The Ugly Duckling
Danny Kaye Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra Lyrics

There once was an ugly duckling
There was a duckling that was considered unattractive by other birds.

With feathers all stubby and brown
It had short and brown feathers.

And the other birds said in so many words
The other birds made it clear through their words and actions.

Get out of town
They wanted the duckling to leave the area.

Get out, get out, get out of town
The demand for the duckling to leave was strong and repetitive.

And he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack
The duckling left while making duck-like movements and sounds.

In a flurry of eiderdown
It left in a rush, causing its fluffy feathers to fly around.

That poor little ugly duckling
The duckling was unfortunate and unattractive.

Went wandering far and near
It went on a journey, exploring many places.

But at every place they said to his face
Wherever it went, the other animals told it directly.

Now get out, get out, get out of here
They wanted it to go away.

And he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack
The duckling left while making duck-like movements and sounds.

And a very unhappy tear
It was sad and cried because it had been rejected everywhere.

All through the wintertime he hid himself away
During winter, it isolated itself from others.

Ashamed to show his face, afraid of what others might say
It was embarrassed and scared of being judged by others.

All through the winter in his lonely clump of wheat
It spent the winter alone in a wheat bunch.

Till a flock of swans spied him there and very soon agreed
A group of swans found it and quickly came to a consensus.

You're a very fine swan indeed!
They praised it for being an excellent swan.

A swan? Me a swan? Ah, go on!
It didn't believe it could be a swan.

And he said yes, you're a swan
The swans confirmed that it was indeed a swan.

Take a look at yourself in the lake and you'll see
The swans told it to look at its reflection in the water.

And he looked, and he saw, and he said
It looked at its reflection and confirmed.

I am a swan! Wheeeeeeee!
It was excited to find out that it was actually a swan.

I'm not such an ugly duckling
It was not an unattractive duckling after all.

No feathers all stubby and brown
Its feathers were neither short nor brown anymore.

For in fact these birds in so many words said
The other birds had actually declared.

The best in town, the best, the best
It was now considered the best among all the birds.

Not a quack, not a quack, not a waddle or a quack
It no longer made the sounds and movements of a duckling.

But a glide and a whistle and a snowy white back
It had the graceful movements of a swan and white feathers.

And a head so noble and high
Its head was upright and regal.

Say who's an ugly duckling?
It was now not an ugly duckling anymore.

Not I!
It was not an unattractive duckling anymore.

Not I!
It was not an unattractive duckling anymore.