G'day all,

I was trolling though this thread ... and all the variant derivations of "navvy" ... which we, in Australia understand to derive from its original meaning "(builder of ) inland navigations.

I got to wondering if I had ever posted a little ditty ... that survived into the mid 20th century as the core of a popular dance tune. Collector John Meredith, who grew up in Holbrook ... a largish 'bush' town in the Australian Riverina ... claimed the blokes would ask for it ( ... or else ... Ivan Skavinsky Kavar "... and dance around with silly smirks on their faces!".

Anyway, this is the lyric:

Navvy on the Line

I'm a nipper, I'm a ripper,
I'm a navvy on the line,
I get four and twenty bob a week
Besides me overtime.
All the ladies love the navvies
And the navvies love the fun,
There'll be plenty little babies
When the railway's done.

Some like the girls
Who are slender in the waist,
Others like the girl
Who are pretty in the face.
But give me the girl
Who'll take it in her fist
And shove it right home
Into the cuckoo's nest.

I do have a music program setting on my drive ... but not a MIDI. I can run one off at home ... and post it ... or supply the PDF of the music setting ...

Regard(les)s,

Bob

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Click to play (joeweb)