Thanks for the additional information; "The Lincolnshire Poacher" rings true.

I don't think "Little Beggarman/Red-Haired Boy" works at all, at least in terms of how I've heard it sung.

The old Australian poem I've adapted for singing is by Edwin J. Brady and is titled "Laying on the Screw," a stevedore tribute and it may be heard as a MP3 sample on my website: Click here for MP3 and lyrics

Cheerily,
Charley Noble