Once there lived an old man and an old woman. One day the old man said,
'Find some flour, wife, and bake a cake.'

The old woman found some flour and made a cake. 'Well, my Johny Cake, go to the oven!'

When Johny Cake was baked, the old woman put him on the window-sill to cool. Johny Cake lay and lay, and then... rolled down from the window to the door.

Then from the door to the yard, from the yard to the road, and along the road far away.

By and by Johny Cake met a hare.
'Johny Cake, I shall eat you up!'
'Don't eat me, hare, I'll sing you a song.'

'I got away from the old man, I got away from the old woman. I can get away from you! Run, run as fast as you can. You'll never see Johny Cake again.'

And Johny Cake ran away.

Later, Johny Cake met a wolf.
'Johny Cake, I shall eat you up!'
'Don't eat me. I'll sing a song to you.'

Johny Cake sang his song to the wolf and ran away.

Next morning Johny Cake met a bear.
'Johny Cake, I'll eat you up!'
'Run, run as fast as you can. You'll never see Johny Cake again,' sang Johny Cake and rolled away.

Suddenly Johny Cake met a Fox.
'Johny Cake, I shall eat you up!'
'Don't eat me. I'll sing a song to you.'

And Johny Cake began to sing his song: 'I got away from the old man, I got away from the old woman. I got away from the hare, I got away from the wolf, I got away from the bear, and I'll get away from you.'

The fox said, 'It's a nice song, but I am deaf. Sit down on my tongue and sing once more.'

Johny Cake jumped down onto the tongue of the fox, and the fox...

... did not eat him but only broke its teeth and ran away crying from pain. During those days, Johny Cake became quite stale. It saved his life. But since he never boasted again.