what the duck?

[INTRO — LOOSE PIANO, DRIFTING BASS] I was pretty drunk. Not falling-down drunk. Just drunk enough to have a lot of ideas And not enough sense to do anything about them. [VERSE 1] Central Park, cold as hell, I had a little trouble feeling well. Walked in circles, talked to myself, Like a guy with a secret he forgot on a shelf. The city kept going, the night kept its pace, I had nowhere to be, nowhere to face. I wasn't looking for anything special— Then I sat down, tired, And saw those ducks in the middle of the pond. [VERSE 2] Now, I don't know if you ever thought about it, But where do the ducks go when the pond gets frozen? I mean, it's cold enough to crack your teeth, And the water's turning solid underneath. Do they fly south? Do they take a train? Do they have some place where they don't feel the pain? And why are they still here? Why don't they leave? Why do I care? Why can't I leave? [CHORUS — SOFT, ALMOST CHILDLIKE] What the duck? Where do they go? When the water turns to ice and the cold winds blow? What the duck? How do they know When to leave, when to stay, when to let go? They got each other. They got somewhere. I got a coat and a head full of air. What the duck? What the duck? [VERSE 3] Maybe they got a family, all lined up in a row, Little duck kids with their feet in the snow. Maybe the father knows a pond down south, Maybe the mother keeps the little ones warm. Maybe they all just follow the rest, Nobody's asking if the plan is the best. They just go together when the weather gets bad. That's pretty smart. That's what they have. [INSTRUMENTAL — GROOVE SETTLES, MUTED TRUMPET] [VERSE 4 — MORE FIXATED, DRUMS SPARSE] But what if they don't? What if they stay? What if the pond freezes solid one day? What if they wake up and the whole thing's gone? What if the place they depended on Isn't there anymore? What if the family gets split up? What if one little duck can't keep up? What if the mother looks back And the others are gone? What if nobody knows where to go? [CHORUS — FRAGILE, LESS RHYTHMIC] What the duck? Where do they go? When the water turns to ice and the cold winds blow? What the duck? How do they know When to leave, when to stay, when to let go? They got each other. They got somewhere. I got a coat and a head full of air. What the duck? What the duck? [VERSE 5 — EXPOSED, ALMOST SPOKEN] I guess I wanted somebody to tell me They'd be all right. That there's a place they go. That somebody knows. That they don't just disappear When the weather gets bad. I know it's a stupid thing to worry about. They're ducks. They've probably got it figured out. But I kept looking at them Like they might tell me something. Like if I watched long enough, I'd know what happens next. [OUTRO — BASS AND MUTED TRUMPET, LONG PAUSES] What the duck? Where do they go? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.