SHEET MUSIC BELOW TEXT WORDS – BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
Two Chord Options: [Am] or (Em)
AFTER EACH VERSE: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) Old Mr. [G](D) Johnson had [F](C) trouble all his [E7](B7) own. [Am](Em) He had a yellow [G](D) cat that [F](C) wouldn’t leave his [E7](B7) home. [Am](Em) He tried and he [G](D) tried to [F](C) give that cat [E7](B7) away. [Am](Em) He gave it to a [G](D) man going [F](C) far far [E7](B7) away
CHORUS – – – – – [Am](Em) But the cat came [G](D) back the [F](C) very next [E7](B7) day. The [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, they [F](C) thought he was a [E7](B7) goner. But the [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, he [F](C) just wouldn’t [E7](B7) stay away. [Am](Em)
[Am](Em) On a telegraph [G](D)wire the birds were [F](C) sitting in a [E7](B7) bunch. [Am](Em) He saw an even [G](D)number, said he’d [F](C) have ’em for his [E7](B7) lunch. [Am](Em) Climbed softly up the [G](D) pole [F](C) until he reached the [E7](B7) top. Put his [Am](Em) foot upon the [G](D) ‘lectric wire, [F](C)it was quite a [E7](B7) shock.
Now the [Am](Em) man around the [G](D)corner swore he’d [F](C) kill the cat on [E7](B7) sight. [Am](Em) He loaded up his [G](D) shotgun with [F](C) nails and [E7](B7) dynamite. [Am](Em) He waited and he [G](D) waited for the [F](C) cat to come [E7](B7) around. [Am](Em) Ninety seven [G](D) pieces of the [F](C) man was all they [E7](B7) found.
CHORUS
[Am](Em) Gave it to a [G](D) man going [F](C) up in a [E7](B7) balloon. [Am](Em) Told him for to [G](D) take it to the [F](C) Man in the [E7](B7) Moon. [Am](Em) The balloon came [G](D) down about [F](C) ninety miles [E7](B7) away. [Am](Em) Where the man is [G](D) now, I [F](C) dare not [E7](B7) say.
[Am](Em) This cat had [G](D) company [F](C) out in the [E7](B7) backyard. [Am](Em) Somebody threw a [G](D) boot and [F](C) threw it awful [E7](B7) hard. [Am](Em) Hit the cat behind the [G](D) ear and he [F](C) thought it was a [E7](B7) slight. [Am](Em) And down came a [G](D) brick, knocked the [F](C) man out of [E7](B7) sight.
CHORUS – – – – – [Am](Em) But the cat came [G](D) back the [F](C) very next [E7](B7) day. The [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, they [F](C) thought he was a [E7](B7) goner. But the [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, he [F](C) just wouldn’t stay [E7](B7) away. [Am](Em)
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) They threw him in the [G](D) kennel where the [F](C) dog was fast [E7](B7) asleep. [Am](Em) Where the bones of other [G](D) cats lay [F](C) piled in a [E7](B7) heap. [Am](Em) That kennel burst [G](D) apart and the dog [F](C) flew out the [E7](B7) side. [Am](Em) With his ears chewed [G](D) off and [F](C) holes in his [E7](B7) hide.
CHORUS
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) They put him in a [G](D) cotton sack and [F](C) gave him to a [E7](B7) girl. [Am](Em) Who’d started on a [G](D) bicycle [F](C) all around the [E7](B7) world. Well, [Am](Em) over there in [G](D) China a [F](C) terrible wreak was [E7](B7) found. [Am](Em) She’s singing now in [G](D) heaven with the [F](C) angels all [E7](B7) around.
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) Now this cat was a [G](D) terror and they [F](C) thought it would be [E7](B7) best, [Am](Em) To give him to a [G](D) feller who was [F](C) going way out [E7](B7) west. [Am](Em) Train ran round a [G](D) curve and [F](C) hit a broken [E7](B7) rail. [Am](Em) Not a blessed [G](D) soul aboard that train [F](C) lived to tell the [E7](B7) tale.
CHORUS – – – – – [Am](Em) But the cat came [G](D) back the [F](C) very next [E7](B7) day. The [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, they [F](C) thought he was a [E7](B7) goner. But the [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, he [F](C) just wouldn’t stay [E7](B7) away. [Am](Em)
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) The cat was a [G](D) possessor of a [F](C) family all its [E7](B7) own, [Am](Em) With seven little [G](D) kittens till [F](C) there was a [E7](B7) cyclone. [Am](Em) Blew the houses all [G](D) apart and [F](C) tossed the cats [E7](B7) around. [Am](Em) The air was full of [G](D) kittens and [F](C) not a one was [E7](B7) found.
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) Away across the [G](D) ocean they did [F](C) send the cat at [E7](B7) last. [Am](Em) Vessel only [G](D) out a day and [F](C) taking water [E7](B7) fast. [Am](Em) People all [G](D) began to pray, the [F](C) boat began to [E7](B7) toss. [Am](Em) A great big gust of [G](D) wind came by and [F](C) every soul was [E7](B7) lost.
CHORUS
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) Gave him to a [G](D) little boy [F](C) with a dollar [E7](B7) note, [Am](Em) Who was going out to [G](D) sea [F](C) in an open [E7](B7) boat. [Am](Em) They tied a rock [G](D) around his neck, it [F](C) must have weighed a [E7](B7) pound. [Am](Em) Now they’re dragging up the [G](D) river, cause the [F](C) little boy was [E7](B7) drowned.
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) At last they found a [G](D) way this [F](C) cat to really [E7](B7) fix. [Am](Em) They put him in an [G](D) orange crate on [F](C) highway [E7](B7) 66. [Am](Em) Come a ten ton [G](D) truck with a [F](C) twenty ton [E7](B7) load. [Am](Em) Scattered pieces of that [G](D) orange crate a [F](C) mile down the [E7](B7) road.
CHORUS – – – – – [Am](Em) But the cat came [G](D) back the [F](C) very next [E7](B7) day. The [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, they [F](C) thought he was a [E7](B7) goner. But the [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, he [F](C) just wouldn’t stay [E7](B7) away. [Am](Em)
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) They put him on a [G](D) boat [F](C) bound for Sidney [E7](B7) town. [Am](Em) They thought with all that [G](D) rain there [F](C) he’d surely [E7](B7) drowned, [Am](Em) When the rain [G](D) came down for the [F](C) 92nd [E7](B7) day. [Am](Em) That whole darn [G](D) city just a [F](C) floated out the [E7](B7) bay.
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) They put him on the [G](D) White House lawn, I’ll [F](C) tell the reason [E7](B7) why: [Am](Em) With all the golfballs [G](D) flying, they [F](C) thought he’d surely [E7](B7) die. [Am](Em) Well the very next [G](D) morning, [F](C) what do you think they [E7](B7) found? [Am](Em) 64 [G](D) squirrels lying [F](C) dead upon the [E7](B7) ground.
CHORUS
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) They took him down to [G](D) Cape Canaveral and [F](C) put him into [E7](B7) place, And they [Am](Em) shot him to a [G](D) satellite way [F](C) up in outer [E7](B7) space. They [Am](Em) thought the cat was [G](D) finally [F](C) beyond human [E7](B7) reach, [Am](Em) And then they got a [G](D) phone call [F](C) from Miami [E7](B7)Beach.
Two Chord Options: Am G F E7 or Em D C B7
[Am](Em) An H bomb [G](D) fell the [F](C) very next [E7](B7) day. [Am](Em) The A bomb [G](D) fell in the [F](C) very same [E7](B7) way. [Am](Em) Russia went… [G](D) England went… [F](C) then the [E7](B7) USA. [Am](Em) The entire human [G](D) race was gone [F](C) without a chance to [E7](B7) pray.
CHORUS – – – – – [Am](Em) But the cat came [G](D) back the [F](C) very next [E7](B7) day. The [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, they [F](C) thought he was a [E7](B7) goner. But the [Am](Em) cat came [G](D) back, he [F](C) just wouldn’t stay [E7](B7) away. [Am](Em)
