The listener first hears the tune a long way off ad may wonder at the strange sounds that start long before the music: snapping of fingers, clapping of hands in various rhythms, stomping of feet. The rhythms grow in complexity as more and more kender join in. Some kender hum against their hands, which are formed into hollow fists, adding a different resonance to the singing, or whip their hoopaks through the air. A few blow against a range, limited to five or six notes, but kender like to add their haunting hoots to their march.

The first part, sung by those who do not whistle well or whistled by those who do not desire to sing, is a round of sixteen measures. The second voice enters with the initial melody after the first four measures. The two play follow-the-leader until the first repeat sing, where the first voice usually begins the round again.

The next part comes at Measure 17 and, as with the round, is repeated as many times as the kender wish. Octave echoes such as those oin Measures 26 and 29 are repeated many times from opposite sides of the company as the march progresses. Often everything except the cadence and these echoes stops while the kender delight in answering one another in as many varied voices they can devise. After they tire of this, the melody resumes from Measure 30. The empty measure at the end of the piece is intentional because this march essentially never ends. Kender only suspend it until the the next time they take the road. And, since kender are always taking the road, this march is often hear.