The reprise at the end is interrupted by a crash and Macavity's leitmotif.It was very pleasant When they'd found their little den With their name written up on the door And the berth was very neat With a newly folded sheet And not a speck of dust on the floor There was every sort of light You could make it dark or bright And a button you could turn to make a breeze And a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in And a crank to shut the window should you sneeze Then the guard looked in politely And would ask you very brightly: 'Do you like your morning tea. There is a temporary change in the meter to 2/4 during this transition. The song is primarily composed in the key of E major, but is transposed to F major in the final third act as Skimble's train is assembled. Saying, Skimble, where is Skimble Has he gone to hunt the thimble. The meter reverts back to 13/8 every time the refrain is revisited. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Click to play this song. Skimbleshanks (Cats) Additional Tags: Protective Siblings Kittens Chronic Illness Cats Abandonment Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer are Siblings (Cats) Sickfic Cats fighting Cat Burglars Origin Story skimbleshanks shows up in chapter 4 Blood and Injury Language: English Stats: Published: Updated: Words: 7034 Chapters. As the patter verses begin, the meter shifts to 4/4 and the tempo speeds up to 144 beats per minute ('vivace'). In the meantime hes here being the best boi. Notes: I promised a friend a Skimbleshanks fic next, so hes going to be my next story. The opening refrain is set to a tricky 13/8 time signature with a tempo of 98 beats per minute ('lively'). Chapter 4: The Railway Cat Summary: Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, badly hurt, get help from an odd Cat on a train. It features many verses consisting of fast-paced and wordy rhymes, interjected by a few brief refrains ('Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat / The Cat of the Railway Train') that are rooted in Skimble's leitmotif. He is the cat who runs - from his point of view. Skimbleshanks is one of the adults of the tribe, always looking out for the kittens whenever danger is near. He is an upbeat ginger tabby known as 'The Railway Cat' who works aboard the Night Mail, a British West Coast Main Line train which ran from London to Scotland. 'Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat' is an energetic number, matching Skimble's pace as he scurries around making sure the train is running smoothly. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat is an upbeat musical number that introduces the titular Skimbleshanks. Skimbleshanks is a featured character in the musical Cats. For US-style productions, the orchestra plays a short reprise of the song, but the ensemble does not sing. In UK-style productions, the ensemble starts up a short reprise of 'Skimbleshanks' after the song ends, which is then interrupted by Macavity.

The lyrics have remained unchanged over the years, except for Broadway-based productions having the ensemble sing an additional line at the end ( italicised in the Lyrics section). The poem itself borrows the metre from Rudyard Kipling's 'The Long Trail'. The lyrics for 'Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat' are taken entirely from the T S Eliot poem of the same name from Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939). The number ends on a joyous mood, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Macavity. But with a laugh and a shrug, Skimble moves on. Theres a whisper down the line at 11:39 When the Night Mails ready to depart. The cats collect bits and pieces of junk and assemble them into the shape of a locomotive engine, but just before Skimble can present his masterpiece to Old Deut, it falls apart as the cats lose coordination and concentration. Only stopping here and there to catch a flea.

With perhaps a drop of scotch while I was keeping on the watch. Skimbleshanks is one of the candidates for the Heaviside Layer. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Theres a whisper down the line at 11.39 When the Night Mails ready to depart, Saying Skimble where is Skimble has he gone to hunt the thimble We must find him or the train cant start. In the watches of the night I was always fresh and bright. He recounts his life as 'The Railway Cat', with all the cats collaborating to act out the crew and passengers on Skimble's train to illustrate his story. Skimbleshanks is played by Steven McRae in the 2019 Cats movie. For Skimbleshanks will help you to get out He gives you a wave of his long brown tail Which says: I’ll see you again You’ll meet without fail on the Midnight Mail The Cat of the Railway Train. As the quiet melancholy of Gus' reprise comes to an end, Old Deuteronomy calls for a change of pace and wakes up Skimbleshanks, who has been dozing on the car boot.

Skimbleshanks the railway cat