She went a little farther, and she met a rope. So she said—
"Rope, rope, hang butcher!
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile;
And I shan't get home to-night."
[Pg 286]
But the rope would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a rat. So she said—
"Rat, rat, gnaw rope!
Rope won't hang butcher;
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile;
And I shan't get home to-night."
But the rat would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a cat. So she said [Pg 287]—
"Cat, cat, kill rat!
Rat won't gnaw rope;
Rope won't hang butcher;
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile;
And I shan't get home to-night."
The cat said, "If you will give me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat."
So the old woman gave the cat the milk, and when she had lapped up the milk—
The cat began to kill the rat;
The rat began to gnaw the rope;
[Pg 288] The rope began to hang the butcher;
The butcher began to kill the ox;
The ox began to drink the water;
The water began to quench the fire;
The fire began to burn the stick;
The stick began to beat the dog;
The dog began to bite the pig;
The pig jumped over the stile;
And so the old woman got home that night.
Tit, tat, toe
Tit, tat, toe,
My first go,
Three jolly butcher boys
All of a row;
Stick one up,
Stick one down,
Stick one in the old man's crown.