Counting Feathers Al Simmons

While camping at Caddy Lake Manitoba my sons started finding feathers and giving them to me. I put them in my hat and through my buttonholes. I then started to speculate on where the feathers came from. I wrote the song, which was to become a video and a book.

I think I’ll fetch my feather collection

For an annual inspection

Line them up and organize

Sort them out - by shape and size

Catalogue and index

Which comes first and what comes next

F#7 Eb EDim7

I'm counting feathers one by one.

Bb G7

Counting feathers I’ve just begun.

Pile them up in stacks of ten,

This one a goose, that one a hen.

Here's the first ever feather I found

I was on my way; it was on the ground.

Must be from the tail of a sparrow.

It's grey and brown and short and narrow,

This one fell off a jay in a tree,

Seemed like she wanted to give it to me.

I'm counting feathers two by two.

I've got so many more to do,

I bet you I could fill up a truck,

This one’s a duck, it brings me good luck

Here's one from my window sill,

I think it's from a whip-poor-will.

This one fell from a grouse in flight,

And that one fell from a pillow fight.

I over heard a seagull screech,

And found this lying on the beach.

I'm counting feathers three by three

Owl, eagle, chickadee,

Swallow, gross beak, raven, wren,

Blue bird, black bird, ptarmigan.

The black one blew off a crow in a storm,

I hope it can manage to keep it self warm.

The white one's from the caboose of a goose,

It was scratching it self when it came loose.

While I was reading the newspaper page,

I found this one in the parakeet cage.

I'm counting feathers four by fours,

I never took a feather from a birdie by force.

They fell off when the birds were, molting

Or killed by cats, how revolting!

Close the door, because a sudden breeze

Will blow them away, oh I’m gonna sneeze

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah-chew!!

I'll count my feathers over again. Pile them up in stacks of ten,

The ostrich and peacocks,

Why didn't I Collect Rocks?