What Katie Did

Info

What Katie Did is the title of a Libertines song, that features as track #10 on the band's second album, The Libertines, with the writing credit going to Peter Doherty.

Although What Katie Did was originally demo'd and released by Doherty’s current band, Babyshambles, when Doherty was allowed back into The Libertines, he let Carl Barat take vocal duties on The Libertines version as a gift. The Libertines and Babyshambles have also released session versions of the song.

According to Carl Barat, the song is a metaphor for the book of the same title by Susan Coolidge. In an August 2009 post on the French Dog Blues forum, Doherty revealed that the lyric "hurry up Mrs Brown I can feel it coming down, and it won't take none too long" originated from a Chas'n'Dave song:
"the other night I goes to a ball and they calls me Cinderella/ and upon my coat I wears a button hole and they calls me a tidy fella/ next to me comes old Mother Brown, pulling up her railway socks/ says to me come and have another dance, cos its ain't quite twelve o'clock/ so off we go, round and round, but there's gonna be some trouble I know/ cos I got no buttons on me trousers/ and me pins ain't none too strong/ hurry up Mrs Brown I can feel it coming down, and it won't take none too long".

On Babyshambles' debut album Down in Albion, there is a song called What Katy Did Next, a "sequel" to What Katie Did.

Appearing on

Live at O2 Academy Glasgow (1)	The Libertines	Album	2016-02-19
Le Grand Journal (1)	The Libertines	Session	2015-09-30
Time For Heroes	The Libertines	Album	2007-10-29
Back on the Bus (Accoustic)	Babyshambles	Album	2006-09-04
Get Loaded	Babyshambles	Session	2006-08-27
The Libertines	The Libertines	Album	2004-08-30
Babyshambles	Peter Doherty	Single	2004-05-10
The Sailor Sessions	Babyshambles	Session	2003-07
Babyshambles Sessions	The Libertines	Session	2003-05

Concerts

Festival SOS 4.8	The Libertines	Murcia	2016-05-07
AB brussels 2016 (& Chatter)	The Libertines	Ancienne Belgique, Brussels	2016-05-03
Live @ Olympia	The Libertines	Music Hall, Paris	2016-03-09
Reading Festival 2015	The Libertines	Reading	2015-08-30
Rock en Seine 2015	The Libertines	Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud	2015-08-29
3Arena Dublin	The Libertines	3Arena Dublin	2015-07-09
Ahmad Tea Music Festival	The Libertines		2015-06-27
Glastonbury 2015	The Libertines	Glastonbury	2015-06-26
Benicàssim Festival	The Libertines	Benicàssim, Spain	2014-07-19
BST, Hyde Park, London	The Libertines	Hyde Park, London	2014-07-05
Glasgow Barrowland	The Libertines	Glasgow, Scotland	2014-06-29
Show more concerts
Rockhal, Luxembourg	Babyshambles		2014-01-14
Caprices Festival	Peter Doherty	Crans-Montana, Switzerland	2013-03-08
La Maroquinerie	Peter Doherty	Paris, France	2013-02-05
Liquid Rooms	Peter Doherty	Edinburgh, Scotland	2011-09-21
Reading Festival	Peter Doherty	Reading, UK	2011-08-28
Heroes Bar	Peter Doherty	Kentish Town, London	2011-04-06
Woodstower Festival	Peter Doherty	Grand Parc De Miribel Jonage, Lyon, France	2010-09-03
Reading Festival	The Libertines	Reading, UK	2010-08-28
Paleo Festival	Peter Doherty	Paleo Festival, Nyon, Swiss	2009-07-24
Rhythm Factory	The Libertines	Whitechapel, London	2009-05-15
Sziget Festival	Babyshambles	Hungary, Budapest	2008-08-17
Live at FIB Benicassim	Babyshambles	Benicassim, Spain	2008-07-18
The Mass	Peter Doherty	Brixton, London	2008-06-17
Glasgow Barrowlands (1)	Peter Doherty	Glasgow, Scotland	2008-05-18
Glasgow Barrowlands (1)	Peter Doherty	Glasgow, Scotland	2008-05-18
The Torriano	Peter Doherty	Kentish Town, London	2008-03-20
Ancienne Belgique, Brussels	Babyshambles	Ancienne Belgique, Brussels	2008-02-20
Rhythm Factory	Peter Doherty	Whitechapel, London	2007-12-16
An Evening With Pete Doherty Pt.2	The Libertines	Hackney Empire, London	2007-04-12
Live in Birmingham	Babyshambles	Birmingham, UK	2006-10-01
Topvar Rockfest, Slovakia	Babyshambles	Slovakia	2006-07-01
Hultsfred	Babyshambles	Hultsfredsfestivalen, Sweden	2006-06-16
Paradiso, Amsterdam	Babyshambles	Amsterdam, Netherlands	2006-05-01
Reading Festival (1)	Babyshambles	Reading Festival, Radio1 NME stage	2005-08-27
Live in Dublin	Babyshambles	Dublin, Ireland	2004-12-12
The Scala 1st Night	Babyshambles	Pentonville Rd, London	2004-10-06
Glasgow, Garage	Babyshambles	Glasgow, Scotland	2004-10-03
Norwich, 2004 (1)	Babyshambles	Norwich	2004-09-26
Up The Shambles (DVD)	Babyshambles	The Ritz Manchester, UK	2004-09-23
Live in Leeds	Babyshambles	Leeds, UK	2004-09-22
Brick Lane Festival	Peter Doherty		2004-09-12
Rhythm Factory	Peter Doherty	London (Whitechapel), UK	2004-07-13
Preston Mill	Babyshambles	Preston, UK	2004-07-06
Rhythm Factory	Babyshambles	London (Whitechapel), UK	2004-05-04
Piss Me Off (At the Rhythm Factory)	The Libertines	London (Whitechapel), UK	2004-04-14
Rock Against Racism	The Libertines	London, UK	2004-03-16

Lyrics

Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang

Oh what you gonna do, Katie?
You're a sweet sweet girl
But it's a cruel, cruel world
a cruel, cruel world.

My pins are none too strong, Katie
Hurry up, Mrs Brown
I can feel it coming down
& it won't take none too long

But since you said goodbye
Polka dots fill my eyes
And I don't know why

Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang
Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang

What you gonna do Katie?
You're a sweet, sweet girl
But it's a cruel, cruel world
a cruel, cruel world

Safety pins are none too strong Katie
they hold my life together
And I never say never
And I never say never again

But since you said goodbye
The polka dots fill my eyes
And I don't know why

Since you said goodbye
the polka dots fill my eyes
And I don't know why
Say you want
Say you will
Say you won't but don't leave me standing
Say you will, it's up to anyone
That's what they all like to know
...

And since you said goodbye
the polka dots fill the sky
And I don't know why