Once there was a swallow
And her birdies three
Birdies three, a la volette
And her birdie three

They were all so eager
To be on their own
On their own, a la volette
To be on their own

Said the anxious mother
"You can barely fly"
Barely fly, a la volette
You can barely fly

But they would not listen
And they flew away
Flew away, a la volette
And they flew away

To the woods they wandered
Singing merrily
Merrily, a la volette
Singing merrily

A hungry fox was waiting
And he gobbled them up
Gobbled them up, a la volette
And he gobbled them up