He was a rat, and she was a rat,
And down in one hole they did dwell
And both were as black as a witch’s cat,
And they loved one another well.
He had a tail, and she had a tail,
Both long and curling and fine;
And each said, ‘Yours is the finest tail
In the world, excepting mine.’
He smelt the cheese, and she smelt the cheese,
And they both pronounced it good;
And both remarked it would greatly add
To the charms of their daily food.
So he ventured out, and she ventured out,
And I saw them go with pain;
But what befell them I never can tell,
For they never came back again.