Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English

Subject: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 12:57 PM

Years ago I found the English words to this German song. All I remember is:

Oh, Oh, Oh,
the cat is in the snow...

I found German words on a "songs about cats" thread but they didn't seem to match the melody I remember. Also, I'm teaching snow songs to kindergartners, so would prefer English, if possible!

Anyone?

Thanks!

Allison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 01:03 PM

Hi, Allison. I can't find a good English version, but a Google search for katz schnee brings German versions right up at this site (click) and others. Cute tune, isn't it?
-Joe Offer-

A B C, die Katz' lief in den Schnee

A B C,
Die Katz' lief in den Schnee.
Und wie sie wieder raus kam,
Da hat sie weiße Stiefel an.
O jemine!
O jemine!
O jemine! O je!

A B C,
Die Katze lief zur Höh!
Sie leckt ihr kaltes Pfötchen rein
Und putzt sich auch die Stiefelein
Und ging nicht mehr,
Und ging nicht mehr,
Und ging nicht mehr in'n Schnee !

---

ABC, the cat ran in the snow
And when she came out again,
She was wearing white boots.
O jemine! (by jiminy???)

ABC, the cat ran up high!
She licked her cold little paw clean
And cleaned off her boots.
And went no more
And went no more into the snow.

---

This page and this page have it in "Ohio-Deitsch":

ABC d' Katz schaft im Schnee, d'Schnee geht aweck d' Katz schlaft im Drecke!

I'll betcha it's "schlaft" (sleeps) in both places:
(ABC, the cat (male) sleeps in the snow, and when the snow goes away, the cat sleeps in mud)

En andere (another song):

Rote Rose sin so schee,
Rote Rose sin so schee,
Leibst du Mich un I' leib Dich.
Komm un sitz Dich newich Mich!

(Red roses are so pretty. You love me, and I love you. Come and sit next to me.)
There are some words that don't sound right to me, but maybe that's because it's "Ohio-Deitsch."

---

Allison referred to a Pennsylvania Dutch song Wilfried posted in another thread. For the sake of keeping everything on this song together, here it is;

Thread #38596   Message #544363
Posted By: Wilfried Schaum
07-Sep-01 - 08:23 AM
Thread Name: Lyr/Chords Req: Songs about cats
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Songs about cats

Some 30 years ago I heard a Pennsylvanian Dutch ditty:

Ayns, zway, dray,
Der cat's in der schnay.
Der schnay gayt aweck,
Der cat's in der dreck.

(One, two, three,
The cat is in the snow.
The snow diminshes,
The cat is in the mud).

I can't say whether it is "der cat's" (= cat is) or "der katz's" (Katz, as in Katzenjammer Kids, short form for Katze = cat).

The melody is found over here in Germany as a basic form for children's songs (e.g. alle meine Entchen = all my ducks).

Typing the translation it deemed to me that we are talking here about an old mudcat! Make it an anthem for mudcatters?

Wilfried

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 01:08 PM

Here is what I found...

Web page..
German lyrics and melody at Ingeb.

A, B, C The cat is in the snow. The snow melts and the cat is in the mud
A, B, C, The cat walks in the snow.
When she walks out again, she has white boots on.
She goes into the house.
Cleans her paws, polishes her own
little boots and goes no more in the snow

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Wolfgang
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 03:26 AM

(I'm feeling half naked being away from all my books.)

Every German knows this song, at least up to the end of the second line (Schnee). The most common (in my experience) tune is still slightly different from the three tunes available at Frank' site (ingeb.org), but clearly only a variant.

I once have seen this song as a full alphabet song, the next verses starting with D E F, H I J (I leave the rest to your guess). Actually sung (at Kindergarten age) are one, or at most two, verses.

O jemine(h) comes from 'O Jesu(s) domine' ('by jiminy' sounds good to me, but I didn't know it) and is an out of fashion expression, appropriate at a minor mishap or accident.

Wolfgang

Subject: ADD Version: ABC, die Katze lief im Schnee
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 04:25 AM

Here's another version from a lovely book called Das grosse Liederbuch. I'm posting it most so you can have lyrics to match to the MIDI. On the 2-part MIDI, the bottom line starts at the beginning of the second measure, and omits one "O jemine."

A, B, C. die Katze lief im Schnee
und als sie dann nach Hause kam
da hatt' sie weisse Stiefel an
O jemine, O jemine,
die Katze lief im Schnee

---

Click to play

---

Click to play (2-part)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 05:11 AM

Intersting possible derivation of "By jiminy" above.

"Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary" gives :
"jiminy, See geminate;

geminate v.t.to double.-adj.(bot.) in pairs .............Gemini the twins, a constellation...... geminy (Shak.), a pair, esp of eyes.-interj. expressing surprise- also spelt gemini, gemony, jiminy. [L. geminus, twin]

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 05:29 AM

The 'Cat did it again! I'll see what I can piece together with this info.
Thanks, all!

Allison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/Engli
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 05:52 AM

A post of mine from another thread was inserted here (Thanks, Joe[?       9)
Here is a link to the sheet

Wilfried

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/Engli
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 06:04 AM

Joe - well guessed:
ABC, d' Katz schlaft im Schnee. D'Schnee geht aweck, d' Katz schlaft im Dreck!
Considering the publication of the text in Schwoba-Forom (High German: Suebian Forum) I think the translation of schlaft should be slids, since sleeps is schlooft in Alemannic. It would better suit a movement in the snow with white boots on.

Wilfried

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 01:52 PM

Thanks also for the link to the version of the song "To Joy" in Wilfried' s website.

