'But the rats don't run this city, we do' TikTok viral sound explained

If you have been on TikTok lately, perhaps your For You Page has been sprinkled with a random sound about rats that has turned into a viral TikTok sound.

People have been using the sound of a woman declaring: "The rats are going to absolutely hate this announcement... but the rats don't run this city we do."

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The sound itself has been used in over 21,000 videos as many have created TikToks sharing hilarious scenarios of where they have taken charge in a situation.

For example, TikToker @puwtok shared a clip of himself lip-synching the quote which now has 5.5m views.

With the winter season upon us, @puwtok went viral with this relatable TikTokTikTok/puwtok

The on-screen text said: "dad letting the whole house know he's not putting the heating on for the whole of winter," as he swaggered down the stair sporting sunglasses to show who's boss.

"POV:Every dad in Europe rn (mine included)," one person commented, while another wrote: "'Put on some extra layers.'"

Someone else added: "My dad walking around the house in shorts and a shirt while the rest of my family develops hypothermia."

Meanwhile, TikToker @johnjohntoks uploaded a video with the sound about the struggle of capturing the perfect group photo (and only caring how you look in it).

When it comes to a group photo, it's every man for himself as TikTok John depicted with the popular TikTok soundTikTok/johnjohntoks

He wrote: "When ur uploading a group photo and ur the only one happy with how you look," and has received 1.8m views.

"and then someone does it to me and its like who do u think u are," someone commented.

Another popular video from the trend included @bella.the.rat who used the sound to comedically express how she has to prepare herself for going out the next day - especially when feeling delicate from the night before.

TikTok/bella.the.rat

"Me telling my body I'm going out again tomorrow," she wrote and her video has 1.8m views.

"Completely exhausted, but still gonna party," one person agreed in the comments section.

Elsewhere, the sound was even used by pundit and ex-Arsenal and England player Ian Wright (@wrightyofficial) to celebrate Arsenal being top of the Premier League and to also poke fun at the London club's football rivals.

Given the volume of videos, the sound has become a TikTok trend - but where did the original audio come from?

The voice you've been hearing is Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch from a news conference on October 17 where she joined Mayor Eric Adams to discuss how they're tackling New York City's sanitation problem.

In her speech, Tisch noted the goal in the last six months for the Department of Sanitation is to "get our streets cleaner faster."

Before she went into specifics, Tisch meant serious business as she looked straight at the camera and said: "I want to be clear, the rats are absolutely going to hate this announcement."

Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch delivering her speech and would later provide some iconic lines that would turn into a viral TikTok soundYouTube/NYC Mayor's Office

This announcement is a reduction in the time trash bags can be piled at the curb to 8pm from 4pm.

Under the new rules, residents are able to take their rubbish out by 6pm but only if the bags are in sealed containers while garbage must still be placed curbside by midnight.

“But the rats don’t run this city. We do," the commissioner concluded in her part of the speech.

While we can't confirm if the rats have heard this announcement, Tisch's message has been received loud and clear on TikTok...

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.