The Erratic Rat Lyrics
A fat, silly rat gets dressed to go to town. He wears a plate on his head for a hat, a kilt made from a crazy-quilt, and carries an umbrella made from a caraway cake, a bottle of ink to drink and a flat-iron to eat.
The Erratic Rat
There was a ridiculous Rat
Who was awfully puffy and fat.
"I'll carry," he said,
"This plate on my head,
'Twill answer in place of a hat."
And then he remarked with a frown,
"I suppose that I must have a gown;
I'll make me a kilt
Of this old crazy-quilt,
To wear when I'm going to town.
"And of course, though the weather is warm,
It may be there'll come up a storm;
An umbrella I'll make
Of a caraway cake,
It'll match with my whole uniform.
And I'll carry a bottle of ink
In case I should wish for a drink;
And this flat-iron so sweet
I'll take with me to eat,
And now I am ready, I think."
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-erratic-rat/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Carolyn Wells
- Tune
- A prim, self-important march, getting more pleased with each verse
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| "This plate on my head, | Balance a pretend plate on top of your head and walk with a straight back. |
| An umbrella I'll make | Lift one arm as if holding a big umbrella above your head. |
What Does The Erratic Rat Mean?
The word erratic means not following any sensible course, and this rat certainly does not. Each verse adds another silly piece to his outfit. The plate is his hat. A kilt is a pleated skirt of the kind some men wear in Scotland, and his is cut from an old crazy-quilt, a quilt made from a patchwork of odd scraps. His umbrella is a caraway cake, a cake flavoured with caraway seeds.
He saves the best for last. Prepared for any trouble, he carries a bottle of ink in case he feels like a drink, and a flat-iron, which he calls so sweet, to eat. None of this makes sense, which is the fun of it, and the rat is perfectly satisfied: now I am ready, I think. The verses are all about rhyme and picture: rat goes with fat and hat, frown with gown and town, and ink with drink and think. Of course, children should not drink ink or eat irons, and the poem is a joke.
History and Origin
The Erratic Rat comes from The Jingle Book, a book of light verse by Carolyn Wells with a copyright line of 1899.
Learning Activities
- Dress like the rat: let the child put together a silly outfit from safe things around the house, like a paper plate hat.
- Swap the pieces: choose a different silly thing for each part, such as a pot for a hat or a sock for a glove, and say the new verse.
- Crazy-quilt: glue odd scraps of coloured paper onto a sheet to make a patchwork.
- March to town: march around the room in the rat's outfit and say the last line proudly.