The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168402 Message #4070792
Posted By: Stewie
04-Sep-20 - 07:50 PM
Thread Name: Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
I posted this fine song decades ago:
THE KELLY'S TURNING (Larry King)
We're meeting by the riggin' For the word has passed around We'll drink our spree on Texas tea So the drills are goin' down Men roll in from everywhere From France and England too Boomers and boll weevils that make up the drillin' crew
Chorus The kelly's turnin', the drill rod churnin' The metal burnin' as she breaks the hard rock floor Rough voices grumblin' The diesel's rumblin' The kelly fumblin' with the key to Satan's door
There's Hank and Mac and Paddy From across the sea they've come With Czechs and Swedes, all kinds o' breeds They share a common bond It's music in the air to men Followin' the call When high upon the christmas tree They hear the driller call
Chorusr
Devil's getting' angry There's a rumblin' in the well For men are cruel who steal the fuel That feeds the fires of hell His heart is big and black as soot And darker is his soul And when he cries, he fills the skies With tears as black as coal
Chorus
Well, now the drillin's ended So we'll pack our things and go We've drawn a million barrels From a thousand feet below So it's bound for eastern cities Our hard-earned cheques to spend On girls and grog and fancy krog Till the word goes out again
Chorus
We're meeting by the riggin' For the word has passed around We'll drink our spree on Texas tea So the drills are goin' down Men roll in from everywhere From France and England too Boomers and boll weevils that make up the drillin' crew
Chorus
Larry King and Alex Hood wrote 2 songs a night for Bill Peach's 'This Day Tonight' show, one of which was telecast. The pair undertook an Arts Council-sponsored tour of Australia as The Prodigal Sons and wrote many songs together. However, 'The Kelly's Turning' is a Larry King solo effort inspired by time spent with the oil rig workers in Exmouth, Western Australia. It is set to a Dutch traditional tune 'The windmill's turning'.
Scott Balfour of Alice Springs has recorded it on his excellent CD, 'Mother Land'.