A Funny Aussie Song - help!

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 17 Nov 98 - 04:34 AM

Man thanks to you all - Bob, alison, Alan of Australia and Lyndan,- for your help here. I'd love to come back for a trip, but I'm in British Columbia, ten thousand miles away! I was verry sorry to hear about Declan. I recall him as a bit of a lad with the booze, as many of us were in those far-off days, which I spent working at Tooth's Brewery with all the other immigrants, on the crisis phones at the Wayside Chapel, arguing with John Webster and singing in whatever clubs were around. I'll certainly give Bernard Bolan a bell and get the words and the CD's. Jon the offsider

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: alison
Date: 17 Nov 98 - 12:59 AM

Hi Lyndan,

Welcome aboard. see you at the Dog, don't forget your bodhran!

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Lyndan
Date: 16 Nov 98 - 06:53 PM

Hello Jon, Bob, Alison, Alan Why weren't most of you at the 3 weeds the other night watching Bernard and Jeremy? (excuses excuses)( see you at the dog in a fortnight) Jon is forgiven, seeing he is probably from overseas somewhere. Jon..... the last verse of The Rose Bay Ferry has recently been adapted to have a shot at an abominable building which is purple and obscures part of our beloved Opera House.It goes But now a left turn is right today, Mr. Nicholson Trouble in town you see. Give three cheers, we're brave buccaneers
The saviours of Circular Quay!
With patch on eye and brollies to the sky Every polli (pollitician) from this folly must flee With knuckles and chuckles we'll swash their buckles If they bugger up Circular Quay Then we'll heave 2 (or 3 ) at Circular Quay

I entered this discussion, Bob, because Bernard did get his e-mail from you but couldn't work out were to go from there...... so hello.

So Jon..... if you want words to The Head and you feel so inclined please mail Bernard at [e-mail] He is still touring but will reply eventually Lyndan

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Nov 98 - 12:55 AM

G'day again Jon,

I should have given more on the singers. I have not heard anything for a decade of Mike Ives(?) prominent in running folk club in the '60s - when I was working on the Tasmanian Hydro and the Snowy Mts Scheme.

Declan Affley died of a heart attack about 1984 (much too bloody young ... but drink was a powerful secondary factor!). Declan never recoreded much in his own right but a group got together as much as they could lay their hands on and produced a memorial LP ~ 1986 for which I created a cover, using a high contrast derivation of a photograph I took of Declan, fresh back from Ireland at the 1972 National Folk Festival.

Glad you enjoyed them while they were here!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 11:43 PM

G'day,
Bernard's song usually do work well, no matter how offbeat the subject.

I haven't come across Mike Evans, Declan is no longer with us unfortunately, he was a great performer. There is a posthumous LP, I'm not sure of its availability.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 04:53 PM

G'day Jon,

You did not imagine it ... that was another of Bernard's charming litle ditties: "The Head". I think it was all catharsis, Bernard getting his northern English background out of his system.

If you follow the URL posted above by Helen,
(< http://www.ozemail.com.au/~bolan/ >)
you will find his own site and information on his two new CDs (which mostly contain his old favourites dating back as far as ~ 1970. Just remember to take the folksinger path ... not the lawyer one.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 04:18 AM

G'day - Many thanks to all for this - I didn't know the song had become that popular. I remember another about a fella sticking his head in a new elevator, which promptly chopped it off, it dropping into the hands of another fella on his way up to the bank on the top floor to make his monthly payment and a third fella saying, "I know they say get ahead with your mortgage, but this is ridiculous". This sounds more like a nightmare than a song but it worked very well. Two other singers around when I was around were Mike Eves and Declan Affley. Do those names ring any bells with anyone? Jon the offsider

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 01:35 AM

G'day Alan,

OK ... so I was showing undue optimism ... perhaps it will amuse out learned friend when he returns to the legal practice.

regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 10 Nov 98 - 07:29 AM

G'day, Here it is:-

The Rose Bay Ferry

by Bernard Bolan

Every morning at eight twenty-five
Down to the Rose Bay wharf I drive
Park my Humber underneath a tree
Hop along the gangplank and then I'm free
Free says you well how can that be
When we only finish up at Circular Quay
So Doubting Tom I shall explain
When I get on board I sing this sweet refrain.

