== R H Y M E ==
ID: 875
Date: 1970s-2000
Title: Not last night
Gender: Female
Classification: Tangle talk, skipping

Rhyme:

Not last night, but the night before,
Three tom cats came knocking at the door,
One had a fiddle,
One had a drum,
One had a trumpet (pancake)
Stuck up his bum!

(Christchurch, 1960s; Blenheim, 1990s)

--

Not last night, but the night before,
Three tom cats came knocking at the door,
One had a pistol,
One had a gun,
One had a frying pan stuck to his bum!

(Napier, 1970s)

--

Not last night, but the night before,
Three little beggars came knocking on my door,
One had a fiddle,
One had a drum,
One had a pancake sticking to his bum!
How many songs did they play?
1, 2, 3..

(Palmerston North, 1970s)

--

Not last night, but the night before,
Bloody Homer Simpson came knocking at my door.
Went upstairs to make his bed,
And a pile of shit fell on his head.

(Hamilton, 2000)

--

Not last night but the night before,
Twenty four robbers came knocking at my door,
As I went out to let them in
This is what they said to me,
Spanish lady turn around
Spanish lady touch the ground,
Spanish lady do the high kicks,
Spanish lady do the splits.

(NZ, 1990s)

--

Not last night but the night before,
Twenty four robbers came knocking at my door,
I ran out, they ran in,
Hit me on the head with a rolling pin.
This is what they said to me,
Spanish lady give high kicks
Spanish lady turn around
Spanish lady get out of town.

(NZ ex USA, 1990s)

--

Not last night but the night before
Three Spanish men came knocking at my door,
As I ran out they came in
And this is what they said,
Spanish lady turn around
Spanish lady climb the stairs
Spanish lady say your prayers
Spanish lady turn out the light,
Spanish lady say goodnight.
G. O. O. D. N. I. G. H. T.

(Christchurch, 1970s; Ashburton, 2005)

--

Background Info: Variations in Turner, 1978:149:
Not last night but the night before,
Two tom cats came knocking at the door,
The black cat said, "By God, you'll die."
Because the white cat piddled
In the black cat's eye.

(Melbourne, 1973)

--

Opie, 1967:23 -24.for variations. Also details of Lewis Carroll writing to Agnes
Hughes in 1866 with a story based on this rhyme.."a very curious thing happened to
me at half-past four yesterday. Three visitors came knocking at my door, begging me
to let them in. And when I opened the door, who do you think they were? You'll never
guess. Why, they were three cats! Wasn't it curious? However, they all looked so
cross and disagreeable that I took up the first thing I could lay my hand on (which
happened to be a rolling pin) and knocked them all down as flat as pan-cakes!"

--

From the Scottish website www.glesga.ukpals.com/MemoryLane%20Songs.htm (accessed 15
January, 2007) comes:

No' last night but the night before,
Three wee monkeys came tae ma door.
One wi' a trumpet, and one wi' a drum,
And one wi' a pancake stuck tae its bum.

--

Lowenstein, 1974:33 records:
Not last night but the night before
Three tom cats came aknocking at the door,
One had a pistol, one had a gun,
The other dirty bugger had a spear up his bum.

(Melbourne, 1967)

--

"Play and Folklore", Issue 7, 1984:10:
Not last night but the night before,
Twenty four robbers came knocking at the door.
I went downstairs to let them in,
They knocked me down with a rolling pin.
Now the rolling pin was made of glass,
It fell down and cut my arse.
I went upstairs to fix it later,
I burnt my dick on a radiator.
I went downstairs to cool it off,
Some little bastard shot it off.

(1984, Australia)

--

Butler, 1989:106 records from USA:
Last night, the night before,
A lemon and a pickle came
A knockin' at my door.
When I went down to let them in
They hit me over the head
With a roller pin
.
(Virginia, USA, 1949)

2006. "Playground Rhymes of New Zeland Children" (database) by Janice Ackerley (collector).
Unless stated otherwise, place locations are cities in New Zealand or Australia.