Wednesday Words - The Innkeeper's Cat

Incredible Phat
On the coldest night of the year
At a pub called the Elephant's Ear,
Incredible Phat, the innkeeper's cat,
Was having a saucer of beer
With fourteen merry gentlemen,
On the coldest night of the year.

As the hour of eleven drew near,
Some poor stranger in rags did appear
At the door of the inn,
Face weary and thin,
To ask, "Is there any room here?"
But the owner just laughed
And said, "My friend,
It's the coldest night of the year.

"We've a sheikh with three wives,
And a moneylender,
A taxman, a soldier,
And a harness mender.
Three balmy old coots
In silver boots,
Two are stargazers
And the other's a seer."

Out into the night crystal clear
The stranger went, hiding a tear.
And Incredible Phat, the innkeeper's cat,
Followed and saw standing near
A donkey bearing a pale sweet girl
Through the coldest night of the year.

While the barmaid
The priest and the diplomat
Bought one last round
For the acrobat,
And a spy with no chin,
Who had also come in
From the cold with
Herod's surly charioteer.

But Phat said, "Friends, be of good cheer.
For I know of a shelter that's near."
And he led them out back,
To a tumble-down shack
Where the innkeeper's wife kept a steer.
And he said, "It's the warmest place in town,
On the coldest night of the year."
Yes, he said, "It's the warmest place in town,
On the coldest night of the year."

The Animal's Christmas is one of the more unusual Christmas CDs in my collection. I love the music, lyrics, the orchestration, and the boys choir. The music is by Jimmy Webb, but I'm not sure who wrote the lyrics, but they are very nice. "Incredible Phat" is one of my favorites.


The Animal's Christmas at Amazon.com