G'day Susanne,

Here are the original published words of the Ben Hall Song that Martyn sings on your recording. I can't do any MIDI/ABC of the two different tunes until I finally get my home computer back from its ill-starred update. Reading (and typing) the words, I realise that my own version differs slightly from both versions.

DUNN, GILBERT AND BEN HALL
(John Manifold composite)

Come all you sons of liberty and listen to my tale
A story of bushranging days I will to you unveil.
'Tis of those valiant heroes, God bless them one and all!
We'll sit and sing: 'God save the King, Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall.'

Ben Hall he was a squatter, and he owned six hundred head;
A peaceful, quiet man was he until he met Sir Fred.
The troopers burned his homestead down, his cattle perished all.
'I've all my sentence yet to earn, was the word of brave Ben Hall.

John Gilbert was a flash cove, and young O'Meally too,
With Ben and Bourke and Dunn and Vane they all were comrades true.
They bailed the Carcoar mailcoach up and made the troopers crawl.
There's a thousand pound set on the heads of Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall

From Bathurst down to Goulburn town they made the coaches stand,
While far behind, Sir Frederick's men were labouring thro' the land
Then at Canowindra's best hotel they gave a public ball:
We don't hurt them that don't hurt us, says Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall.

They held the Gold Commissioner to ransom on the spot ,
But young John Vane surrendered after Micky Bourke was shot.
O'Meally at Goimbla did like a hero fall;
But 'We'll take the country over yet,' says Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall.

They never robbed a needy man, the records go to show,
Though staunch and loyal to their mates, unflinching(*) to the foe;
So we'll drink a toast tonight, my lads, their memories to recall.
Let us sit and sing: 'God save the King, Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall!'

Australian folklorist John Manifold made a workable set of words from a composite of words collected by the poet A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson (published in 'Old Bush Songs' c. 1905) and another song in Frank Clune's book 'Wild Colonial Boys'. In his 'The Penguin Australian Songbook', North Blackburn, Victoria, 1964, he gives two tunes from 1,000 miles apart.

The tune Martyn probably uses (as far as I remember - I last heard him sing this about 1979) is from two people in Wynnum, north of Brisbane and 500 miles NNE of Forbes, where Hall was shot. The second tune is from a man living on King Island, Bass Strait - 500 miles SSW of Forbes! Martyn's tune is probably 'The Airy Bachelor' or 'The Black Horse' and the second tune is one of those for '(Rise Up Now,) William Riley'.

The words appear to date from the re-formation of the gang, when Dunn joined Gilbert and Hall, in May 1864 and the shooting of Hall in May 1865

Goimbla is indeed the place where O'Meally was shot but I can't locate it on a detailed map of the Forbes area. There is a Conimbla National Park, which contains a cave said to have been used as a hideout by Ben Hall (what cave wasn't - or doesn't lay the claim?). It could be that both words are attempts at pronouncing an Aboriginal name for the locality.

I have given the words exactly as published by Manifold but Martyn's words probably differ in places since he seems to have relied on memory, not books or notes - thus keeping the folk processes aboil!

Regards,

Bob Bolton