"Round the World with the Rubber Duck" is the 1976

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

performed by

C.W. McCall William Dale Fries Jr. (November 15, 1928 – April 1, 2022) was an American advertising executive and spoken word artist who won several Clio Awards for his advertising campaigns. He is best known for his character C. W. McCall, a truck-drivi ...

(pseudonym of Bill Fries) that was the sequel to the similar

truck-driving country Truck-driving country is a subgenre of country and western music. It is characterized by lyrical content about trucks (i.e. commercial vehicles, not pick-up trucks), truck drivers or truckers, and the trucking industry experience. This includes, f ...

hit, "

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

". This track was not as popular as its predecessor.

Content

The song continues the story about the fictitious truck

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

from the song "

". The truckers cross to Europe ("there ain't no way out 'cept for that one Atlantic Ocean") and travel through several countries including Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and Japan. At the end of the song, there is also a reference to Australia ("Ah, ten-four, Pig Pen, what's your twenty? Australia? Mercy sakes, ain't nothin' down there but Tasmanian devils and them cue-walla bears."). The lyrics consist of different types of interspersed dialog including simulated CB conversations with

CB slang CB slang is the distinctive anti-language, argot or cant which developed among users of Citizens Band radio (CB), especially truck drivers in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. The slang itself is not only cyclical, but also geog ...

and the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

sung with a

pirate accent In English-speaking popular culture, the modern pirate stereotype owes its attributes mostly to the imagined tradition of the 18th century Caribbean pirate sailing off the Spanish Main and to such celebrated 20th century depictions as Cap ...

and self-mocking background vocals ("Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, This is"). The song's CB dialog includes parodied British, German, Russian, and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

accents, with typically mispronounced words.

Chart performance

References and notes

1976 singles C. W. McCall songs Novelty songs Sequel songs 1976 songs Citizens band radio in popular culture Songs about truck driving Polydor Records singles {{1970s-single-stub