Farmyard Wedding

At six o’clock in the old hay shed
Miss Duck and Mr. Drake were wed.
The farmyard creatures smiled and sighed
when they saw the lovely groom and bride.

Miss Duck wore a frilly dress
made from weed and watercress.
Mr. Drake looked very neat
with pea-pod slippers on his feet.

Wise Owl said the marriage words:
“Always be happy, quacky birds.
Paddle through life side by side.
Now the groom may kiss the bride.”

Then every bird and every beast
began the scrumptious wedding feast
of turnip puddings and spider pies
and corn bread topped with fat blue flies.

Miss Frog had baked a wedding cake
for Mrs. Duck and Mr. Drake,
while Billy Goat had kindly made
some ginger beer and lemonade.
The Hogwash Band began to play
music for dancing in the hay.
The happy couple waddled together,
beak to beak and feather to feather.

The music got faster and Mr. Pig,
playing a fiddle and dancing a jig,
stuck the fiddle bow in his ear
and stepped into the ginger beer.

Horse then dropped a spider pie
that hit Red Rooster in the eye,
and Rooster, only half awake,
fell into the wedding cake.

Soon the swinging Hogwash beat
had all the animals on their feet.
Rooster boogied with sweet Miss Frog.
Chicken jived with Wuffy Dog.

Mrs. Ewe with all her flock
trotted to the Sheepdip Rock,
while the happy Duck and Drake
tried to do the shimmy-shake.

Mrs. Duck said, “Drakey dear,
it’s time that we were leaving here.”
Holding wings they crossed the floor
and danced right out the hay-shed door.

The animals cried, “We’ll see you soon.
Have a happy honeymoon.
May roses grow by your nesting patch,
and may all your little ducklings hatch.”

The bride and bridegroom paddled away,
and that was the end of their wedding day—
but not the end of their love and laughter,
for they lived happily ever after.