Having a second shot; “A Mulligans” (a golfing term).

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings from NZ.

Songs and rhymes has brought to mind that I have yet to find the Kiwi adaptation words to the party piece MULLIGAN’S OLD BLACK CAT. Unfortunately I have forgotten them.

In the 1950’s an Aunt, and her family, arranged for her Father, Jim SHARP (1875 – 1970) to go to a local sound studio where a recording was made of his party piece. When it was Grand Dad’s turn to contribute to village functions, he chose not to sing, or do a skit etc, but to recite “Mulligan’s Old Black Cat”.

Black record copies were made, and supplied to immediate families. Unfortunately no master copy was kept, and us kids had soon flogged the supplied records to death.

The prose was loosely based upon Harry S. Miller’s 1893 “And the cat came back”

QUOTE:
But de cat came back, he couldn't stay no long-er,
Yes de cat came back de very next day,
De cat came back—thought she were a goner,
But de cat came back for it wouldn't stay away.
.................................................................................

However it had a distinct, down under flavor, because the story line was about repeated attempts to knock the pesky old black cat of the tin roof. Each verse finishing with “but the very next day the cat came back” and placed in a local setting. Towards the end of many verses, success at last appeared to have been achieved, until the last verses when his ghost is blamed for visiting, and for ruining the tea (as in cup of tea) finishing with “but the cat came back” implying that the cat had been drowned in the rain water tank, after being finally knocked off the tin roof.

Alan SHARP.

[Currie]

That’s very interesting Alan,

I tried my hardest to find some remnants of the Cat on the tin roof story buried somewhere on the internet but without any luck.

It reminded me a bit of back in the 60’s when I asked my Scottish grandfather (he was born on the way out) to say a few words into a tape recorder. The reel of tape was stored in a cardboard box, with one end hanging out, for about 30 years before I remembered his recording and borrowed a machine that could play it back. Sure enough his contribution was on the now ragged end (or beginning) of the tape. It’s now slightly shorter, but runs like this:

……….. and we thought it fine.
The soup was all full of flies,
We didn’t care a jot for we ate the bally lot,
In the place where they make mud pies.

I don’t know where he got that from. It’s not much, but it’s nice to hear his voice again, 40 years after his death.

As a consolation prize here’s “the cat came back” for anyone who hasn’t heard it”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th_KV1XVYFU

All the best,
Alan

[Alan SHARP]

Thanks Alan for trying.

If you can not find any reference, I now know I did not miss much in my searches. I believe I once saw a printed copy in a display at a heritage homestead, but which I can not remember. It was on a small table by the light of a window, and if still there today, some 30 years later, would be very faded.

Alan SHARP.