Cat or Mouse
Songwriter Story
Set against the working-class world of the 1960s, "Cat or Mouse" begins
in a time when a paper paycheck told you nearly everything that
mattered on payday. Tucked beside the check was the pay stub, the little
financial statement that showed your gross earnings, the taxes withheld,
and exactly what was left to take home. Just as important, every worker
knew whose signature was on that check, and if the boss happened to be
watching, you stayed sharp and gave the job your best.
An unwary fellow meets a smooth-talking girl who is far more interested in
his pay stub than in his heart. She presses for marriage only after seeing
proof that he has something worth chasing. Before long they are wed, but
the honeymoon fades fast as she starts running around town, calling him
"Bub" and planting the warning he misses in the chorus: he should have
known better the moment she asked to see his last pay stub. In the Chorus
she chants “get it straight, I’m the cat your the mouse, you keep the cheese,
I’ll take the house!
The song's dark humor deepens when the woman brings her new
boyfriend, Steve, into the house and the pair soon turn the husband into
an outsider in his own home. Then comes the twist that gives the story its
bite: when she demands the house, Bub smirks and hands it over - along
with all three mortgages tied to it. In that moment, the game flips, and
the listener is left to decide who is really the cat and who is really the
mouse. What begins as a comic tale of romance and betrayal ends as a
cautionary lesson about greed, pride, and the cost of ignoring obvious
warning signs. The final moral lands with a wink but carries real weight: if
someone calls you "Bub," asks for your pay stub, and starts moving too
fast, you had better protect yourself before love turns into a trap.
Lyrics
Last Saturday, we we're wed
In my house, she shared my bed
She started playing, all over town
I said, "Let's enjoy life, please slow down"
She replied, "Hey Bub, I'm the boss here hoss"
Should have known better when she called me Bub
She said, "I need to see you're last pay stub
I'm going to take you're house, you big louse
Get it straight, I'm the cat, you're the mouse
You keep the cheese, and I'll take the house"
"Meow"
Her friend moved in, his name is Steve
Two weeks later, they asked me to leave
She said, "I'm no longer going to be your spouse"
So I gave her all three mortgages, and the house
Smiling I posed, "now, who's the cat or the mouse"
"Meow"
Should have known better when she called me Bub
She said, "I need to see you're last pay stub
I'm going to take you're house, you big louse
Get it straight, I'm the cat, you're the mouse
You keep the cheese, and I'll take the house"
"Meow"
So what's the moral of this sad tale
Just have fun and drink a lotta ale
If you meet a girl that calls you Bub
Hide your pay stub and leave that pub
Lesson learned here, be a man not a mouse
Should have known better when she called me Bub
She said, "I need to see you're last pay stub
I'm going to take you're house, you big louse
Get it straight, I'm the cat, you're the mouse
You keep the cheese, and I'll take the house"