If you were anything like me when you saw Cats for the first time, you were probably curious about what the original text was like. Here are some of the poems from the book where I noticed the most interesting changes, (ie: A verse that wasn't musicalized, etc..) Scroll down to find the poem you want to read.

The Rum Tum Tugger

The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat:
If you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse.
If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat,
If you put him in a flat then he'd rather have a house.
If you set him on a mouse then he only wants a rat,
If you set him on a rat then he'd rather chase a mouse.
Yes the Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat---
And there isn't any call for me to shout it:
For he will do
As he do do
And there's no doing anything about it!

The Rum Tum Tugger is a terrible bore:
When you let him in, then he wants to be out;
He's always on the wrong side of every door,
And as soon as he's at home, then he's like to get about.
He likes to lie in the bureau drawer,
But he makes such a fuss if he can't get out.
Yes, the Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat---
And it isn't any use for you to doubt it:
For he will do
As he do do
And there's no doing anything about it!

The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious beast:
His disobliging ways are a matter of habit.
If you offer him fish then he always wants a feast;
When there isn't any fish then he won't eat rabbit.
If you offer him cream then he sniffs and sneers,
For he only likes what he finds for himself;
So you'll catch him in it right up to the ears,
If you put it away on the larder shelf.
The Rum Tum Tugger is artful and knowing,
The Rum Tum Tugger doesn't care for a cuddle;
But he'll leap on your lap in the middle of your sewing,
For there's nothing he enjoys like a horrible muddle.
Yes, the Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat---
And there isn't any need for me to spout it:
For he will do
As he do do
And there's no doing anything about it!

The Old Gumbie Cat

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots.
All day she sits upon the stair or on the steps or on the mat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
And when all the family's in bed and asleep,
She slips down the stairs to the basement to creep.
She is deeply concerned with the ways of the mice--
Their behaviour's not good and their manners not nice;
So when she has got them lined up on the matting,
She teaches them music, crocheting and tatting.

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her equal would be hard to find, she likes the warm and sunny spots.
All day she sits beside the hearth or in the sun or on my hat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
As she finds that the mice will not ever keep quiet,
She is sure it is due to irregular diet
And believing that nothing is done without trying,
She sets straight to work with her baking and frying
She makes them a mouse-cake of bread and dried peas,
And a beautiful fry of lean bacon and cheese.

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
The curtain cord she likes to wind, and tie it into sailor-knots,
She sits upon the window-sill, or anything that's smooth and flat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
She thinks that the cockroaches just need employment
To prevent them from idle and wanton destroyment.
So she's formed from that lot of disorderly louts,
A troop of well-disciplined helpful boy scouts,
With a purpose in life and a good deed to do--
And she's even created a beetles' tattoo.

So for Old Gumbie Cats let us now give three cheers---
On whom well-ordered households depend, it appears.

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer were a very notorious couple of cats
As knockabout clowns, quick-change comedians, tight-rope walkers and acrobats.
They had an extensive reputation. They made their home in Victoria Grove---
That was merely their center of operation, for they were incurably given to rove.
They were very well known in Cornwall Gardens, in Launceston Place and in Kensington Square---
They had really a little more reputation than a couple of cats can very well bear.

If the area window was found ajar
And the basement looked like a field of war,
If a tile or two came loose on the roof
Which presently ceased to be waterproof,
If the drawers were pulled out from the Bedroom chests,
And you couldn't find one of your winter vests,
Or after supper one of the girls
Suddenly missed her Woolworth pearls:

Then the family would say: 'It's that horrible cat!
It was Mungojerrie--- or Rumpelteazer!'--- And most of the time, they left it at that!

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had a very unusual gift of the gab.
They were highly efficient cat-burglars as well, and remarkably smart at a smash-and-grab.
They made their home in Victoria Grove. They had no regular occupation.
They were plausable fellows who liked to engage a friendly policeman in conversation.

When the family assembled for Sunday dinner,
With their minds made up that they wouldn't get thinner
On Argentine jint, potatoes and greens,
And the cook would appear from behind the scenes
And say in a voice that was broken with sorrow:
'I'm afraid you must wait and have dinner tomorrow!
For the joint has gone from the oven like that!'
Then the family would say: 'It's that horrible cat!
It was Mungojerrie--- or Rumpelteazer!'--- And most of the time, they left it at that.