Nigel, the OED also equates jiminy with geminate.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/Engli
From: GUEST,Annie A
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 04:04 PM

Oh, Oh, Oh
The cat is in the snow
When back she comes she's quite a sight
She's wearing boots of snowy white
O jiminy, Oh jimino
Where did that kitty go?
         Many years ago, I taught this to my Kindergartens.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 04:07 PM

I am so helplessly anglo-centric.

Thank you for English!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 05:59 PM

Annie, that's perfect! Thanks!!
Allison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 11:19 AM

Interesting - seems I am the only German who's never heard of this song, despite being a cat lover!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 07:37 PM

Gee, it took us only ten messages to finally get an English version of this song, which is what was requested in the first place. Occasionally, I see requestors (not Animaterra, or course) get peeved with our roundabout way of coming up with information, but I think it's one of the wonders of Mudcat. We didn't just provide the requested lyrics - we did a thorough exploration of the song.

My Webster's New World dictionary says the origin of "jiminy" is unclear. It could be derived from "Gemini" (so it would be swearing by Gemini), or Jesu Domine (Jesus Lord) - the latter is the one I'm familiar with.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 07:50 PM

Thanks for the compliment, Joe *blush*.

I agree- it's one of the things I look forward to when I start a thread, wondering where it will lead...

Allison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Brett
Date: 31 Aug 07 - 10:43 PM

I remember a second verse that I was taught in grade school in the mid 1960's... I only remember the second verse, because we had to sing either the first or second verse to the class, and I picked the second.

Oh, oh, oh! My cat ran in the snow.
She'll lick her little boots and then
Her paws will be all black again.
Oh heidi ho, oh heidi ho
My cat ran in the snow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/Engli
From: GUEST,jackie
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 08:34 PM

When I taught kindergarten we sang this song.
I believe the lyrics were:


oh, oh, oh!
the cat is in the snow.
he gets his snowy leggings on
as soon as he began to play.....
oh dearie oh
oh dearie oh
the cat is in the snow!
OH!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,De Anna
Date: 04 Feb 09 - 04:29 PM

If you are still looking, I know a song that goes:

Oh oh oh, the cat is in the snow.
She gets her snowy leggings on
as soon as she begins to run.
Oh dearie-o, oh dearie-o
the cat is in the snow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Feb 09 - 10:46 AM

From The Child's Picture and Verse Book;
Commonly Called
Otto Speckter's Fable Book.
Translated From the Original German, By Mary Howitt,
(New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1845.)

THE CAT IN THE SNOW.

Why lift up your little paw, Pussy-Cat, so?
And why do you look so uneasy, I pray?
Do you fear you may sink to the neck in the snow?
And really, 'tis terribly cold to-day!
It would be much better, I do declare,
If good stout boots you were to wear!

Truly of boots the Cat had no store,
But she helped herself, like a Cat discreet —
Ran through the snow to the barn's open door,
Shook herself, and then licked her feet;
And there she had space, and was merry enough,
And climbed to the highest beam in the roof.

*
From Picture Fables,
Drawn by Otto Speckter.
With Rhymes Translated from the German of F. Hey,
By Henry W. Dulcken.
(New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1858)

THE CAT IN THE SNOW

"Pussy, you lift your paws so high,
And look down on them so ruefully,
To your neck almost you sink in the snow.
It's cold, is it not, down there to go?
Would not your walking be better done
If a pair of good stout boots you'd on?"

She didn't wear boots, our good little cat,
But she march'd on bravely, in spite of that.
Through the snow she whisk'd at the barn-door in;
Where she shook, and she lick'd her paws quite clean.
And she caught no cold, but sprang merrily
To the highest beam of the old root-tree.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,H evans
Date: 17 May 11 - 11:59 PM

Looking for English lyrics of The cat in the snow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jan 12 - 10:55 PM

The words quoted by De Anna on 4 Feb 09 are the precise words I learned in 1959-60. They were in an elementary song book used in our first grade music class. They are burned into my brain 50+ years later because the lady who taught the music class became angry that some students were singing "puts her snowy leggings on" rather than "gets". She required each of us to come to the front of the room and sing the song from memory and those who sang the wrong word were punished with angry words and public shaming. Some way to deal with little kids singing a song about a kitty. It took her six years but I learned to dislike singing solo in front of a group. It's interesting to see someone else who recalls the words, I hope in a more pleasant context.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 17 Feb 13 - 05:13 PM

My friend found this in her childhood piano book (45 yrs. ago?) and remembered it and the drawing fondly! I now use it with the little children I teach music to. Thanks for all the variations! (The ABC works -- rhymes -- well in German; so far I haven't been able to do the whole alphabet in groups of three in English)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: Joe_F
Date: 17 Feb 13 - 07:56 PM

It's another meaning of Mudcat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Paulette
Date: 19 Jan 18 - 11:37 PM

I am in my 50's. I have been singing this song in my head since kindergarten.   Lol.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Guest Jan
Date: 21 Mar 18 - 02:41 PM

I've been singing this song in my head for over 50 years, too. I remember singing:

Oh, oh, oh, the cat is in the snow
He puts his furry mittens on

That's all I remember. I love seeing all the lyrics on this post.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 21 Mar 18 - 08:10 PM

I learned it, in grade school in the US, in German, circa 1960, a little bit differently than what's been posted here:

A, B, C
Die Katze lief im Schnee
Und als heraus sie wieder kam
Da hat sie weisse Stiefel an

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Nicholas
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 10:38 PM

My mother used to sing this song to me in english when i was little...

Oh, oh, oh,
the cat is in the snow
he puts his little booties on
and the goes out to run, run, run
oh deary oh deary oh
the cat is in the snow

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The cat is in the snow - German/English
From: GUEST,Judy Eisenhart
Date: 02 Mar 24 - 02:51 PM

I'm 84 - my PA Dutch grandmother taught me this and I can still recite it. Brought back good memories!