Some people enjoy Bach’s majestic fugues, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas. Others can’t get enough of John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Ennico Moricone. A few poor souls are even attracted to the insipid lyrics and uninspired tunes of “musicians” like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, or BTS. 

For me, however, it’s “The Duck Song.” 

For those who have never yet been exposed to Bryant Oden’s lyrical magic — and I really must offer you my sincerest condolences — the animated version of the original “The Duck Song” first dropped on March 23, 2009. 

It tells an old story: simple, but profound. Much like life itself, the song is repetitive — at times a little dull — mundane, and occasionally humorous. If I were into moralizing, I’d say that it’s an excellent illustration of steadfastness and perseverance in the face of adversity (but I’m not, so I won’t). 

Every day, a duck walks up to a lemonade stand and asks its proprietor if he has any grapes. Every day, the man running the stand tells the duck “no,” usually with a rhyme that would put William McGonagall to shame. As the duck frequents the stand more and more, the man becomes increasingly irritated until he finally threatens to glue the duck to a tree if he keeps asking for grapes. Of course, the duck comes back the following day and asks if the man has any glue. On being told “no,” he proceeds to ask the man, “Got any grapes?” 

Oden released a sequel, “The Duck Song 2” in November 2009 and “The Duck Song 3” in April 2010. Then the world waited in silence for 14 years. I spent much of that time clicking refresh on Mr. Oden’s YouTube page, just waiting for another release. Children were born, grew up, got old, and I kept vigil with the rest of humankind, patiently waiting for the promised day.

Then, the light broke into my little world when “The Duck Song 4” premiered on March 23, 2024. It was everything I’d dreamed of. Musically speaking, it’s more complex than Duck Songs 1 and 2. “The Duck Song 3” holds a special place in my heart, so I’ll just say that comparing Duck Songs 3 and 4 is like comparing apples and green apples. 

As a sequel to a trilogy, “The Duck Song 4” has to live up to quite a legacy. It does this flawlessly. “The Duck Song 4” contains the perfect blend of nostalgia and self-sufficiency: while the experience is far, far enhanced if you know the first three, I’d wager even those who have never encountered the duck asking for grapes before will be able to follow the story with ease. And in terms of puns, it’s the most edgy yet: parents should be advised in sharing this song with their children. To be clear, however, I’m not condemning “The Duck Song 4” — after all, what is art if it doesn’t hazard something? And where else do you encounter hazard but on the edge? And how shall you approach the edge without being at least somewhat edgy?

You are, of course, permitted to question my taste, sanity, and good judgment. But whether you ultimately agree with me or not, I urge you — go listen to “The Duck Song 4.” Permit yourself to be entranced by the magnificence of the animation, the piquancy of the wordplay, the splendorous yet seductive simplicity of the G-C-D chord progression. Let the duck, like Virgil in Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” be your guide — lean into the quotidian but sempiternal question of whether the man at the lemonade stand has any grapes. Consider the irritation of the man at the stand and ask yourself if the wrath of Achilles is really that much more disastrous. Admire the cunning of the duck’s questioning — was Socrates so very different? 

Then, when you have been educated, leave the ivory tower of song and ask yourself one question: “Got any grapes?”