Quack, Quack, Quack
DESCRIPTION: "Six little ducks That I once knew, Fat ones, skinny ones Fair ones, too, But the one little duck With the feather on his back He led the others With a quack, quack, quack." The one little duck leads them to the river, then leads them back
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: bird river campsong
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 126, "Quack, Quack, Quack" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 171, 388, 513, "Six Little Ducks" (notes only)
Delamar-ChildrensCountingOutRhymes, p. 66, "Six Little Ducks" (1 text)
Roud #7848
NOTES [83 words]: Roud #32414 is a counting rhyme about five little ducks. I do not know if it is related.
This seems to have been recorded by many children's performers, but I haven't heard it.
The tune is said to be Moe Jaffe's version of "Bell-Bottomed Trousers."
In a nitpicky footnote, the fact that the ducks say "quack, quack, quack" implies that they are either mallards or domestic ducks (which are the same species). Most other ducks have non-quacking calls (e.g. a wood duck call is more of a keening). - RBW
Last updated in version 6.4
File: Br3126
Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography
The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.