Duck’s Ditty

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!

Ducks’ tails, drakes’ tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim—
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
We like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call—
We are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!

– Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932)

Sung by John Diamond

Date of Song’s Composition: October 28, 2003

Commentary: The poem comes from Grahame’s children’s book classic The Wind in the Willows (1908).