Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)

Subject: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Forsh
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 01:10 PM

A spuggie chirppin' on the tiles,
nivvor suffors from the piles,
becos' there nivvor was one yet,
that got his backside soppin' wet.

The little duck that nivvor smiles,
has nee sutch luck he gets the piles
and when he flowts on watter blue,
the naggin' pain strikes thru & thru.

Noo how wad ye feel if y'arse,
was trailin' on the soddin' grass?
for when he's wa'kin rund and rund,
his backside's bobbin' on the grund.

Iv-orry (every) time he dips his heed,
t'get his neb doon t'the weed (!)
he cocks his little arse on high,
t'try an' get the bugger dry!

So when yus hear a duck gan 'quack',
divvunt huff nor torn y'back,
divvunt say 'ye geet fond thing',
nor say sing 'ye flat arsed bugger, sing!'

(Chorus is a 'sing-back' of the last line of each verse).

First heared my Dad (Alan Forshaw, Forsh1, etc) sing this back in 1973.
Enjoy!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 01:49 PM

Well, I'll be a flat arsed bugger!!!!!!! Never heard that one before.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: MMario
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 01:51 PM

Hopeing someone has a tune for this that can be posted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Anglo
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 01:53 PM

Jack Elliott (of the Birtley clan) used to sing it. Perhaps in v.2 it should be the "sodden grass"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Forsh
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 02:34 PM

IT MAY WELL BE POSSIBLE, AS POINTED OUT, THAT V2 & V3 COULD WELL HAVE BEEN 'CORRUPTED'! ... THE BIRTLY CLAN YOU SAY? Hmm. tHE TUNE IS dE DEDEE DE DE DEE DE DAH, i THINK! :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 03:00 AM

I have it on the Jack Elliott of Birtley LP which was, I think, the first album on the Leader label.

Yes the tune is as you put it, but I only know that becuase I know it is ;-), not sure if I could make it out from your da dee's otherwise. I'm trying to recall if the tune also belongs to another better known song. Off to Sidmouth now so if nothing further is posted on the tune in a week's time I'll dog further.

I believe the late Jack Elliott of Birtley used to refer to himself as Stumbling Jack Elliott to distinguish himself from the American Rambling one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 05:19 AM

And the last line is "nor sing, ye flat-arsed bugger, sing" but I don't think it matters much.

This is one song my wife wouldn't let me play to the kids when they were younger. So Edain hasn't that as an excuse.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 05:53 AM

The actual title is "The Unlucky Duck" and began life as a piece of poetry found by Walter Toyne who passed it on to Jack Elliott of Birtley for him to put a tune to it. It is indeeed featured on the "Jack Elliott of Birtley" album which was one of the first recorded on the Leader label. There is also a last verse which goes:-

"I ask ye do you think he wad,
Even if the bugger could,
A duck gans quack, but divvint forget,
His backside's always soppin wet"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Forsh
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 12:05 PM

Many thanks to 'Santa' for correcting say ye to 'sing ye'.
Special thanks to Dave Shiel for the 'missing last verse' and the history of the song, BRILIANT!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 01:00 PM

Forsh, I'm not sure what you mean...
Are you saying your last verse should be this:

So when yus hear a duck gan 'quack',
divvunt huff nor torn y'back,
divvunt say 'ye geet fond thing',
nor sing 'ye flat arsed bugger, sing!'

Ya gotta be a bit less cryptic if you want us to make corrections. Any other corrections that should be made before I harvest this classic for the Digital Tradition?
Can anybody give us the dots for this one?
-Joe Offer [e-mail] -

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 01:22 PM

I'll put the tune up this weekend if noone else does. (I'm busy just now)

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Forsh
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 03:36 PM

Hi Joe Offer,
What I am saying is that yes, 'sing ye flat arsed bugger sing' is the correct ending for the verse I quoted as the last verse, HOWEVER, ..."I ask ye do you think he wad,
Even if the bugger could,
A duck gans quack, but divvint forget,
His backside's always soppin wet"
As quoted by Dave Sheil, is indeed the MISSING final Verse! I had forgotten that one! My dad, as I now recall (its been many years) did sing this verse, although he sang it thus: " de ye think the bugger wad, even if the bugger could? the duck gaans quack, but diant forget, his backside's always soppin wet.Here is the full, corrected thing, !! :

A spuggie chirppin' on the tiles,
nivvor suffors from the piles,
becos' there nivvor was one yet,
that got his backside soppin' wet.

The little duck that nivvor smiles,
has nee sutch luck he gets the piles
and when he flowts on watter blue,
the naggin' pain strikes thru & thru.

Noo how wad ye feel if y'arse,
was trailin' on the soddin' grass?
for when he's wa'kin rund and rund,
his backside's bobbin' on the grund.

Iv-orry (every) time he dips his heed,
t'get his neb doon t'the weed (!)
he cocks his little arse on high,
t'try an' get the bugger dry!

So when yus hear a duck gan 'quack',
divvunt huff nor torn y'back,
divvunt say 'ye geet fond thing',
nor sing 'ye flat arsed bugger, sing!

De ye think the bugger would?
Even if the bugger could,
A duck gans quack, but divvint forget,
His backside's always soppin wet"

(Chorus is a 'sing-back' of the last line of each verse).^^

I dunno the dots, or chords, anyway, Forsh1 used to always do it unaccompanied. Is there a way of sending wav files/mp3s on the forum?
could do it for you then!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 05:57 AM

As suggested earlier verses two and three are corrupted they are;-
"A litle duck whe nivvor smiles
Has nee such luck he gets the piles,
And when he's waaking roond and roond,
His backside's bobbin on the groond.

How wad you feel if your arse,
Was trailing on the soppin grass,
And when he flowts on watter blue,
The naggin pain strikes through and through"
it then follows naturally onto him diping for a weed.

The last verse is "I ask ye do ye think he wad.....

Good guess but I'm not Dave Shiel although I do come from South Shields

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Forsh
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 07:02 AM

Fair enough Dave S! South Shields Sand-Dancer, Eh? I'm from the Better Beach, (Whitley Bay) Now, for my sins, Blyth! My Dad Used to sing this song years ago, I did it to death back in the 80s, then forgot all about it. Thanks for the mind jogs!
Dave

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: GUEST,Malcolm
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 10:58 AM

I heard Jack sing this in the 60's but can't recall what the tune was.
Could he have used Nae Luck Aboot the Hoose or a variation thereof?
He was really good - I even travelled from Ashington to see him - I seem to recall him playing a mouth organ into a beer glass!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: Wheatman
Date: 10 Dec 15 - 02:43 AM

You will find the unlucky duck in Pete Wood's excellent book "the Elliotts of Birtley" along with the tadpoles (tune). Also featured are a great number of songs from the family. Sorry I haven't the skills to post the tune, a smashing song though. Gan canny

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 21 Aug 21 - 10:00 AM

just found this- it wwas one of the staple songs of Jim Boyles, Cumbrian accordion player & Sunderland resident. I think the tune was a variation on 'Merrily danced the Quaker's Wife'

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Little Duck (a nice Geordie song)
From: ketchdana
Date: 22 Aug 21 - 07:44 PM

Not that it makes any difference in how it sounds, but I think the punctuation of the end of that next to last verse should probably go:

    Divvunt say "Ye geet fond thing"
    nor "Sing, ye flat arsed bugger, sing!"

Forsh mentioned it in the post a few years back (01 Aug '03), but then it was never picked up, even in the 'corrected' version in the same post.