat.

Back to the ship we went running with our prizes--
There were cats of many colors, there were cats of many sizes.
When the rats saw us coming, sure they all began to shout,
"Curse the devil below but there are cats about!"

Chorus:
	         C                         G
	Swing it high, swing it low, if it hollers let it go,
	        C                                    G       E
	If it's drowned there's only one way to take care of that:
	         Am                            Dm
	You must grab it by its feet, swing it high and swing it neat,
	          Am                             E       Am
	You might save a life at that if you can swing a cat.


Well we let our kitties loose on that unsuspecting horde,
And the rats by the thousands scrambled overboard.
They were swept out to sea, every germy little tail.
With the morning light upon us then we hoisted sail.

Now we sail the mighty ocean and we're such a happy crew--
With our kitties here to help us out there's nothing much to do.
If a cat catches two fish he is sure to give you one,
And he'll sing you off to sleep when your day is done.

Chorus