As I was going to St Ives

As I was going to St Ives,
I met a man with seven wives.
Each wife was in a sack,
In his cart with his seven cats.
Each cat had seven kits,
That he was was going to throw in a ditch,
Along with his wives who were long dead.
One by one, he had cut off their heads.

He cut off their heads for insulting his cats,
Who were kicked by the wives for not eating rats,
Who ran through the house to eat all the scraps,
That were left by the dog when he took a nap.

The dog took a nap because he was drained,
From chasing the cats around through the rain.
The cats were in the rain because inside,
They were afraid they would be kicked by the wives.