Uncle Rat
| TYPE | 3 - Complex Melody |
| TOPIC | Love |
| TUNE STRUCTURE | aa'a"a (2 bars) |
| VERSE STRUCTURE | 5v 4l |
| TIME SIGNATURE | 128 |
| KEY SIGNATURE | ♯ |
| TONAL CENTRE | E |
| INCIPIT | GC'C'B♭GFGB♭CCCE♭ |
| GENRE | Ballad |
| TEXT SOURCE | The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1999), p.190 |
| TUNE SOURCE | as above |
| NOTATED INCIPIT | |
| This song has its origins in English and Scottish sources of the seventeenth century, but there are significant modifications to both the vocables and lyrics in this version. The tune also differs from its original printing in Thomas Ravenscroft's Melismata (1641). This version of the song is not found outside Ireland. | |
Uncle RatUncle Rat went out to ride, Kitty alone, Kitty alone,Uncle Rat went out to ride, Kitty alone and I.Uncle Rat went out to ride, sword and buckle by his side,To me cax macaree duck-in-a-dill, Kitty alone and I.'Lady Mouse, will you marry me?', Kitty alone, Kitty alone,'Lady Mouse, will you marry me?', Kitty alone and I.'Lady Mouse, will you marry me?', - Ask my Uncle rat', says she,To me cax macaree duck-in-a-dill, Kitty alone and I.'Uncle Rat, will I marry Lady Mouse?', Kitty alone, Kitty alone,'Uncle Rat, will I marry Lady Mouse?', Kitty alone and I.'Uncle Rat, will I marry Lady Mouse?', - 'Yes, kind sir and half my house'To me cax macaree duck-in-a-dill, Kitty alone and I.'Lady Mouse, where will the wedding be?', Kitty alone, Kitty alone,'Lady Mouse, where will the wedding be?', Kitty alone and I.'Lady Mouse, where will the wedding be?', - 'Ask my Uncle Rate', says sheTo me cax macaree duck-in-a-dill, Kitty alone and I.'Uncle Rat, where will the wedding be?', Kitty alone, Kitty alone,'Uncle Rat, where will the wedding be?', Kitty alone and I.'Uncle Rat, where will the wedding be?', - 'Up on the top of a holly tree'.To me cax macaree duck-in-a-dill, Kitty alone and I.
Uncle Rat