Six Little Mice
England Lyrics
Six little mice sat down to spin;
Pussy passed by and she peeped in.
What are you doing, my little men?
Weaving coats for gentlemen.
Shall I come in and cut off your threads?
No, no, Mistress Pussy, you'd bite off our heads.
Oh, no, I'll not; I'll help you to spin.
That may be so, but you don't come in.
Pussy passed by and she peeped in.
What are you doing, my little men?
Weaving coats for gentlemen.
Shall I come in and cut off your threads?
No, no, Mistress Pussy, you'd bite off our heads.
Oh, no, I'll not; I'll help you to spin.
That may be so, but you don't come in.
History and Meaning
A rhyme dealing with the classic predator-prey relationship between cats and mice, dating from the mid-19th century. The earliest known version appeared in "Harry's Ladder to Learning" in 1850, and the rhyme gained significant popularity after Beatrix Potter created illustrations for it in 1892, with a version featuring three mice later published in "The Tailor of Gloucester" in 1902. The narrative depicts the mice as cautious and fearful of the cat "Pussy," who would "bite off our heads" if allowed to enter, conveying a lesson that vanity can lead to perilous situations and that not all seemingly kind intentions are genuine.