The Winsome Waggish Warblers

From the 1910 young adult novel The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This vocal quartet is made of talking rabbits from the walled rabbit city of Bunnybury in the Land of Oz. They are a favorite of the King of Bunnybury.

Bunnybury also features a nearly 50-piece unnamed rabbit marching band, with gold instruments and uniforms; however the Royal Band of Whiskered Friskers is a actually a dance troupe, and not a musical group.

"Thank you," said the King; "thank you very much. And now you shall listen to the Winsome Waggish Warblers, who have often cheered me in my moments of anguish."

The Winsome Waggish Warblers proved to be a quartette of rabbit singers, two gentlemen and two lady rabbits. The gentlemen Warblers wore full-dress swallow-tailed suits of white satin, with pearls for buttons, while the lady Warblers were gowned in white satin dresses with long trails. The first song they sang began in this way:

"When a rabbit gets a habit
Of living in a city
And wearing clothes and furbelows
And jewels rare and pretty,
He scorns the Bun who has to run
And burrow in the ground
And pities those whose watchful foes
Are man and gun and hound.

Dorothy looked at the King when she heard this song and noticed that he seemed disturbed and ill at ease.

"I don't like that song" he said to the Warblers. "Give us something jolly and rollicking."

So they sang to a joyous, tinkling melody as follows:

"Bunnies gay
Delight to play
In their fairy town secure;

Ev'ry frisker
Flirts his whisker
At a pink-eyed girl demure.

Ev'ry maid
In silk arrayed
At her partner shyly glances,

Paws are grasped,
Waists are clasped
As they whirl in giddy dances.

Then together
Through the heather
'Neath the moonlight soft they stroll;

Each is very
Blithe and merry,
Gamboling with laughter droll.

Life is fun
To ev'ry one
Guarded by our magic charm

For to dangers
We are strangers,
Safe from any thought of harm

"You see," said Dorothy to the King, when the song ended, "the rabbits all seem to like Bunnybury except you. And I guess you 're the only one that ever has cried or was unhappy and wanted to get back to your muddy hole in the ground."

His Majesty seemed thoughtful, and while the servants passed around glasses of nectar and plates of frosted cakes their King was silent and a bit nervous.