Far from the trouble and toil of town, br Where the reed beds sweep and shiver, br Look at a fragment of velvet brown - br Old Man Platypus drifting down, br Drifting along the river. br br And he plays and dives in the river bends br In a style that is most elusive; br With few relations and fewer friends, br For Old Man Platypus descends br From a family most exclusive. br br He shares his burrow beneath the bank br With his wife and his son and daughter br At the roots of the reeds and the grasses rank; br And the bubbles show where our hero sank br To its entrance under water. br br Safe in their burrow below the falls br They live in a world of wonder, br Where no one visits and no one calls, br They sleep like little brown billiard balls br With their beaks tucked neatly under.