The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, there was a Mummy Duck

Who sang to her nest of eggs, "Good luck!"

The little eggs hatched, "Crack, crack, crack!"

And six baby ducks said, "Quack, quack, quack"

But the seventh little egg was bigger than the rest

At last, there was a great big crack in the nest

The other little ducklings were buttercup yellow

But this one, well, he was an odd-looking fellow

"Oh, you're grey," said Mummy Duck, "Hello!"

But the ducklings quacked

"Why is he not yellow?"

They swam 'round mummy, so soft and snuggly

"Mummy, why is he so big and ugly?"

The ugly duckling tried to quack, quack back

But his quack sounded more like an ock, ock, ock

The ugly duckling hung his head in shame

He felt that he was the one to blame

The duckling shoved and pushed him away

"We don't like you, you're ugly and grey"

"Can't we please be friends?" Ugly duckling wept

"No," they peeped, so away he crept

Far from the pond where the long grass grows

The ugly duckling saw some waggling crows

"Hello," he said, "Can I play with you?"

The crows did caw, "Can you caw too?"

The ugly duckling tried his best to caw back

But his caw sounded more like an ack, ack, ack

The crows laughed, "No, you're ugly and grey"

So the poor ugly duckling went on his way

As he waddled alone under the great green trees

He saw wood pigeons strut about the breeze

"Hello," he said, "Can I play with you?"

The pigeons did coo, "Can you coo too?"

The ugly duckling tried his best to coo back

But his coo sounded more like an ack, ack, ack

The pigeons, they laughed, "Go and leave us alone"

So the poor ugly duckling went off on his own

As the ugly duckling walked alone in a field

Above him, a flock of white swans wheeled

They were so strong and so smooth in the sky

As they flew in a line, catching his eye

"Oh," said the duckling, "I wish I could fly"