The Railway Cat

There's a whisper down the line at 11: 39
 When the Night Mail's ready to depart
 Saying 'Skimble, where is Skimble, has he gone to hunt the thimble
 We must find him or the train can't start
 All the guards and all the porters and the stationmaster's daughters
 They are searching high and low
 Saying: 'Skimble, where is Skimble, for unless he's very nimble
 Then the Night Mail just can't go
 At 11: 42 then the signal's nearly due
 And the passengers are frantic, yes they are
 Then Skimble will appear, and he'll saunter to the rear
 He's been busy in the luggage car
 He gives one flash of his glass-green eyes
 And the signal goes All Clear
 And we're off at last for the northern part
 Of the Northern Hemisphere
 You may say that by and large it is Skimble who's in charge
 Of the Sleeping Car Express
 From the driver and the guards to the bagmen playing cards
 He will supervise them all, more or less
 Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces
 Of the travellers in the First and in the Third
 He establishes control by a regular patrol
 And he'd know at once if anything occurred
 He will watch you without winking. and he sees what you are thinking
 And it's certain that he doesn't approve
 Of hilarity and riot, so the folk are very quiet
 When Skimble is about and on the move
 You can play no pranks with Skimbleshanks
 He's a Cat that cannot be ignored
 So nothing goes wrong on the Northern Mail
 When Skimbleshanks is aboard
 Oh, it's very pleasant when you've found your little den
 With your name written up on the door
 And the berth is very neat with a newly folded sheet
 And there's not a speck of dust on the floor
 There is every sort of light - you can make it dark or bright
 There's a handle that you turn to make a breeze
 There's a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in
 And a crank to shut the window if you sneeze
 Then the guard looks in politely and will ask you very brightly
 Do you like your morning tea weak or strong
 But Skimble's just behind him and was ready to remind him
 For Skimble won't let anything go wrong
 You ought to reflect that it's very nice
 To know that you won't be bothered by mice
 You can leave all that to the Railway Cat
 The Cat of the Railway Train
 You can leave all that to the Railway Cat
 The Cat of the Railway Train
 Based on a poem by T.S. Elliot