Moran 1

Caroline Moran
Samuel Uglow
English 1302
16 April, 2016
Seor Don Gato Poetry Analysis
The folk song Seor Don Gato is an often overlooked piece dealing with a multitude of
varying themes. The song is mostly known as a childrens song and has been a nostalgic ballad
known to many. It is seen as an innocent and silly song, but the truth is a much more realistic and
serious topic on death, the different types of love, and rich exploitations.
The original song of Seor Don Gato was coined in Spain as a childrens song. It has
been sung for many years, but the author of the original song is shrouded in mystery as there is
absolutely no mention of the author anywhere. The earliest rendition of the song is found in a
1964 childrens music booklet for Kansas school districts titled Making Music Your Own, but
it is impossible to find the original copies (Bey; 1).
This short song holds multiple poetic elements that contribute to the structure, the most
notable being that this is a ballad. A ballad typically uses a lyrical type of tune in order to tell a
story to a listener. Generally, ballads are sung and have a rhyming scheme to it which emphasize
the emotion and tone to the work. (Collins; 1) This poem also showcases repetition as evidenced
by the line, Meow, Meow, Meow. being repeated over and over.
Childrens songs are some of the most enduring types of poetry in the world, and it is
without a doubt that many popular songs have been translated into a lot of languages. This is no

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exception for the ballad presented in this essay. Spanish, English, and French are the three main
languages that Seor Don Gato has been translated into. In the original Spanish, the song speaks
of how Lord Tom Cat is asked by a brown cat to wed his niece; a white cat. After reading this
letter written by the brown cat, Seor Don Gato rushes off to visit the kitty when he falls off the
roof and becomes gravely injured. The original Spanish does not match up with the English at
the next part as well because the Spanish version has Seor Don Gato taken to be buried
immediately whereas the English version details several doctors rushing to his aide. These
doctors ultimately fail and Seor Don Gato then catches up with his Spanish counterpart by
being transported to a burial. In the end, both versions have Seor Don Gato smelling fish and
coming back to life. And no, it does not specify if he is a zombie or not. Another difference is
between the French and Spanish versions. In Spanish, it repeats that a cat has seven lives while
the French version states that the cat has nine lives. This is very strange since there is absolutely
no mention of how many lives the cat has in the English version. (Yannucci; 1)
Symbolic elements are present throughout this work. One to analyze is in the English
version in the second stanza. It states, the lady cat, who was fluffy, white and nice and fat,
there was not a sweeter kitty these few lines imply quite a bit. First off, it has the implication
that she is physically attractive. However, the most important thing to look further into is the way
it mentions her as fat. As stated in Wealth and Obesity: A Brief History by Peter Janiszewski,
the author briefs readers on how obesity is viewed in society. In modern times, obesity is viewed
as a very unhealthy and bad thing at times, while obesity was originally a sign of wealth as soon
as humans developed class systems until the mid-twentieth century. This introduces the
possibility of this sweet kitty being from a wealthy family and can also imply Seor Don Gato
marrying her for money instead of actually marrying her for love. More evidence for this is when

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the white kitty says, I adore you, in her letter. Adore can be defined as more of liking or
desiring something than feeling actual love towards another (A Students Dictionary; 12). Also,
given the fact that Seor Don Gato has the title of Lord Tom Cat when translating his name
from Spanish, it can be derived from these two both being of high standing that they are
marrying each other for money. To add a bit more depth to this, the Spanish version has the white
kittys uncle setting up the marriage. Arranged marriages are especially prominent among the
rich in order to further their empires and keep money within certain circles (Nelson; 1). Love
would barely be involved between the cats if this were the case.
As a matter of fact, romantic love is not the most important type of love in this short
ballad. As mentioned before, there are doctors that attempt to help Seor Don Gato after his fall.
This can be viewed as a type of love that is non-romantic and referred to as platonic. They may
have known the love-lost hero or even heard about the wedding and wanted to help the young
couple. Another type of love mentioned was one that is a bit more obscure. When Lord Tom Cat
is reanimated by the smell of fish, one can assume that his love or desire for fish is so great
that his mind is able to somehow kick start again.
Due to the impossibility of ascertaining the actual author of this work, it is only possible
to find similar works. One similar work is Frere Jacques, which is also a childrens song about
death and has been translated to multiple languages. Frere Jacques was originally in French as is
sung as a lullaby instead of a song for amusement like Seor Don Gato is.
Overall, this cute tale of a cat going cuckoo for a pretty kitty involves several themes that
show the motivations of people. Whether this be money or love, they can all be important in
understanding the structure of the world. Lord Tom Cat is an enduring tale that has impacted
many and will continue to do so as it is passed on to future generations.

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Word Count: 1020

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Works Cited
Bey, Matthew. Origins: Senor Don Gato The Mudcat Caf. The Mudcat Caf, 9 July, 1999.
Website. 15 April, 2016.
Collins, Billy. The Ballad of the Ballad, Poetrys Bearer of Bad News Books.
The New York Times. 11 April, 2003. Website. 15 April, 2016.
Janiszewski, Peter. Wealth and Obesity: A Brief History Obesity Panacea. Peter Janiszewki,
22 December, 2008. Website. 15 April, 2016.
Matteo, Tom. Do Cats Really Have Nine Lives? Cuteness Demand Media Inc., 2016. Website.
16 April, 2016
Moore, Colista. A Students Dictionary A Students Dictionary. The Dictionary Project, Inc.
14th edition. South Caroline. The Dictionary Project, Inc. 2007. 12. Print.
Nelson, Fraser. Revealed: the marriage gap between Britains rich and poor The Spectator
The Spectator, 2014. Website. 16 April, 2016.
Yannucci, Lisa. EL SENOR SON GATO Lord Tom Cat: Lyrics in Spanish and English
Mama Lisas World. Mama Lisas Blog. 11 June, 2006. Website. 16, April, 2016.