Gateway to the Classics: Display Item
Harriette Taylor Treadwell
[Illustration]

The Bremen Band

      Donkey:     I am getting old
I am getting old,
I can not work.
My master wants to kill me.
What shall I do?
I will run away.
But how can I make a living?
I have a good voice.
I shall go to Bremen.
Then I can sing in the band.


[Illustration]

      Donkey:     Good morning, Old Whiskers.
Why are you so sad to-day?

           Cat:     How can I be happy?
I am getting old,
I can not catch mice.
My master wants to kill me.
What shall I do?

      Donkey:     Come with me to Bremen.
You have a good voice.
You can sing in the band.

           Cat:     Yes, I will go with you.


[Illustration]

      Donkey:     Good morning, old dog.
What are you doing here?
Why do you pant so?

           Dog:     I am getting old,
My master is going to kill me,
     so I have run away.
But how can I make my living?

      Donkey:     Come with us to Bremen.
We can all sing in the band.

           Dog:     Yes, I will go with you.


[Illustration]

      Donkey:     Good morning, Red Cock.
Why do you crow so loud?

          Cock:     Cock-a-doodle-do! cock-a-doodle-do!
Company is coming to-night,
     I heard the cook say.
They want me for supper,
     so I crow while I can.

      Donkey:     Will you come with us to Bremen?
You have a good voice.
You can sing in our band.

          Cock:     Yes, I will go with you.


[Illustration]

      Donkey:     It is a long way to Bremen.
Let us sleep in the woods to-night.
I shall sleep under the tree.

           Dog:     I shall sleep under the tree, too.

          Cock:     I shall sleep on the branches, too.
Oh! I see a light in a house.

      Donkey:     Let us go to the house.

           Dog:     Yes, let us go to the house.

      Donkey:     I can see in the window.

          Cock:     What do you see, gray horse?

      Donkey:     What do I see?
I see a table, full of good food.
There are robbers at the table.

           Dog:     That shall be our supper.

           Cat:     Yes, that shall be our supper.
How can we get it?

          Cock:     We must drive the robbers away.
How can we do it?

      Donkey:     We can all sing,
     and the robbers will run away.
They want me for supper,
I can sing,
Hee-haw! hee-haw! hee-haw!

           Dog:     I can sing,
Bow-wow! bow-wow! bow-wow!

           Cat:     I can sing,
Mee-ow! mee-ow! mee-ow!

          Cock:     I can sing, Cock-a-doo-dle-do!
     cock-a-doo-dle-do!

      Donkey:     I will stand by the window.
Old dog, stand on my back.
Old Whiskers, get on the dog's back.
Red Cock, get on the cat's back.


[Illustration]

      Donkey:     Now, let us all sing together.
Ready, one, two, three.

             All:     Hee-haw! hee-haw! hee-haw!
Bow-wow! bow-wow! bow-wow!
Mee-ow! mee-ow! mee-ow!
Cock-a-doo-dle-do! cock-a-doo-dle-do!

      Robber:     Did you hear that noise?
It must be goblins.
Let us run away.

          Cock:     See the robbers run.
Come, let us eat their supper.

           Dog:     This is better than a bone.

          Cock:     We shall never be hungry again.

      Donkey:     I can eat no more.
Let us go to sleep.
I shall sleep under the tree.
Old dog, you sleep by the door.
Old Whiskers, you sleep by the fire.
Red Cock, you sleep on the roof.

      Robber:     It is all still now.
The goblins are gone.
Let us go back.

           Cat:     Spit, spit! I will scratch!

      Robber:     Let me out, let me out!
An old goblin is scratching me.

           Dog:     Bow-wow! I will bite!

      Robber:     A man has cut me with a knife.
Let me out! O, let me out!

      Donkey:     Hee-haw! I will kick!

      Robber:     A big goblin has struck me.

          Cock:     Cock-a-doo-dle-do! cock-a-doo-dle-do!

      Robber:     The judge on the roof says,
"Bring the robbers here."
Come, let us be off.

      Donkey:     We will not go to Bremen.
We will all live in this house.

          Cock:     Cock-a-doo-dle-do! cock-a-doo-dle-do!

— German Folk Tale