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Mary’s Drawer Lyrics by Ivor Cutler

Ludo

1967

Take your wellingtons off children, and mammy will tell you a pleasant story:
Once upon a time, there was a pretty little girl called Mary.
One day Mary's mother went to clean up the bedroom.
She said to Mary, "Mary! Stay in the kitchen while I clean up the bedroom, here is the kitchen drawer to play with"
and she bent down and handed her child the drawer.
"What shall I play at?" thought Mary
"I know" she thought, "I shall play at boats"
So she climbed on the sink, pushed in the plug and turned on the tap, then she climbed down and sat in the kitchen drawer.
The water soon came over the side of the sink and in no time at all, Mary was afloat.
"I am a brave girl captain" thought Mary as she sailed round and round the kitchen floor.
But the water soon came in a tiny hole in the side of the drawer.
"Mammy!" shouted Mary.
"What?" shouted Mary's mammy.
"Come in a minute" shouted Mary.
"Coming!" shouted Mary's mammy, then she stopped what she was doing and came into the kitchen.
"My boat's leaking" said Mary.
Mary's mother took a piece of chew gum out of her pinafore and chewed on it.
"There!" she said finally, and slapped the gum onto the leak.
"Come and have a ride on my boat" said Mary.
"Thank you" said Mary's mother.
She took off her shoes and waded through the water to the boat.
The time passed happily, then daddy's key was heard turning about in the lock.
He opened the door, and what a surprise he got when the kitchen drawer sailed past with Mary and her mother in it, moved swiftly down the pavement and into the gutter, where it stopped when it arrived at the nearest drain hole.
"Ha, ha, ha" he laughed, "you did give me a surprise"
Mary's mother, whose name was Ellen, stood up and made her way through the crowd of laughing neighbours in stocking soles with the kitchen drawer and Mary to her kitchen door.
"You are a happy family!" bellowed Mrs Cutelier, a querulous old French woman who lived eight doors down.
That night in bed, Ellen turned to her husband.
"Darling" she said, "I'm worried about Mary"
But Mary's father, whose name was Heimrich, and who had to listen to this every night, pretended to be asleep.
Credits
Ivor Cutler

Ivor Cutler

About “Mary’s Drawer” by Ivor Cutler

Read the complete lyrics to "Mary’s Drawer" by Ivor Cutler from the album "Ludo" in 1967. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music.

"Mary’s Drawer" is performed by Ivor Cutler. from the album "Ludo" in 1967 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Mary’s Drawer", explore more songs by Ivor Cutler using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Mary’s Drawer" is credited to Ivor Cutler. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Mary’s Drawer" appears on "Ludo" in 1967.

Visit the Ivor Cutler artist page at /artist/ivor-cutler for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.