A 1898 song.
Words by Ida M. Budd.
Music by Charles H. Gabriel.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- A downy little duckling
Went waddling off one day
He didn’t like the other ducks
With them he would not play
He was too independent, too
To stay with them, he said
He tho’t it vastly pleasanter
To go alone instead
Refrain
O silly little duckling
To pout will never pay
I wonder if small boys and girls
Would ever act that way?
- The other little ducklings
Looked at him ruefully
And felt quite grieved to see him walk
Away so scornfully
“Quack! Quack! they said, as if to make
Amends for all their lack
But he had grown so dignified
He wouldn’t even quack - The water in the duckpond
Looked cool and nice to him
The morning was so very fine
He tho’t he’d take a swim
So, in he plunged, but to himself
Soon said that he must own
That it was very tame indeed
To swim around alone - He caught a great big Junebug
As fat as fat could be
But then it wasn’t any fun
With no one there to see
He wished the other ducks would come
As oft they had in play
And chase him round, and round, and round
To get the bug away - And then this lonely duckling
What did he, do you think?
He took that bug and waddled back
‘Most quick as you could wink
And when the ducks came up and tried
To take that bug away
He tho’t it was the greatest fun
He’d had for many a day
Sung here by Vancha March: