This song has come up in Mark Campbell's discussions of various Celtic derived Australian song tunes. The grand old singer 'Duke' Tritton (1888 – 1965) sang this one and it is obviously a bullockdriver's song, derived from the English Music Hall song The Knickerbocker Line (of which another lovely old Australian singer Sally Sloane (1894 – 1982) sang a version). Other links in the tune are to Musselborough Fair and the American Cruise of the Bigler (both mentioned by AL Lloyd).

This is sung in a 6/8 time, like Knickerbocker Line, but the tune also turns up in 2/4 as the well known Australian shearer's song Lachlan Tigers and the lesser known The Shearers' Cook or Towlers Bay.

This song purports to be sung by the bullocky's girlfriend, boasting about his amorous exploits (including those with other girls!). I think we can safely assume he is just kidding himself! The description in the second line is of the very beau ideal of a flash colonial lad: with a red Crimea shirt (liberated from the Army?), trousers of warm English fustian – in gleaming white and a tough woven hat of local cabbage tree palm (costing up to 10 pounds, handmade, at the turn of the century).

Regards,

Bob Bolton

The Great Northern Line


My love he is a teamster, a handsome man is he,
Red shirt. white moleskin trousers, and hat of cabbage-tree;
He drives a team of bullocks and whether it's wet or fine,
You will hear his whip a'cracking on the Great Northern Line.

Chorus;
Watch him, pipe him twig him how he goes,
With his little team of bullocks he cuts no dirty shows;
He's one of the flash young carriers that on the road do shine,
With his little team of bullocks on the Great Northern Line.

And when he swings the greenhide he raises skin and hair,
His bullocks all have shrivelled horns, for Lordy he can swear;
But I will always love him, this splendid man of mine,
With his little team of bullocks on the Great Northern Line.

When he bogged at Mundowie and the bullocks took the yoke,
They strained with bellies on the ground until the bar chain broke;
He fixed it up with fencing wire and brought wool from Bundamine,
With his little team of bullocks on the Great Northern Line.

When he comes into Tamworth you will hear the ladies sigh,
And parents guard their daughters for he has a roving eye;
But he signals with his bullock whip as he comes through the pine,
With his little team of bullocks on the Great Northern Line.

Singabout #4, v.4, p7, 1962

Here is the tune, decoded from Alan of Oz's MIDIText format:

---

Click to play

To play or display ABC tunes, try concertina.net

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:6/8
Q:1/4=180
K:C
F5G|A2AA2A|A2AA2A|G2GG2E|C5E|G2GG2G|G3G2G|
D2EF2G|A5E|D2EF2G|A3d2d|cc^AA2G|c3D2E|F2FE2F|
D2DF2G|A2AG2E|D6|A3A3|A3A3|G2GG2E|C5C|G2GG2G|
G2GGGG|DDEF2G|A6|D2EFFG|A3d2d|cc^AA2G|c3D2E|
F2FE2F|D2DF2G|A2AG2E|D19/8||