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With Cat-like Tread

This is a song from the Pirates of Penzance

[Chorus OF PIRATES]
With Cat-Like Tread

Come friends, who plough the sea
Truce to navigation
Take another station
Let’s vary piracy
With a little burglary!

With cat-like tread,
Upon our prey we steal;
In silence dread,
Our cautious way we feel.
No sound at all,
We never speak a word,
A fly’s foot-fall
Would be distinctly heard –
 
Tarantara,
Tarantara!
So stealthily the pirate creeps,
While all the household soundly sleeps.
Come, friends, (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
who plough the sea, (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Truce to navigation; (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Take another station; (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Let’s vary piracee (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
With a little burglaree!
(Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Come, friends, who plough
the sea, (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Truce to navigation; (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Take another station; (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Let’s vary piracee (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
With a little burglaree!
(Ra, ra, ra, ra)
SHH!
 
Here’s your crowbar
and your centrebit,
Your life-preserver –
you may want to hit!
Your silent matches,
your dark lantern seize,
Take your file
and your skeletonic keys.
Tarantara.
 
With cat-like tread
Tarantara.
In silence dread,
With cat-like tread,
Upon our prey we steal;
In silence dread,
Our cautious way we feel.
No sound at all,
We never speak a word,
A fly’s foot-fall
Would be distinctly heard –
Come, friends, (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
who plough the sea, (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Truce to navigation; (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Take another station; (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
Let’s vary piracee (Ra, ra, ra, ra)
With a little burglaree!
(Ra, ra, ra, ra)
 
With cat like tread
Upon our prey we steal!
In silence dread
Our cautious way
We feel!
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Here is a version by the Indiana Mens Chorus

And another featuring Jon English

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The choir is a registered charity

The Ku-ring-gai Male Choir acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past, present and emerging – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.