Poor Kitty Popcorn

[Mrs. V]

A song about a cat who joins the soldiers and goes to war. After the war the soldier dies, and she sits on his grave and passes away. Yup, super happy song!

Anyone know it? Would you sing it at a reenactment, or is it too sad?

 

[John Hartwell]

A nice little tune but a very sad ending.

"Poor Kitty Popcorn" | Four Footed Friends

https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200001817/ Did you ever hear the story of the loyal cat? Meyow! Who was faithful to the flag, and ever follow'd that? Meyow! Oh she had a happy home beneath a southern sky, But she pack'd her goods and left it when our troops came nigh, And she fell into the column...

civilwartalk.com

 

[donna]

It is so sad.

 

[Lampasas Bill]

It's a good example of the pathos that was popular during that era. It was typical of the times, so I would have no problem singing it at a reenactment. Many songs of the period were even more maudlin: the Hutchinson Family Singers, a popular group of the period, performed one about a poor youngster carried off by a condor! Top that one.

 

[7thWisconsin]

I spent a while learning this song last year! These are my posts about it from the ¨Fightin´ Felines¨ thread:
¨So, I´ve spent a while learning ¨Poor Kitty Popcorn.¨ ¨Old Dog Tray¨ it ain´t. Not a hard song, really, but over studying a song is just something I do. Henry Clay Work was really reaching for something in between a popular song and an art song here, I think.He didn´t succeed, mind you - it´s a maudlin little ditty with a tune that´s in conflict with its lyrics. The notation in the music to sing each verse a little slower cracks me up. I sang it for my wife last night and she issued a rare warning: ¨Don´t ever sing that again.¨ (The cat distribution system has been very good to us.) That really got me thinking: this song is simply unsingable as is. As a period piece it´s hopelessly sentimental and can´t be sung with a straight face. To a modern audience, it´s just too sad a story for words and it´s like audience abuse to put people through that. So, what to do? What to do? The first 2 verses make a charming little ditty and are fine, but then you have that dreadful chorus ¨Poor kitty Popcorn, buried in a snowdrift now...¨ I´m thinking of modifying them, which is just something I hate to do to a period piece. How about ¨Our kitty Popcorn, carried on our shoulders now! Evermore shall ring the music of your charming song, meow, meow meow!¨ I know, it changes the story, but I just don´t think the song is salvagable as written...
So I decided that PKP needs a new chorus, and a third verse to wrap it up. The new chorus is actually a minor adjustment of the original: Our kitty Popcorn! Carried on our shoulder now!
Evermore we´ll hear her charming song, meow!
And the 3rd verse (which I was able to rework from the original):
Now the ¨cruel war is over¨ and the troops disband - meow!
Kitty follows as a pilgrim to the northern land - meow!
And now we see her sitting by her master´s side
While she fondly sits a gazing with her loving eyes,
Or upon the hearth asleeping we can hear her sigh - meow!
Our kitty Popcorn! Sleeping by the fire now! etc...

Mrs 7thWisconsin was very pleased with how it sounded last night, giving it 2 thumbs up and crowning it a ¨rescue anthem.¨
If any of our musicians plan to sing this ditty, you´re welcome to my verse even without attribution.¨

 

[R. Porter]

If only they had cat videos back then, a song like Poor Kitty Popcorn would not have been allowed to be written.