Ratón que te pilla el gato
Ratón que te pilla el gato
Mouse, The Cat Will Catch You
Juego en círculo
Circle Game
(Spanish)
(English)
Ratón que te pilla el gato,
ratón que te va a pillar.
Si no te pilla esta noche,
mañana te pillará.
Mouse, the cat will catch you,
Mouse, it's going to catch you.
If it doesn't catch you tonight,
It will catch you tomorrow.
Game Instructions
The "cat" and the "mouse" are picked randomly. The other players hold hands and form a circle. The "mouse" goes inside the circle while the "cat" stays outside.
Then the "mouse" goes out of the circle exiting between two players. The "cat" then enters the circle and asks, "Where did the mouse leave from?" The children answer, "It ran out the door". Then the "cat" goes out chasing the "mouse" following the same route the "mouse" took.
Meanwhile, the children in the circle sing the song:
Ratón que te pilla el gato,
ratón que te va a pillar,
Si no te pilla esta noche,
mañana te pillará.
If the "cat" catches the "mouse" they swap roles and the game begins again.
If the chasing lasts too long, the "mouse" or the "cat" can go back inside the circle and stop in front of any player they choose, saying "cat" (gato) or "mouse" (ratón) and switch spots with that player. Then the game continues with the new "cat" or "mouse".
Here is the version sung in the mp3
Ratón que te pilla el gato,
ratón que te va a pillar.
Si no te pilla esta noche,
Te pilla en la madrugá.
Translation:
Mouse, the cat will catch you,
Mouse, it's going to catch you.
If it doesn't catch you tonight,
It'll catch you in the early morning.
("Madrugá" is the colloquial form of "madrugada".)
Many thanks to Alicia Calvo for recording this song for us.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translated by Monique and Lisa.
¡Muchas gracias!
