- The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Woman - ...)Once, there was a cat who lived for a million years.
He died a million times. He lived a million times.
He was truly a splendid tabby-cat.
A million people loved him,
and a million people cried when he died.
But never once did the cat cry.
Once, the cat belonged to a King.
The cat really hated the King.
The King was good at war, so the King always went to war.
He always put the cat into a splendid cage and took him along.
One day, a stray arrow hit the cat and he died.
Right in the middle of battle, the King held the cat
and cried.
The King quit the war and went home to his castle.
He buried the cat in the castle's garden.
Once, the cat belonged to a seaman.
The cat really hated the sea.
The seaman took the cat across all the world's seas, and all the world's bays.
One day, the cat fell out of the boat.
The cat could not swim.
The seaman quickly caught the cat in a net and pulled him back onto the boat.
But the cat was soaked through. He got sick and died.
The seaman hugged the cat, who now looked like a wet rag,
and cried loudly.
He buried the cat beneath a tree in the park of a faraway bayside town.
Once, the cat was a circus magician's cat.
The cat really hated the circus.
Every day, the magician would put the cat into a little box,
and then saw the box right in half.
He would pull the balled-up cat out of the box,
and the crowd would clap and cheer.
One day, the magician made a mistake, and really did saw the cat right in half.
The magician held the two pieces of the cat, one dangling from each hand,
and cried loudly.
No one clapped or cheered.
He buried the cat beneath the circus's biggest tent.
Once, the cat was a thief's cat.
The cat really, really hated thievery.
The thief would always take the cat into towns at night,
quietly sneaking like a cat down the dark alleys.
The thief would only break into houses that had dogs.
While the dog barked at the cat, he would go break into the safe.
One day, the cat was bitten by a dog, and died.
The thief hugged the cat and a stolen diamond, walking down the alleys
and crying loudly.
He went home and buried the cat in his small yard.
Once, the cat was a lonely old widow's cat.
The cat really, really hated the lonely old widow.
Every day, the widow would hold the cat in her lap
and stare out a little first-floor window.
The cat would sit in the widow's lap all day, and nap.
In due time, the cat grew old, and died.
The decrepit old widow held the decrepit old cat,
and cried all day.
She buried the cat underneath the a tree in her garden.
Once, the cat was a little girl's cat.
The cat really, really hated children.
The girl would make the cat ride piggy-back,
or sleep holding him too tight.
When the girl cried, she would wipe her tears off on the cat's back.
One day, the girl made the cat ride piggy-back
by tying a string around his neck. The cat died.
The girl hugged the wobbly-necked cat,
and cried all day.
She buried the cat underneath a tree in her garden.
The cat didn't really mind dying.
Once, the cat was nobody's cat.
He was a wild cat.
For the first time the cat was his own cat.
The cat really, really liked himself.
For you know, he was a truly splendid tabby cat,
So of course he made a truly splendid wild cat.
Every girl cat wanted to be the cat's wife.
Some brought him big fish as presents.
Some brought him the best mice as presents.
Some brought him presents from unusual journeys.
Some said he was greater than the greatest of tigers.
The cat said: "I've died a million times. After so long a time, this is amusing!"
The cat liked himself better than anyone else.
There was only one cat who never looked his way.
She was a beautiful white cat.
The cat would go up to her and say: "I've died a million times!"
"Oh." is all the white cat would say.
The cat was a little angry, for you know he liked himself better than anyone else.
The next day and the next, the cat would go up to the white cat and say:
"You'll probably only live once, you know."
"Oh." is all the white cat would say.
One day, the cat stood in front of the white cat
and turned three summersaults in a row.
He said: "Once, I was a circus cat, you know."
"Oh." is all the white cat would say.
"You know, I've died a" the cat started to say, then:
"Do you mind if I stay with you?" he asked the white cat.
"No," she said.
From then on, the cat was always with the white cat.
The white cat had many, many cute little kittens.
The cat no longer said "You know, I've "
The cat came to like the white cat and all her little kittens
more than he liked himself.
In due time, all the little kittens grew up,
and went their separate ways.
"They all became splendid wild cats, didn't they."
the cat said with satisfaction.
"Yes." the white cat said, purring softly.
The white cat grown a little old.
The cat purred even more softly.
He wanted to live together always with the white cat.
One day, the white cat laid beside the cat, and quietly stopped moving.
The cat cried for the first time ever,
all day and all night.
All day and all night, he cried a million million tears.
Day and night, day and night the cat cried,
until one day, when the sun was high and bright, he stopped.
