G'day again Alison et al,
I suppose I should really have provided the tune of John's great song Bare-Legged Kate. Although John credits Bare Legged Joe as the source tune, my interpretation of his singing (and/or the way I sing the song!) has a few differences from his printed version, so I have based this MIDItext file (for those who still have Alan of Australia's MIDItext program - although no longer supported by Mudcat - so ignore the "download" info if you don't have it!… Anyway, it includes an ABC format component at the end of the MIDItext file) on the tune as I hear it … and suspect the tune in John's book may have been a straight lift of Bare Legged Joe from whatever songbook John consulted.
I have combined the beamed quavers ("eighth notes") in the third and eleventh bars to a single crotchet ("quarter note") to suit the phrasing of the song; switched the note values in the sixth bar for the same reason … and shortened all note values in the latter end of the irregular (5-bar) last line to make it a regular 4-bar line - that might be lengthened ad libitum … as and when appropriate.
I prefer to give the tune in its basic form - and allow the singer to ornament and interpret as suits.
MIDI file: barelegk.mid
Timebase: 240
TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Tempo: 128 (468750 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0000 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0168 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0168 1 57 080 0096 0 57 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0168 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0225 0 62 064 0135 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064
End
This program is worth the effort of learning it.
To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here
ABC format:
X:1
T:
M:2/4
Q:1/4=128
K:C
D4D2D2|D4^F2G2|A4^F2E2|D6^F2|G4^F4|E4E2E2|
E4^C4|A,6A,2|D4D4|D4^F2G2|A4^F2E2|D6^F2|G4E4|
^C4A,4|D6D2|D3||
More G'days: Kendall,
As Deckman notes, you (or the supervisor) have confused (at least) two different items. (We camped at) Lazy Harry's (on the road to Gundagai) is a well-known song in Australian "folk: circles ... but we had an interesting version collected in England, emerge on the Mudcat last year ... I'm still pondering the ins and outs of that version. Incidentally, my brother Eric was ferrying folklorist John Meredith about in the '60s and struck a bloke who gave a fairly believable account of being the son of the actual "Lazy Harry", the landlord in the song.
The poem on the base of the statue is a later, heavily sanitised, version of the tale of the bloody dog who shat in his master's tucker (food) box ... and has now made him a hero ... guarding the box! The old tale has a song form ... but I haven't heard a sung version of Jack Moses's prissy poem.
I'm sure all these have been well aired on Mudcat (maybe just before our "Burl" e-mailed me to ask why undagai turns up in so many old songs. I explained that the valley has prone to flooding and, back in the bullock-driving era, was notorious for leaving teamsters stranded for weeks ... even months. They had a lot of time to make up songs ... not always complimentary!
Regards,
Bob