Growltiger was a bravo cat who travelled on a barge
In fact he was the roughest cat that ever roamed at large
From Gravesend up to Oxford he pursued his evil aims
Rejoicing in his title of "The Terror of the Thames"
His manners and appearance did not calculate to please
His coat was torn and seedy, he was baggy at the knees
One ear was somewhat missing, no need to tell you why
And he scowled upon a hostile world from one forbidding eye
The cottagers of Rotherhithe knew something of his fame
At Hammersmith and Putney, people shuddered at his name
They would fortify the hen house, lock up the silly goose
When the rumor ran along the shore: Growltiger's on the loose!
Woe to the weak canary, that fluttered from its cage
Woe to the pampered Pekinese, that faced Growltiger's rage
Woe the bristly Bandicoot, that lurks on foreign ships
And woe to any cat with whom Growltiger came to grips
But most to cats of fealty his hatred had been vowed
For cats loyal to the king no quarter was allowed
The Navy cats and British Blues regarded him with fear
Because it was a British Blue had mauled his missing ear
Now on a peaceful summer night all nature seemed at play
The tender moon was shining bright, the barge at Molesey lay
All in the balmy moonlight it lay rocking on the tide
And Growltiger was disposed to show his sentimental side
(Italian intro only used in conjunction with In Una Tepida Notte)
Griddlebone:
Chi e la?
Growltiger:
Mi amore!
Griddlebone:
Sono qui
In the forepeak of the vessel Growltiger sat alone
Concentrating his attention on the lady Griddlebone
And his raffish crew were sleeping in their barrels and their chutes
As the British Blues came creeping in their redcoats and their boots
Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone
And the lady seemed enraptured by his manly baritone
Disposed to relaxation and awaiting no surprise
But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand copper eyes
And closer still and closer the British circled round
And yet from all the enemy there was not heard a sound
The foe was armed with bayonets and cruel cutlass knives
And the lovers sang their last duet in danger of their lives
(Lover's Duet - Either The Ballad of Billy M'Caw or In Una Tepida Notte, see below)
Then Francis gave the signal to his fierce privateer crew
With a frightful burst of musket shots, the Brits they swarmed aboard
Abandoning their schooners, their galleons, and fleuts
They battened down the hatches on the crew within their chutes
Then Griddlebone she gave a screech for she was badly skeered
I am sorry to admit it, but she quickly disappeared
She probably escaped with ease I'm sure she was not drowned
But a serried ring of flashing steel Growltiger did surround
The ruthless foe pressed forward in stubborn rank on rank
Growltiger to his vast surprise was forced to walk the plank
He who a hundred victims had driven to that drop
At the end of all his crimes was forced to go kerflip, kerflop
Oh there was joy in Wapping when the news flew through the land
At Maidenhead and Henley there was dancing on the Strand
Rats were roasted whole in Brentford and Victoria Dock
And a day of celebration was commanded in Bangkok!
Gus:
These modern productions are all very well
But there's nothing to equal from what I hear tell
That moment of mystery when I made history...
Growltiger:
Oh, how well I remember "The Old Bull and Bush",
Where we used to go down of a Saturday night,
Where, when anythink happened, it come with a rush,
For the boss, Mr Clark, He was very polite;
A very nice House, from basement to garret
A very nice House. Ah, but it was the parrot
The parrot, the parrot named Billy M'Caw
That brought all those folk to the bar.
Ah! he was the life of the bar!
Of a Saturday night, we was all feeling bright.
And Lily La Rose, the barmaid that was,
She'd sing "Billy, Billy M'Caw!
Come give us, come give us a dance at the bar!"
And Billy would dance on the bar
And Billy would dance on the bar
And then we'd feel balmy, in each eye a tear,
And emotion would make us all order more beer.
Lily, she was a girl what had brains in her head;
She wouldn't have nothink, no, not that much said.
If it come to an argument, or a dispute,
She’d settle it off-hand with the toe of her boot
Or as likely as not put her fist through your eye.
But when we was happy, and just a bit dry,
Or when we was thirsty, and just a bit sad,
She would rap on the bar with that corkscrew she had -
Griddlebone:
And say "Billy, Billy M'Caw!
Come give us a tune on pastoral flute!"
And Billy'd strike up on his pastoral flute,
Growltiger and Griddlebone:
And Billy'd strike up on his pastoral flute.
And then we’d feel balmy, in each eye a tear,
And emotion would make us all order more beer.
Griddlebone (with Booth Singers):
Billy, Billy M'Caw!
Come give us a tune on your moley guitar!
Growltiger:
And Billy'd strike up on his moley guitar,
And Billy'd strike up on his moley guitar.
Growltiger and Griddlebone:
And then we'd feel balmy in each eye a tear.
And emotion would make us all order more beer
Growltiger and Griddlebone (with Siamese and Booth Singers):
Billy, Billy M'Caw!
Come give us a tune on your moley guitar!
Growltiger and Griddlebone:
Ah! He was the life of the bar!
All:
Yes, he was the life of the bar!
Growltiger:
In una tepida notte d'estate, allorche la natura
Era nel pieno fulgore, e la fresca rugiada
Splendiva al chiar di luna sopra la verzura,
Si poteva vedere il galeone ancorato
Oscillare in silenzio nel vento profumato,
Dalla marea del naviglio serenemente cullato
In quella tepida notte che c'e dunque di male
Se intanta poesia il pirata divento sentimentale?
Growltiger and Griddlebone:
Oscillare in silenzio nel vento profumato,
Dalla marea del naviglio serenamente cullato
In quella tepida notte
In quella tepida notte
In quella tepida notte
