by Marc Gunn, December 3, 2004

A parody of the Irish folk song, “Gypsy Rover” for my upcoming Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. It was inspired in part by Johnny Cash's song, “A Boy Named Sue” and tells the story of a female cat who runs off with a tough cat named Rover.

A cat named Rover came over the hill
Jumping through the grass so shady
He yowled and meowed till some stones flew down
But he won the purrs of a lady kitty.

Meow-dee-do, meow-dee-mew-dah-day
Meow-dee-do, meow-dee-day-dee
He yowled and meowed till some stones flew down
But he won the purrs of a lady kitty.

She left her favorite scratching post.
She left her Manx cat lover.
She left her human and fancy feast bowl
For a yowling cat named Rover.

She left behind her feathery cat wand
The shoes she shredded of Spanish leather
They yowled and meowed, then some boots flew down
As they ran off together.

Last night, she napped on a goose feather bed,
Ripped a hole in the covers.
Tonight no feathers will be in her mouth,
As she sleeps next to a cat named Rover.

Her human walked all around the hills.
He searched the valley all over.
Sought the Persian that he combed each night.
And that cursed tomcat named Rover

He came at last to a grassy knoll
With a willow tree's leaves bent over.
A large cat sat still as he cleaned his tail.
He recognized the cat named Rover.

“How can you leave your plush cat bed?
The finest fancy feast can ripped open?
How can you leave your Manx cat love,
All for a cat named Rover?

“He is no dog despite his name.
You'll never catch him rolling over.
He'll sire strong kittens and win any cat fight
Because he is a cat named him Rover.”