# Five Little Ducks

“Five Little Ducks” is an English-language counting song of unresolved origin, documented on Canadian singer Raffi’s 1982 album Rise and Shine.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Unknown |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | 1982 (commercial recording; song described as traditional) |
| Best for ages | 1–6 |
| Mood | counting, educational, playful |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-little-ducks/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Five little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,”
But only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,”
But only three little ducks came back.

Three little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,”
But only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,”
But only one little duck came back.

One little duck went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,”
But none of the five little ducks came back.

Sad mother duck went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,”
And all of the five little ducks came back.

### Verse 2 (en)

Five little ducks went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mamma duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!”
And only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mamma duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!”
And only three little ducks came back.

Three little ducks went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mamma duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!”
And only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mamma duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!”
And only one little duck came back.

One little duck went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mamma duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!”
And all her five little ducks came back.

## How to sing it

1. Hold up five fingers, then fold down one finger each time a duck fails to return.
2. Bring all five fingers back on the last line and finish with five soft “quacks”.

## Common questions

**Who wrote “Five Little Ducks”?**

No named writer is established. NorthSouth Books describes it as a traditional rhyme, and Raffi’s official album listing documents his recording on Rise and Shine in 1982.

**How old is the song?**

A secure early print source has not been traced. This page therefore gives 1982 as a documented recording date, not as the song’s date of composition.

**Why are there two endings?**

The first panel counts down to no ducks before a sad mother calls all five home. The supplied five-verse version returns all five immediately after the one-duck verse; the National Literacy Trust publishes that shorter ending too.

## Sources

- [Raffi — Rise and Shine album (1982)](https://raffistore.com/products/raffi-rise-and-shine-cd/)
- [Raffi — Rise and Shine official lyrics](https://raffinews.com/site20/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/rise_and_shine_lyrics.pdf)
- [NorthSouth Books — Five Little Ducks](https://northsouth.com/books/five-little-ducks/)
- [National Literacy Trust, Words for Life — Five Little Ducks](https://wordsforlife.org.uk/activities/sing-five-little-ducks-your-child/)