Cat Had a Birthday
Sesame Street Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Okay everybody, I'm gonna tell you about some birthday parties I've been to
And when I get to the "Happy Birthday" part, well,
I want you to say "Happy Birthday" the same way the animals said it at the party
Here we go!

A cat had a birthday and all the cats came
To eat cat cake and play a cat game
To open cat presents and when they were through
They said "Happy Birthday" the way cats do

And they said, "Meow, meow, meow"
Everybody do it now, "Meow, meow, meow"
Really nothing to it, "Meow, meow, meow"
Well image that, you've just said "Happy Birthday" in cat
That's what you did!

A duck had a birthday and all the ducks came
To eat duck cake and play a duck game
To open duck presents and when they were through
They said "Happy Birthday" the way that ducks do

And they said, "Quack, quack, quack"
Everybody do it now, "Quack, quack, quack"
Really nothing to it, "Quack, quack, quack"
Well the ducks are in luck, you've just said "Happy Birthday" in duck

Now when a rooster wants to say "Happy Birthday" to you
He says, "Cock-a-doodle, cock-a-doodle-do"
Now listen real close and I'll tell you more
"Happy Birthday" to a lion is a great big "ROAR", nice

A cow had a birthday and all the cows came
To eat cow cake and play a cow game
To open cow presents and when they were through
They said "Happy Birthday" the way cows do

And they said, "Moo, moo, moo"
Everybody do it now, "Moo, moo, moo"
Really nothing to it, "Moo, moo, moo"
Well you just learned how to say "Happy Birthday" in cow

Where's the cats? (meow, meow, meow)
Let's hear the ducks! (quack, quack, quack)
Do it rooster! (cock-a-doodle-do)
What's up lion? (ROAR)
Word cows! (moo, moo, moo)





You were really great, I'm proud of ya, "Happy Birthday"!

Overall Meaning

The Sesame Street song "A Cat Had A Birthday" is an upbeat and playful song that teaches children how different animals express birthday greetings. The lyrics portray a cat's and a duck's birthday celebration and the sounds made by different animals when they say "Happy Birthday." The song starts with the singer asking the children to say "Happy Birthday" in the same way each animal says it when attending a birthday party.


In the first verse, the singer narrates about a cat's birthday party where other cats came to enjoy cat food, cat games, and cat gifts. The cats said "Happy Birthday" in the way cats do, which is to meow, and the children are encouraged to do the same. In the second verse, a duck's birthday party is described, and we learn that ducks say "Happy Birthday" by quacking. The singer then goes on to demonstrate how roosters say "Cock-a-doodle, cock-a-doodle-do," and lions roar to express their joy in someone's birthday. Finally, the song ends with a cow's party where the cows say "Happy Birthday" by mooing.


The lyrics of this song teach children about animals and how they differ from human beings in expressing happiness or sentiments. Children will find it enjoyable to make animal noises and express "Happy Birthday" in a unique and fun way. It also encourages children to socialize and create celebrations around important events, like birthdays.


Line by Line Meaning

A cat had a birthday and all the cats came
It's a story about a cat's birthday party where all the cats arrived


To eat cat cake and play a cat game
The cats had cat-shaped cake and played a game related to cats


To open cat presents and when they were through
They opened cat-like presents and when they finished


They said "Happy Birthday" the way cats do
They expressed birthday greetings the way cats would i.e. by saying 'meow, meow, meow'


And they said, "Meow, meow, meow"
The cats expressed birthday greetings by saying 'meow, meow, meow'


Everybody do it now, "Meow, meow, meow"
Everyone is encouraged to say 'meow, meow, meow' for birthday greetings


Really nothing to it, "Meow, meow, meow"
It's easy and simple to say 'meow, meow, meow' for greeting a cat's birthday


Well imagine that, you've just said "Happy Birthday" in cat
By saying 'meow, meow, meow', you've expressed 'Happy Birthday' in cat's language


A duck had a birthday and all the ducks came
A story about a duck's birthday party, and all ducks arrived


To eat duck cake and play a duck game
The ducks had cake shaped like a duck and played a game linked with ducks


To open duck presents and when they were through
They opened presents that suited their duck identity and after finishing


They said "Happy Birthday" the way that ducks do
They used 'quack, quack, quack' to extend greetings on the birthday occasion


And they said, "Quack, quack, quack"
The ducks said 'quack, quack, quack' for birthday wishes


Well the ducks are in luck, you've just said "Happy Birthday" in duck
By uttering 'quack, quack, quack', you've conveyed the birthday greetings in duck's language


Now when a rooster wants to say "Happy Birthday" to you
Here's how a rooster would say 'Happy Birthday' to you


He says, "Cock-a-doodle, cock-a-doodle-do"
The rooster uses 'Cock-a-doodle, cock-a-doodle-do' to say 'birthday wishes'


Now listen real close and I'll tell you more
Here's something more to learn and pay attention


"Happy Birthday" to a lion is a great big "ROAR"
For conveying birthday wishes to a lion, there's a loud 'ROAR'


A cow had a birthday and all the cows came
It's a tale where a cow celebrated its birthday and all other cows came to attend


To eat cow cake and play a cow game
The cows indulged in the cake shaped like a cow and a game that suits its nature


To open cow presents and when they were through
They opened the cow-themed presents, and after they finished


They said "Happy Birthday" the way cows do
As cows, they expressed birthday greetings with a 'moo, moo, moo'


And they said, "Moo, moo, moo"
The cows wished happy birthday while saying 'moo, moo, moo'


Well you just learned how to say "Happy Birthday" in cow
Now you can say 'Happy Birthday' in cow language- by the sound 'moo, moo, moo'




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JEFFREY A MOSS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Megan


on Once Is Not Enough

I get it, it teaches kids you might not just have enough so you have to have more

More Versions