# Naš mucek

"Naš mucek" is a Slovenian black-comedy folk song — NOT a gentle nursery song — in which a lovestruck tomcat, grief-stricken when his sweetheart dies, takes his own life; it ends with an ironic warning against ever falling in love.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Slovenia |
| Sung in | Slovenian |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | traditional macabre/satirical folk song; author unknown |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/nas-mucek/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (sl)

Naš mucek je ljub'co imel,
ponoči k njej v vas je odšel,
prišel je domov ves zaspan,
ko mežnar odzvonil je dan.

### Verse 2 (sl)

Zbolela je ljub'ca hudo,
kaj če več zdrava ne bo,
naš mucej je jokat začel,
nobene več miške ni ujel.

### Verse 3 (sl)

Ko pa mu vzame jo smrt,
okoli se plazi potrt,
življenje sovražit začne,
v soboto obesil se je.

### Verse 4 (sl)

V nedeljo na vrvi visi,
tam mimo gre mnogo ljudi,
pri sebi pa misli si vsak,
da mucek je bil en bedak.

### Verse 5 (sl)

To zgodbo v eksemplar povem
brezskrbnim ta mladim ljudem,
če vam življenja je mar,
zaljubit' se nikdar nikar.

### English translation (en)

Our tomcat had a sweetheart,
by night he'd go to her in the village,
he'd come home all sleepy
when the sexton rang in the day.

His sweetheart fell gravely ill —
what if she never gets well again? —
our tomcat began to weep,
and caught not a single mouse any more.

And when death took her from him,
he crept about, broken,
began to hate his life,
and on Saturday he hanged himself.

On Sunday he hangs on the rope,
many people pass by there,
and each one thinks to himself
that the cat was a fool.

I tell this story as a lesson
to carefree young folk:
if you care about your life,
never, ever fall in love.

## Common questions

**What is "Naš mucek" about — and is it for young children?**

It is a dark, ironic folk song, and really not a young-children's song. A tomcat falls in love and courts by night; when his sweetheart falls ill and dies, he is broken by grief, comes to hate life, and takes his own life; passers-by call him a fool. It ends with a tongue-in-cheek "moral": if you value your life, never fall in love. It is black comedy — a mock-tragic tale sung for grim humour, usually among older children and adults, not a tender nursery rhyme.

**Why include such a bleak song here?**

Because it was part of the imported collection, and this project aims to present the material honestly rather than quietly drop the darker corners. But it is flagged clearly for what it is: a macabre, satirical song about grief and suicide, best kept for older listeners and understood as gallows humour.

**Who wrote "Naš mucek"?**

No author is recorded; it belongs to the tradition of darkly comic, mock-tragic folk songs, carried down by ear.

## Sources

- [Slovenske narodne pesmi — Naš maček](https://narodne-pesmi.si/pesmi/ljudske-pesmi-in-napevi/ljubca-moja-kaj-si-strila-8/)
- [Wikivir — Naš maček](https://sl.wikisource.org/wiki/Na%C5%A1_ma%C4%8Dek)