Pussy Cat Pussy Cat
Encyclopedia
"Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat" is a popular English language
nursery rhyme
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 15094.
The last line sometimes sung as:
, but Caroline of Brunswick
has also been suggested.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 15094.
Lyrics
Common modern versions include:- Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
- I've been down to London to visit the Queen.
- Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
- I frightened a little mouse, under her chair.
The last line sometimes sung as:
- I chased a little mouse right under the chair.
Origins
The earliest record of the rhyme is publication in Songs for the Nursery, printed in London in 1805. The Queen most often depicted in illustrations is Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, but Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
has also been suggested.