Letra (Lyrics)
A letra completa de «Atirei o Pau no Gato» com tradução em inglês.
Atirei o pau no gato-to Mas o gato-to não morreu-reu-reu Dona Chica-ca admirou-se-se do berro, do berro que o gato deu: Miau!
#English translation
I threw the stick at the cat-cat but the cat-cat didn't die-die-die Lady Chica-ca was amazed-amazed at the yowl, at the yowl the cat gave: Meow!
#Atirei o Pau no Gato at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Sung in
- Portuguese
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- traditional; late 19th / early 20th century
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
Meaning and origin
This is one of the most familiar cantigas de roda — ring-game songs — in Brazil, the kind children sing while circling hand in hand. Its charm is largely in the sound: the stuttering, echoing syllables (gato-to, morreu-reu-reu) make it fun to sing fast, and the whole thing builds to a single loud Miau! that everyone shouts together. Notably, the cat in the rhyme is not harmed — the joke is its outraged, surprising yowl, which astonishes the onlooking Dona Chica.
Like most such songs it is anonymous, carried down by ear and generally dated to the late 19th or early 20th century, when Brazilian children’s music was still absorbing Portuguese and other European folk tunes. In recent years its imagery — throwing a stick at a cat — has drawn criticism, and it has been widely rewritten into gentler forms, most famously by the Galinha Pintadinha children’s franchise, which adds a verse about not mistreating animals. Today both versions coexist: the old nonsense rhyme and its kinder modern cousin, sung side by side in the same playgrounds.
Common questions
- What does "Atirei o pau no gato" say?
- In its traditional form: "I threw the stick at the cat, but the cat didn't die; Dona Chica was amazed at the yowl the cat gave — meow!" It is a nonsense ring-game rhyme, and (importantly) the cat is not hurt — the joke is the loud, indignant meow.
- Where is "Atirei o Pau no Gato" from?
- It is a Brazilian "cantiga de roda" (a children's ring or circle song) of anonymous origin, thought to date from the late 19th or early 20th century, when many Brazilian rhymes were shaped by Portuguese and European folk melodies. It has always been passed down orally.
- Is there a non-violent version?
- Yes. Because the words describe throwing a stick at a cat, the song has been widely rewritten in recent years — most famously by the "Galinha Pintadinha" children's brand — into versions that add a line about not mistreating animals. Both the old and new forms are sung today.
