The Rat-catcher’s Daughter.
Not long ago in Vestminster there lived a rat-catcher’s daughter,
And yet she didn’t live in Vestminster, ’cause she loved ’tother side of the water,
Her father caught rats—and she sold sprats all about and around that quarter,
And the gentle folks all took off their hats to the putty little Rat-catcher’s daughter.
CHORUS.—Doodle dee,
Doodle dum,
Di dum doodle da.
Now, rich and poor, both far and near, in matrimony sought her:
But at friends and foes turn’d up her nose, did the putty little Rat-catcher’s daughter.
For there was a man, sold lily vite sand, in Cupid’s net had caught her,
And right over head and ears in love vent the putty little Rat-catcher’s daughter.
Now lily vite sand ran in her ’ead, as she went along Strand, oh,
She forgot as she’d got sprats on her ’ead and cried, D’ye you want any lily vite sand, oh?
The folks amaz’d all thought her craz’d, as she went along the Strand, oh,
To see a gal with sprats on her ’ead, cry, D’ye vant any lily vhite sand, oh?
Now Rat-catcher’s daughter so ran in his ’ead, he couldn’t tell vat he vas arter,
So, instead of crying, D’ye vant any sand? he cried, D’ye vant any Rat-catcher’s, daughter?
His donkey cock’d his ears and laughed, and couldn’t think vat he vas arter,
Ven he heard his lady vite sandman cry, D’ye vant any Rat-catcher’s daughter?
They both agreed to married be upon next Easter Sunday,
But Rat-catcher’s daughter, she had a dream that she wouldn’t be alive on Monday.
She vent vonce more to buy some sprats, and she tumbled into the water,
And down to the bottom, all kiver’d with mud, vent the putty little Rat-catcher’s daughter.
Ven Lilly vite sand ’e ’eard the news, his eyes ran down with vater,
Said ’e, In love I’ll constant prove, and—blow me if I’ll live long arter.
So he cut ’is throat with a pane of glass, and stabb’d ’is donkey arter
So ’ere is an end of lily vite sand, donkey, and the Rat-catcher’s daughter.