Once upon a time there was a donkey who had grown old and could no longer carry the heavy sacks. 'Then I shall go to Bremen and become a town musician!' he decided. 'Ee-yore!' That already sounded almost like a song.
On the way he met a tired hunting dog. 'Come along to Bremen,' said the donkey, 'you can bark the beat!' Then they found a cat who no longer cared to catch mice. 'You sing the high notes!' And last came a rooster, crowing as loudly as he could. The band was complete.
But Bremen was far away, and it was getting dark. Then they saw a light between the trees: a little house. The donkey looked through the window. Inside, robbers sat at a richly laid table! 'Hmm,' whispered the donkey, 'I have an idea …'
The dog climbed onto the donkey, the cat onto the dog, the rooster right on top — and then they made their music: Ee-yore! Woof-woof! Meow! Cock-a-doodle-doo! All at once, and so loud the windowpanes rattled. The robbers thought a monster was coming — and ran off as fast as their legs could carry them.
The four friends sat down at the table and ate their fill. Then each found a place to sleep: the donkey in the yard, the dog behind the door, the cat by the warm stove, and the rooster up on the roof beam. And they slept deeply and soundly.
They liked the little house so much that they decided to stay. They never made it to Bremen — but that didn't matter at all. You can make music anywhere, as long as you have the right friends.