Where are we going today Mr. Nicholson
Where is it going to be
Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour
And out to the open sea
Throw away your compass, right hand down
And it's out through the heads we'll go
Yo ho lads be merry on the Rose Bay Ferry
If we run out of petrol we'll row yo ho
If we run out of petrol we'll row.

Monday Java, Tuesday Spain
Wednesday it's Tokyo and back again
The only trouble is there isn't any Gents
But what do you want for 20 cents
Off with me raincoat and me woolly vest
See the naked ladies on my chest
Today is Friday so hold on tight
For we're off to Trinidad and back tonight

Where are we going today Mr. Nicholson
Where is it going to be
Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour
And out to the open sea
Pull up the anchor, pull your finger out
And wave goodbye to your home
We're off to Nantucket so give that man a bucket
It's choppy when you're out on the foam heave ho
It's choppy when you're out on the foam.

Now sometimes if I get up late
I only reach the jetty at half past eight
But that doesn't ruin my world wide trip
'Cause the eight thirty-seven is a battleship
Off on the dot with our guns on high
Mince up Manly as we pass by
We need another rocket so pop upstairs
You can get them from the chappy who collects the fairs

Where are we going today Mr. Nicholson
Where is it going to be
Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour
And out to the open sea
'Cause though we look like dudes and doctors
At heart we are men of the sea
Yo ho lads be merry on the Rose Bay Ferry
Until we get to Circular Quay you see
We finish up at Circular Quay

Cheers,
Alan

PS Bob, it's hard enough getting Bernard to check his emails at the best of times, but while he's on tour for the next few weeks, good luck waiting for a reply!

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 10 Nov 98 - 04:47 AM

Now now Ana! You don't really want to start a trans Tasman war do you???

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Ana
Date: 10 Nov 98 - 01:06 AM

I thought all Aussie songs were funny. ooops! but then I'm a NZer (sorry, I didn't really mean it- it just kind of slipped out)........

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 09 Nov 98 - 04:56 PM

G'day all,

Oh the joys of the electronic village! I popped a transcript of this thread onto Bernard's email and I'll see what he replies about finding the words.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: alison
Date: 09 Nov 98 - 03:41 PM

Hi,

It is called "the Rose Bay Ferry" I'm sure someone will have the lyrics, probably pinched off a CD. I know "Basingstoke" is on the Net. Good song about a cat falling in the fire.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Nov 98 - 09:49 PM

*thought there was a thread about this awhile back...but my search doesn't seem to find it...Didn't someone post lyrics to an Aussie ferry song??

Subject: RE: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Helen
Date: 05 Nov 98 - 04:54 AM

Hiya Jon It was Bernard Bolan's song. I saw him perform about a year ago at Newcastle (NSW, OZ) Folk Club, but I don't know his songs at all really. I cheated and did an internet search. Unfortunately I didn't find any lyrics but I found a couple of sites about him:

http://www.iq.com.au/~bolan/ (his own site)

"Bernard became famous in the 1970’s when his single The Rose Bay Ferry reached Number One on the Australian Top 40 Charts. He then produced 3 best selling albums. http://www.comu.net.au/clubs/gamc/july98.htm A Gippsland site advertising one of his concerts.

I went to the Elizabeth Hotel once. I wasn't living in Sydney so it was only once.

Helen

Subject: A Funny Aussie Song - help!
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 05 Nov 98 - 04:35 AM

This song I heard in Australia in early 70's, and the writer, who used to sing around the clubs in Sydney (Pact, Sydney Folk Club at the Elizabeth Hotel, etc.) made a slew of very funny songs. This one (?"The Rose Bay Ferry")has the chorus: Where are we going today, Mr. Nicholson/Where is it going to be?/Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour/And out to the open sea./Throw away your compass, throw away your log/And it's out through the Heads we'll go/O we're oh, so merry on the Rose Bay Ferry/When we run out of petrol we will row, row, row/When we run out of petrol we will row." Does anybody know who made it and where I can get the words to this and other of his songs? Jon the offsider