This song can be variously arranged. In general the second voice can be replaced by an instrument, and the publisher is offering an arrangement for male choir (accompanied). I encourage an absurd camped-up operatic rendering -- though that can't be achieved in my computer playbacks. In my recording I have had to use choir sounds rather than solo voices, owing to the lack of suitable sound samples. The accompaniment used in my recording is not a zither as some people have thought, but instrument 88 from the standard General MIDI set, which is described as "Synth lead 8 (bass & lead)". This or an electric guitar would be particularly suitable where a stronger sound is required to balance with a choir; to my ears a piano, although workable, is a bit bland.
I wrote this song to entertain a Re-evaluation Counselling group who wanted something light-hearted and positive in spirit. At the time I was studying at Exeter University and staying in a student residence at the top of a little west-draining valley on the campus. The stream in this little valley had been formed into a series of artificial ponds which were frequented by ducks (and other waterfowl), whose antics caused me much amusement. The valley scooped up and channelled gales from a westerly point, giving the copse at the top, in which my residence nestled, a noisy buffetting, occasionally blowing over the odd tree. The song captures some of that experience in a light-hearted way...
The song's text is as follows:
- A pillowful of feathers falling, falling, flapping, flapping,
- flapping in the weathers; the flipping flapping weathers ...(repeat)
- A ragged twirly whirlwind of falling, falling autumn leaves
- scurries with the wild-eyed sky of autumn gales.
- The mallard ducks have had their quacklings
- long ago upon the tinkly ripply waters
and still are quacking, quack-quack quacking.- And now into the ragged autumn gales are flapping, flapping, squawking,
- squawking through the flippety flappety floppety tinkelly rippelly leafety raggedy quackety flip flop weathers.
- The branches of the trees among the falling leaves are sighing, sighing, sighing.
- And the waving of the ragged twirly trees
- like a pillowful of feathers falling, falling,
- flapping in the weathers;
- The flipping flapping weathers; flipping flapping weathers; flipping flapping weathers;
- Flapping in the quackely squackely flip-flap flup-flop weathers.
