When Viviana Koshek-Lyubitel’s partner Anna Kotvor left her in 1905, she took everything. The pair had a troubled relationship, sharing a small cabin along the Volga river. The only thing Viviana missed, apparently, was her cat, Chou-chou. In her song chronicling the event, Koshek-Lyubitel sought to hide her same-sex relationship from a disapproving public by portraying her protagonist as a minister. The translated song lyric reads:

I ran after her, my darling cat.
To the far away gate, my darling cat.
Waves of yellow flags, my darling cat.
Quietly hung on the elms, my darling cat.
”If you leave, I’ll die,” I screamed, my darling cat.
”Don’t stand in the wind,” she answered, my darling cat.
The boat sank, my darling cat.
Alas, you were in it, my darling cat.

Historians believe, however, that Koshek-Lyubityel was the main character in the song, as she committed suicide soon after writing it by drowning herself in the Volga River. Speculation arose about the song's accuracy when a photo of Chou Chou appeared years later in an ad for a traveling circus.

Vocals: Michael Johnson
Piano: Jenny Conlee

Recorded in 2007/2008 In Jenny Conlee’s living room and at Reclinerland HQ in Portland, OR. Mixed and mastered by Michael Johnson and Scott Garred.