Lying beside the white cat, he quietly stopped moving.
The cat was never, ever born again.
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2
There was a cat who could live for a million years.
He died a million times, and lived a million times.
He was a great tiger-striped cat.
A million people adored the cat,
And a million people cried when that cat died.
The cat never cried, not even once.
Once, the cat was a king's cat.
The cat hated the king.
The king was great at war, and was always at war.
And, he put the cat in a magnificent cage,
And took him out to war.
One day, the cat was hit by a flying arrow, and died.
The king embraced the cat and wailed during the battle.
The king stopped the war and returned to his castle.
And, he buried the cat in the castle's garden.
Once, the cat was a sailor's cat.
The cat hated the seas.
The sailor took the cat to all the seas of the world,
And all the ports of the world.
One day, the cat fell off the boat.
The cat could not swim.
The sailor hurriedly scooped up the cat with his net,
But the cat was soaked and dead.
The sailor embraced the cat which was now like a wet rag,
And wailed in a loud voice.
And, he buried the cat under the tree
In a park in a far-away port.
Once, the cat was the cat of a magician in a circus.
The cat hated the circus.
The magician put the cat inside a box every day,
And cut him in half with a saw.
Then, he removed the cat, still in one piece,
Out of the box to receive his applause.
One day, the magician made a mistake,
And really cut the cat in half.
The magician wailed in a loud voice,
Holding the two parts of the cat in each hand.
Nobody applauded him.
The magician then buried the cat behind the circus tent.
Once, the cat was a burglar's cat.
The cat hated burglars.
The burglar walked quietly through the dark town with the cat,
Just like a cat.
The burglar robbed only houses with dogs.
While the dog was barking at the cat,
The burglar opened the safes.
One day, the cat was bitten to death by the dog.
The burglar embraced the cat with the diamonds he stole,
And walked through the night town wailing in a loud voice.
Then, he went home and buried the cat in a small yard.
Once, the cat was the cat of a lonely grandmother.
The cat hated grandmothers.
The grandmother looked outside every day from a small window,
Holding the cat in her arms.
The cat was asleep all day on top of the grandmother's lap.
Time passed, and the cat died of old age.
The frail grandmother embraced the frail dead cat,
And cried all day.
The grandmother buried the cat under a tree in the yard.
Once, the cat was a little girl's cat.
The cat hated children.
The girl piggy-backed the cat, and slept clutching the cat.
When she cried, she wiped her tears on the cat's back.
One day atop the girl's back,
The holster to keep the cat secure wound around his neck,
And the cat died.
Holding the cat with the dangly neck, the girl cried all day.
And, she buried the cat under a tree in the yard.
The cat had no fear of dying.
Once, the cat wasn't anyone's cat.
He was a stray cat.
The cat was able to be his own cat for the first time.
The cat loved himself.
Since he was a great tiger-striped cat,
He became a great stray cat.
All the female cats wanted to be the cat's wife.
There were cats that gave him huge fish.
Others gave him premium mice.
Some cats brought rare catnip as a gift.
Other cats licked his tiger fur for him.
The cat said to all of them
"I've died a million times! This is so ridiculous now!"
The cat loved himself more than anyone else.
But there was just one beautiful white cat
That didn't even look at the cat.
The cat went over next to the white cat, and told her,
"I died a million times!"
The white cat just said, "Oh."
The cat became slightly upset, since he loved himself.
The next day, and the day after that,
The cat went over to the white cat and told her,
"You haven't even finished one life."
The white cat just said, "Oh."
One day, the cat did three somersaults in front of the white cat,
and said, "I once was a cat for a circus."
The white cat just said, "Oh."
The cat started to say, "I have had a million"
Then asked the white cat, "Can I be at your side?"
The white cat said, "Yes."
The cat stayed by the white cat for a long time.
The white cat had many cute kittens.
The cat no longer dared to say "I have had a million"
The cat loved the white cat and all the many kittens
Even more than himself.
As time passed, the kittens grew up and all went away.
The cat, satisfied, said, "They became great stray cats now."
The white cat said, "Yes," and softly purred her throat.
The white cat had become a grandmother cat.
The cat purred his throat even more softly.
The cat thought that he wanted to live forever with the white cat.
One day, the white cat quietly stopped moving next to the cat.
The cat cried for the first time in his life.
Night came, morning came,
Night came again, and morning came again.
The cat cried a million times.
Morning came, night came
and one afternoon, the cat stopped crying.
The cat, next to the white cat, quietly stopped moving.
The cat never came back to life again.
: The Cat who lived a million times,
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