G'day again Mark,

You will note that the last chorus is different (and seems to have been put into lines differently by the scanner!).

I guess that, if your grandfather was a rabbit trapper, you would appreciate this song - from the viewpoint of the typical hard-working country rabbit trapper. It was collected in 1973 from Basil Cosgrove of Armidale, NSW, Australia, (also the source of some of my favourite schottisches and polkas) by Wendy Lowenstein and Dave de Hugard. I have Basil's original tune in Thérèse Radic's book Songs of Australian Working Life, Greenhouse Publications, Victoria, 1989, but I prefer the tune as it developed in Dave de Hugard's singing.

THE RABBIT-TRAPPER
Collected Wendy Lowenstein and Dave de Hugard. Arr. Dave de Hugard.

Well me traps are all a-jangle and in an easy swinging tangle
And I'm setting in a circle, keeping round a fringe of trees'
And I'm muck and gory splattered, and me clobber's torn and tattered,
But I'm carefree as those bunnies, 'til they fall for one of these;
And I'm under no man's orders and I recognise no borders;
But there's a welcome everywhere for me and my old dungarees.
I am a rabbit trapper and a canny bunny snapper,
And I whistle through the bushland, like the birds up in the trees.

(Whistled reprise of B part)
While you blokes are courting tabbies, well I'm out among the rabbies;
And I can hear 'em buckin', squealin', well, a dozen traps ahead,
While you blokes at the pub are flirtin', at the last trap I am certain
To be bagging up me bunnies, keeping tally as I tread.
(Instrumental reprise of B part)
Well, come on, my old cobber, we'll put on some decent clobber
And we'll leave the bunnies hoppin', and playin' in the trees (Hup, Ginger!)
We'll make the railway early; there's a shy and dinkum girlie
And she juggles with those cream cans, while she writes cheques out for me.
(Instrumental reprise of A part)

(Transcribed by Bob Bolton, with valuable assistance from Ralph Pride.)

MIDI file: RABBIT-T.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Tempo: 089 (666667 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0840 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 66 080 0144 0 66 064 0036 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 67 080 0048 0 67 064 0012 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 62 080 0288 0 62 064 0072 1 61 080 0048 0 61 064 0012 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0144 0 62 064 0036 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0144 0 67 064 0036 1 66 080 0048 0 66 064 0012 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 62 080 0288 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:4/4
Q:1/4=89
K:C
A15/2A/2|BAA^F/2E/2D^F3/2^F/2^F/2^F/2|EDDDB,A,2^F/2G/2|
AAAABA2^F/2^F/2|DD^CDE3A/2A/2|BAA^FED2^F/2^F/2|
EDD^CB,A,2^F/2^F/2|AAAABAG^F|GED^CD3^C/2D/2|
DEED^CA,2D/2D/2|DD^F^FED3/2A/2A/2A/2|BGGBA^F^FA|
ABA^FE3A|BAA^FD^F2^F/2^F/2|EDDDB,A,2^F/2^F/2|
AAAABAG3/2^F/2|GED^CD5/2||

Regards,

Bob Bolton
^^