That White Cat Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I see him through my window
The white neighbourhood cat marking my house
It's supposed to be my house
But I guess, according to cats, now it's his house
Mama told me, "Things will leave you
They get broken, they get lost
The only thing you can trust
Is what you lived through"
[Pre-Chorus]
Mama, how 'bout when I die?
What do you hold onto? Hey
[Chorus]
Ya, ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya-ya-ya, ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya-ya-ya, ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya-ya-ya-ya
[Verse 2]
Gotta go to work
To pay for that cat's house
For the red-corseted wasp
Who lives in the roof
For the family of possums
For the bugs who drink my blood
And the birds who eat those bugs
[Pre-Chorus]
So that white cat can kill the birds
What do you hold onto? Hey
[Chorus]
Ya-ya, ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya
Ya, ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya, ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya, ya
________________ End _________________
That White Cat Song Meaning [Mitski]
Emerging as track nine on Mitski’s eighth studio album "Nothing’s About to Happen to Me", “That White Cat” blends alt‑rock and Americana with the singer‑songwriter’s unmistakable emotional precision. Produced by longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland and released February 27, 2026 via Dead Oceans, the song stands out for its dark wit and surreal domestic imagery, navigating existential fatigue through an offbeat metaphorical lens.
Song Meaning
Mitski frames “That White Cat” within the broader narrative of "Nothing’s About to Happen to Me", an album centered on isolation and psychological decay in and around a neglected house. Critics and press materials depict the album’s protagonist as a solitary woman whose internal state bleeds into the textures of her environment, blurring reality with symbolic signifiers. The song’s titular feline becomes one such symbol — at once absurd, intrusive, and emblematic of the tiny, recurring setbacks that weigh on the narrator’s sense of stability.
Rather than a straightforward animal tale, the track uses the cat as an extended metaphor for the demands and intrusions of life that persist regardless of personal sentiment. Through imagery of providing for creatures both nuisances and predators alike, Mitski sketches the paradox of laboring to sustain a world that offers little solace in return. The repetition and interplay of domestic motifs convey a weary resignation paired with wry humor, suggesting that coping sometimes demands a bitter smile as much as stoic endurance.
Musically, the song leans into a steady, building drive that pulls the listener through its verses with an undercurrent of urgency. This sonic propulsion mirrors the narrator’s escalating internal pressure, juxtaposing lyrical humor with a bittersweet reflection on survival and meaning in mundane circumstances. The white cat, then, is less about a literal animal and more about the unpredictable forces that claim territory in our lives, reshaping our routines and testing our resolve.
Emotional Core and Themes
At its heart, “That White Cat” channels a blend of existential frustration and wry self‑awareness. It wrestles with the emotional labor of daily existence — the relentless cycle of work, care, and accommodation — while probing how individuals anchor themselves when meaning feels elusive. The song’s interplay of domestic absurdity and introspective tension reveals an artist grappling with the weight of responsibility, identity, and the small things that can feel disproportionately monumental.
Connection with Listeners
For listeners, the track resonates as a reflection of collective fatigue, the sense that life’s minutiae can feel both absurd and overwhelming. Mitski’s use of metaphor invites introspection without alienation, making the song a mirror for anyone who has ever felt outpaced by their surroundings yet compelled to laugh at the chaos. Its emotional honesty and vivid imagery create space for empathy and self‑recognition.
Conclusion
“That White Cat” encapsulates Mitski’s ability to elevate everyday experience into evocative art. Through its rich symbolism, tight lyricism, and emotional depth, it captures the messy interplay between obligation and identity, humor and despair. Situated within an album that explores solitude and psychological unraveling, the song stands as a testament to Mitski’s knack for transforming personal reflection into universal insight — inviting listeners to find their own meaning in life’s peculiar, persistent rhythms.
__________________________________
Song Details
Song Name: That White Cat
Artist: Mitski
Album: Nothing’s About to Happen to Me
Lyricist: Mitski
Producers: Patrick Hyland
Genre: Rock, Pop
Language: English
Label: Dead Oceans
Released: February 27, 2026
External Links
______________________
• Spotify
[Disclaimer: Lyrics are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All rights belong to the original owners.]
Social Plugin