He has written songs for Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader, has starred in an Emmy Award-winning television show for children and has been featured regularly on The Learning Channel.
Polisar works with literacy groups, media specialists, reading teachers and Title I programs in the schools and has won a Special Library Recognition Award for his "ability to communicate with and excite children to read."
Polisar's song "All I Want Is You" is featured, re-recorded and with a guitar/harmonica combo, on the soundtrack for the 2007 Motion Picture "JUNO".
I've Got a Dog and My Dog's Name is Cat
Barry Louis Polisar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bet you never heard anything as crazy as that.
But not only that, I've got a cat
And my cat's name is Dog, like my dog's name is Cat.
I bet you think that's pretty absurd--
but wait 'til you hear about my fish, Bird.
And listen to me and you'll hear this:
With my bird and my fish, my dog and my cat,
People all stare when I tip my hat.;
It's strange as can be when we walk in the park,
But it's stranger still when the cat starts to bark
The initial lines of the song describe an extremely unusual naming convention. The singer talks about having a dog whose name is Cat, which must be a bizarre sight to see. But then, the singer takes it a step further in this oddity by mentioning that he has a cat which goes by the name of Dog just like, as previously stated, his dog's name is Cat. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that this is not just limited to his pets. The lyrics mention a fish that he names Bird, adhering to the same kind of pattern. As the song goes on, the band of peculiarities becomes increasingly significant, culminating in the absurdity of a barking cat.
The lyrics of this song seem to be about challenging normative conventions and embracing the extraordinary. Instead of providing the animals with their standard, traditional monikers, the singer goes out of his way to rename each one of them to something entirely unexpected. This name difference causes confusion, and the people around him seem to think it is strange. However, the singer is unapologetic, and the song could serve as a metaphor for individuals who reject the uniformity of society.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a dog and my dog's name is Cat,
I own a pet canine, and I have given it the name 'Cat,' which may sound baffling to you.
Bet you never heard anything as crazy as that.
I'm pretty sure you have never come across anything this absurd or unconventional.
But not only that, I've got a cat
As if that wasn't enough, I also possess a feline animal.
And my cat's name is Dog, like my dog's name is Cat.
In a peculiar twist of fate, I decided to give my cat the name 'Dog,' which happens to be the opposite of the name of my dog.
I bet you think that's pretty absurd--
It's natural for you to consider this idea odd or improbable.
but wait 'til you hear about my fish, Bird.
But hold on, because there's more; I have a fish that I named 'Bird,' which is equally bizarre.
And listen to me and you'll hear this:
If you pay attention to me, I will tell you something else that will sound unusual to you.
I've got a bird and I call him Fish.
I also have a pet bird, but instead of giving it a name like 'Bird,' I went for the name 'Fish' instead.
With my bird and my fish, my dog and my cat,
Between my dog, cat, fish, and bird, my household is quite diversified (and peculiar).
People all stare when I tip my hat.;
When I walk around wearing a hat, strangers often give me strange looks or stare at me because of my unusual pets.
It's strange as can be when we walk in the park,
Taking my pets for a stroll at the park can be quite awkward since they are anything but ordinary.
But it's stranger still when the cat starts to bark.
However, it becomes truly bizarre when my cat (who is named 'Dog') starts to make barking noises.
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@oscarf5433
🎵 I got a dog and his name is cat,
Bet yaw never hear a thing half as crazy as that.🎵
🎵 But not only that, I got a cat.
Cat's name dog and dog's name cat🎵
🎵 Now my dog cat and my cat dog I confuse who is who the cat and the dog, now I bet you think that pretty absurd, now wait till you hear about my fish bird🎵
Chorus
Oh I got a dog and his name is cat bet you never hear a thing half as crazy as that but not only that I got a cat, cat's name's dog and the dog's name's cat🎵
@roccowootton3036
've got a dog and my dog's name is Cat
Bet you never heard a thing half as crazy as that
But not only that, I've got a cat
And cat's name is Dog, like dog's name is Cat
Now with my dog cat
and my cat dog
I confuse whose who,
the cat or the dog
Now I bet you think that's pretty absurd--
But wait 'til you hear about my fish bird.
I've got a dog and my dog's name is Cat
Bet you never heard a thing half as crazy as that
But not only that, I've got a cat
And cat's name is Dog, like dog's name is Cat
Now my fish bird lives in my fish tank,
Next to my pet goose who goes
HANK HANK
but listen to me
And just hear this
I’ve got a bird and I call him fish
Yeah I've got a dog and my dog's name is Cat
Bet you never heard a thing half as crazy as that
But not only that, I've got a cat
And cat's name is Dog, like dog's name is Cat.
With my goose my bird
My dog fish and cat
People all stare when I tip my hat
Cause as strange as can be when we walk in the park
Strangers still when the cat starts to bark
I've got a dog and my dog's name is Cat
Bet you never heard a thing half as crazy as that
But not only that, I've got a cat
And cat's name is Dog, like dog's name is Cat
@bandages5646
I heard this on a commercial and i’ve been humming it all day so I decided to come listen to it
@piperthirtytwo
A Bubba Wallace Doordash commercial brought me here
@haileyfazbear7664
sameeee
@storm__watch8900
I got this song stuck in my head
@ayvad771
I thought I was the only one
@lolhibye123
Same lol
@S_Levencen
Love it!
Way to make someone have a fun day.
Thanks for bringing this song out.
@nickieblu8071
I am determined to learn the words to this song 🥰
@sandrasennhauser1776
You and me both (:
@oscarf5433
🎵 I got a dog and his name is cat,
Bet yaw never hear a thing half as crazy as that.🎵
🎵 But not only that, I got a cat.
Cat's name dog and dog's name cat🎵
🎵 Now my dog cat and my cat dog I confuse who is who the cat and the dog, now I bet you think that pretty absurd, now wait till you hear about my fish bird🎵
Chorus
Oh I got a dog and his name is cat bet you never hear a thing half as crazy as that but not only that I got a cat, cat's name's dog and the dog's name's cat🎵