FAWM: "Catterel"

Catterel

Liner Notes

Thanks @carleybaer for another great #badsongclub prompt: Ducks in a row. I wrote a bunch of doggerel but to be contrary, and to meet the week 1 challenge, I entitled it Catterel. The instrument I am playing is my Peter Cox built 5 string baritone uke. #folk #fuc #acousticonetake

Lyrics

Catterel (c) Sean McGaughey Feb. 2, 2026 FAWM 03 Bad Song Club: (Ducks in a Row)

A section A cat is in a box Or is it in the bag? One has got my tongue Some are falling with the rain

B Section Dogs are falling with them I'm sleeping in the doghouse The dog is with a pony Dancing on a stage.

A My ducks are in a row Kids are in the Candy Store Working at the counter for minimum wage

B Fish are in a barrel Over Niagara Falls Itsy Bitsy Spiders Are crawling up the wallls

A Worms are in a can Bats are in the belfry Workers walk the Line Standing up to the man

B Wolves are wearing sheepskin boots Bulls are in the China Shop CEOs are at the trough With the pigs and politicians

A Monkey's on the bed Squirrels in my head Butterflies in my tum Now my song is done

Comments

@wynia 1w

Maybe I need to take your advice that one take is all it takes…everything I do ends up a…production (probably to hide insecurity haha). Anyways! This was very endearing and at the same time makes you think! The pig imagery of CEOs and politicians - how true!

@guatecoop 1w

Haha….one take is all it takes?!?! Ha, I wish I could pull off something like this….how fun and your lyrics are perfect for this super catchy song! Very well done!

@janeg 1w

Nothing like a bad song to make me smile!

@mtanguay 2w

Fun and light, until it, collectively, hits a nerve. Bam! Classic Sean.

@candle 2w

This is so much fun! It work well as a children's song. I quite enjoyed it.

See You In The Shadows…

@tcelliott 2w

Catchy melody, you got me wanting to sing along. I'd say whimsey, but we all need a bit of whimsey to make the daily drudgery bearable, eh? Love the "pigs and politicians" line.

@zecoopMod 2w

Oh man, this is so much fun! This is truly a singalong song for a crowd to sing with you. Clever lyrics and you deliver them so well. That uke sounds great too. Totally nailed this challenge! Wonderful.

@porrectus 2w

Great sounding uke, I've never heard of those before, though it stands to reason. I really like how the lyrics sort of roll together. Really great song.

@philkmills 2w

A bright, pleasant song that's like someone thinking aloud: "I started with cats and now I'm at butterflies. How did I get here?"

@chill4matt 2w

Enjoying your energy here. I guess elementary teaching is just as much a part of you as anything else. Very creative!

@summershere 2w

I can imagine this going down really well with kids, doing all the actions of all the animals. Such an original idea and it's a good song. So clever.

@jmcdaid 2w

So clever. Absurd linkages and delightfully tortured phrases. Particularly love "Fish are in a barrel / Over Niagara Falls / Itsy Bitsy Spiders / Are crawling up the wallls" Really fun listen.

@jerrypettit 2w

Enjoying your vocal on this a LOT! Great job! ❤️

@cts 3w

Excellent turn on waxing familiar turns of phrase. And you know I will never, EVER get tired of your intro dude. This made me smile wide!

@joshalmond 3w

Cheers! Great tune with excellent animals! One Take Sean!

@websheldon 3w

Love this - it's so lighthearted, fun, and sporadic in its direction but the words follow on, linked to each other too, in a "adventureland of thoughts but everything is alright at the same time" - I was smiling all the way through! Thanks for that!

@coolparadisoMod 3w

Yup had a trying day and this lightened it up. Really made me smile. Thx

@b3nut 3w

OK Sean I'm sitting here grinning like a damned idiot. This is a hoot! Wolves wearing sheepskin boots is freaking brilliant. And I wrote an entire song about squirrels in my head some years ago...can relate...hehe! Good work man! 😀

@anthonykapfer 3w

this is a lot of fun! the use sounds so cool. it makes the song even more quirky. i like the lyrics. you did a nice job stringing together all those idioms