{"id":924,"date":"2020-02-14T14:26:33","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T14:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=924"},"modified":"2025-12-24T07:26:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T07:26:49","slug":"the-ratcatchers-daughter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/the-ratcatchers-daughter\/","title":{"rendered":"Ratcatcher’s daughter, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>The ratcatcher’s darter<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>Edward Bradley and Sam Cowell (1852), Charles Slocum<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>anon\/Cowell <\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>13883<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall performers<\/strong><\/td>Sam Cowell 1850s<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers:<\/strong>
Henry Burstow, 1911, Sussex, England
Mr Tuffs, 1911, Norfolk, England
Charles Menteith, 1993, Glos, England<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Not long ago in Westminster\n There lived a rat catcher's daughter\n But she didn't quite live in Westminster\n Cos she lived t'other side of the water\n Her Father caught rats and she sold sprats\n All round and about that quarter\n And the gentlefolk all took off their hats\n To the pretty little rat catcher's daughter.\n\n Doodle dee, doodle dum, di dum doodle da<\/em>\n\n She wore no \u2018at upon \u2018er head\n No cap nor dainty bonnet\n The \u2018air of \u2018er \u2018ead all \u2018ung down her back\n Like a bunch of carrots upon it\n When she cried \u201cSprats\u201d in Westminster\n She \u2018ad such a sweet loud voice\n You could hear her all down Parliament Street\n As far as Charing Cross, sir\n\n Now rich and poor, both far and near\n In matrimony sought her\n But at friends and foes she turn'd up her nose\n Did the putty little rat catchers daughter\n For there was a man, sold lily-white sand\n In cupid's net had caught her\n And right over head and heals in love\n Went the pretty little rat catcher's daughter,\n\n Now lily-white sand so ran in her head\n As she went along the Strand, Oh\n She forgot as she'd got sprats on her head\n And cried \u201cD'y want any lily-white sand, Oh\u201d\n The folks, amazed, all thought her crazed\n As she went along the Strand, Oh\n To see a gal with sprats on her head\n Cry \u201cD'y want any lily-white sand, Oh,\u201d\n\n Now rat catcher's daughter so ran in his head \n He couldn't tell what he was arter\n So instead of crying \u201cD'y want any sand\u201d\n He cried \u201cD'y want any rat catcher's daughter?\u201d\n His donkey cocked his ears and laughed\n He couldn't think what he was arter\n When he heard his lily-white sandman cry\n \u201cD'y want any rat catcher's daughter?\u201d\n\n They both agreed to married be\n Upon next Easter Sunday\n But rat catcher's daughter she had a dream\n That she wouldn't be alive on Monday\n She went once more to buy some sprats\n And she tumbled into the water\n And down to the bottom, all kiver'd up with mud\n Went the pretty little rat catcher's daughter.\n\n When lily-white sand \u2018e heard the news\n His eyes ran down with water\n Said \u2018e in love I'll constant prove\n And - blow me if I'll live long arter\n So he cut \u2018is throat with a pane of glass\n And stabbed \u2018is donkey arter\n So \u2018ere is an end of lily-white Sand\n Donkey, and the rat catcher's daughter.\n\n Additional verses by Charles Slocum:<\/strong>\n The neighbours all, both great and small\n They flocked unto \u2018er \u2018berrein'\n And wept that a gal who'd cried out sprats\n Should be as dead as any \u2018herrein'\n The Coroner's inquest on her sot\n At the sign of the Jack i' the Water\n To find what made life's sand run out\n Of the pretty little rat catcher's daughter.\n\n The verdict was that too much wet\n This poor young woman died on\n For she made an ole in the Riviere Thames\n Vot the penny steamers ride on\n 'Twas a haccident they all agreed\n And nuffink like self-slaughter\n So not guiltee o' fell in the sea\n They brought in the rat catcher's daughter.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Sam Cowell<\/a> (1820 – 1864) made this song (in)famous- he was one of the stars of the early Music Halls and supper rooms, often singing older songs in a mocking, burlesque style for comedic effect.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rev Edward Bradley (1827-1889), pen-name Cuthbert Bede, was a novelist and humorist. He is credited with writing the words to this version of the song, published in 1852. It is probably based on an earlier song: its found in hundreds of 19th century broadsheets and songbooks on this side of Atlantic, going back to the early 1830s (1832<\/a> seems to be the earliest reference, though dating of these sources is not always accurate).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song appears to have been popular throughout the 19th century, but also appeared in the repertoire of Music Hall revivalists of the 1920s and 30s like Elsa Lanchester and the duo Ernest Butcher and Muriel George. The song may have entered the repertoire of later traditional singers via these performances and recorded versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsa Lanchester’s revived version recorded in the 1950s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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