Three Little Kittens - The Nursery Rhyme Collections

Three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
“Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.”
“What! Lost your mittens?
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, you shall have no pie.”
“Mee-ow, mee-ow, we shall have no pie.”

The three little kittens, they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
“Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.”
“What! Found your mittens?
You darling kittens!
Then you shall have some pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, you shall have some pie.”
“Mee-ow, mee-ow, we shall have some pie.”

The three little kittens, put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
“Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled.”
“What! Soiled your mittens?
You naughty kittens!”
Then they began to sigh,
“Mee-ow, mee-ow,” we began to sigh.
“Mee-ow, mee-ow, they began to sigh.”

Solo

“Mee-ow, mee-ow.”

Three little kittens, they washed their mittens,
And hang them out to dry,
“Oh, mother dear, look here, look here,
Our mittens we have washed.”
“What! Washed your mittens?
You're such good kittens!
I smell a rat close by.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, I smell a rat close by.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, I smell a rat close by.”

Words & Music: Traditional
Arrangement: Ian J Watts

Origin and background

The author of the lyrics of this nursery rhyme is propably Eliza Lee Cabot Follen (1787 - 1860), an American writer. Remarkable: Her husband Charles Follen (a German immigrant, originally called Karl Theodor Friedrich Follen) was professor for German literature at Harvard University. Being a strong opponent of slavery he lost his profession at Harvard due to a quarrel with Josiah Quincy, president of the university. Hopefully his wife's stories as a writer made up for that.