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had a wonderful way of working together.
And some of the time you would say it was luck, and some of the time you would say it was weather.
They would go through the house like a hurricane, and no somber person could take his oath
Was it Mungojerrie--- or Rumpelteazer? or could you have sworn that it mightn't be both?

And when you heard the dinning room smash
Or up from the pantry there came a loud crash
Or down from the library came a loud ping

From a vase which was commonly said to be Ming---
Then the family would say: 'Now which was which cat?
It was Mungojerrie! AND Rumpelteazer!-- And there's nothing at all to be done about that!

Old Deuteronomy

Old Deuteronomy's lived a long time;
He's a cat who has lived many lives in succession.
He was famous in proverb and famous in rhyme
A long while before Queen Victoria's accession.
Old Deuteronomy's buried nine wives
And more--- I am tempted to say, ninety-nine;
And his numerous progeny prospers and thrives
And the village is proud of him in his decline.
At the sight of that placid and bland physiognomy,
When he sits in the sun on the vicarage wall,
The Oldest Inhabitant croaks: 'Well of all . . .
Things . . . Can it be . . . really! . . . No! . . . Yes! . . .
Ho! hi!
Oh, my eye!
My sight may be failing, but yet I confess
I believe it is Old Deuteronomy!'

Old Deuteronomy sits in the street,
He sits in the High Street on market day;
The bullocks may bellow, the sheep they may bleet,
But the dogs and the herdsmen will turn them away.
The cars and the lorries run over the kerb,
And the villiagers put up a notice: ROAD CLOSED---
So that nothing untoward may chance to disturb
Deuteronomy's rest when he feels so disposed
Or when he's engaged in domestic economy:
And the Oldest Inhabitant croaks: 'Well of all . . .
Things . . . Can it be . . . really! . . . No! . . . Yes! . . .
Ho! hi!
Oh, my eye!
I'm deaf in the ear now, but yet I can guess
That the cause of the trouble is Old Deuteronomy!'

Old Deuteronomy lies on the floor
Of the Fox and French Horn for his afternoon sleep;
And when the men say: 'There's just time for one more,'
Then the landlady from the back parlor will peep
And say: 'Now then, out you go, by the back door,
For Old Deuteronomy mustn't be woken---
I'll have the police if there's any uproar'---
And out they all shuffle, without a word spoken.
The digestive reprose of that feline's gastronomy
Must never be broken, whatever befall:
And the Oldest Inhabitant croaks: 'Well of all . . .
Things . . . Can it be . . . really! . . . No! . . . Yes! . . .
Ho! hi!
Oh, my eye!
My legs may be tottery, I must go slow
And be careful of Old Deuteronomy!'

Mr. Mistoffelees

You ought to know Mr. Mistoffelees!
The Original Conjuring Cat---
(There can be no doubt about that).
Please listen to me and don't scoff. All his
Inventions are off his own bat.
There's no such cat in the metropolis;
He holds all the patent monopolies
For performing surprising illusions
And creating eccentric confusions
At prestidigitation
And at legerdermain
He'll defy examination
And decieve you again.
The greatest magicians have something to learn
From Mr. Mistoffelees' Conjuring Turn.
Presto!
Away we go!
And we all say: OH!
Well, I never!
Was there ever
A cat so clever
As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

He is quiet, he is small, he is black
From his ears to the tip of his tail;
He can creep through the tiniest crack
He can walk on the narrowest rail.
He can pick any card from a pack
He is equally cunning with dice;
He is always decieving you into believing
That he's only hunting for mice.
He can play any trick with a cork
Or a spoon and a bit of fish paste;
If you look for a knife or a fork
And you think it is merely misplaced----
You have seen it one moment, and then it is gawn!
But you'll find it next week lying out on the lawn.
And we all say: OH!
Well, I never!
Was there ever
A cat so cleaver
As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

His manner is vague and aloof,
You would think there was nobody shyer---
But his voice has been heard on the roof
When he was curled up by the fire.
And he's sometimes been heard by the fire
When he was about on the roof---
(At least we all heard somebody who purred)
Which is incontestable proof
Of his singular, magical powers:
And I have known the family to call
Him in from the garden for hours,
While he was asleep in the hall.
And not long ago this phenominal cat
Produced seven kittens right out of a hat!
And we all say: OH!
Well, I never!
Was there ever
A cat so cleaver
As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

Macavity: The Mystery Cat

Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw---
For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime--- Macavity's not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime--- Macavity's not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air---
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity's not there!

Macavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he's half asleep, he's always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square---
But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there!

He's outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's.
And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair---
Ay, there's the wonder of the thing! Macavity's not there!

And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair---
But it's useless to investigate--- Macavity's not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
'It must have been Macavity'--- but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place--- MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls the operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

The Song of the Jellicles (The Jellicle Ball)

Jellicle Cats come out tonight
Jellicle Cats come one and all:
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright-
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats are rather small;
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,
And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.
Jellicle Cats have cheerful face,
Jellicle Cats have bright eyes;
They like to practice their airs and graces
And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise.

Jellicle Cats develop slowly,
Jellicle Cats are not too big;
Jellicle Cats are roly-poly,
They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig,
Until the Jellicle Moon appears
They make their toilet and take their repose:
Jellicles wash behind their ears,
Jellicles dry between their toes.

Jellicle Cats are white and black,
Jellicle Cats are of moderate size;
Jellicles jump like a jumping-jack,
Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes.
They're quiet enough in the morning hours,
They're quiet enough in the afternoon,
Reserving their terpsichorean powers
To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats (as I said) are small;
If it happens to be a stormy night
They will practice a caper or two in the hall.
If it happens the sun is shining bright
You would say they had nothing to do at all:
They are resting and saving themselves to be right
For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball.

Cat Morgan Introduces Himself

I once was a Pirate what sailed the 'igh seas--
But now I've retired as a com-mission-aire:
And that's how you find me a-takin' my ease
And keepin' the door in a Bloomsbury Square.

I'm partial to partridges, like likewise to grouse,
And I favor that Devonshire cream in a bowl;
But I'm allus content with a drink on the 'ouse
And a bit o' cold fish when I done me patrol.

I ain't got much polish, me manners is gruff
But I've got a good coat, and I keep meself smart;
And everyone says, and I guess that's enough:
'You can't but like Morgan, 'e's got a kind 'art.'

I got knocked about on the Barbary Coast
And me voice it ain't no sich melliferous horgan
But yet I can state, and I'm not one to boast,
That some of the gals is dead keen on old Morgan.

So if you 'ave business with Faber--- or Faber---
I'll give you this tip, and it's worth a lot more:
You'll save yourself time, and you'll spare yourself labour
If jist you make friends with the cat at the door.

The Ad-dressing of Cats

You're read of several kinds of Cat
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character.
You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind.
For some are sane and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse---
But all may be described in verse.
You've seen them both at work and games,
And learnt about their proper names,
Their habits and their habitat:
But
How would you ad-dress a Cat?

So first, your memory I'll jog,
And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG.

Now dogs pretend they like to fight;
They often bark, more seldom bite;
But yet a Dog is, on the whole,
What you would call a simple soul.
Of course I'm not including Pekes,
And such fantastic canine freaks.
The usual Dog about the Town
Is much inclined to play the clown,
And far from showing too much pride
Is frequently undignified.
He's very easilly taken in---
Just chuck him underneath the chin
Or slap his back or shake his paw,
And he will gambol and guffaw.
He's such an easy-going lout,
He'll answer any hail or shout.

Again I must remind you that
A Dog's a Dog--- A CAT'S A CAT.

With Cats, some say, one rule is true:
Don't speak till you are spoken to.
Myself, I do not hold with that---
I say, you should ad-dress a Cat.
But always keep in mind that he
Resents familiarity.
I bow, and taking off my hat,
Ad-dress him in this form: O CAT!
But if he is the Cat next door,
Whom I have often met before
(He comes to see me in my flat)
I greet him with an OOPSA CAT!
I've heard them call him James Buz-James---
But we've not got so far as names.
Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream;
And you might now and then supply
Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie,
Some potted grouse, or salmon paste---
He's sure to have his personal taste.
(I know a Cat, who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit,
So's not to waste the onion sauce.)
A Cat's entitled to expect
These evidences of respect.
And so in time you reach your aim,
And finally call him by his NAME.

So this is this, and that is that:
And there's how you AD-DRESS A CAT.