We have two versions of this song in the Digital Tradition. Vectis sang it at the singaround. Needs some research and refinement. Here are the DT lyrics.

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BRIGHT FINE GOLD

Bright fine gold
Bright fine gold
One-a-pecker, Tuapeka
Bright fine gold


Spend it in the winter, or die of the cold,
One-a-pecker, Tuapeka, bright fine gold


It cannot light a lantern, it cannot cure a pain,
But still we go on searching although we search in vain


Some are sons of fortune, and my man came to see,
But the riches of the river are not for such as we


I'm weary of Otago, I'm weary of the snow
Lord, let my man strike it rich, and then we can go

Notes:
The chorus is an adaptation of "One-a-penny, two-a-penny, hot cross buns"
Verses largely from Ruth Park's book "One-a-pecker, two-a-pecker"

This song originates in the winter of 1863 at Gabriel's Gully,
Lawrence, Otago west of Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island.
Temperatures were so low that goldminers' families frequently
found themselves sleeping in ice.

@Australian @mining
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BRIGHT, FINE GOLD

Bright, fine gold. Bright, fine gold.
Wangapeka, Tuapeka, bright, red gold.

Spend a day in the winter, or die of the cold.
Wangapeka, Tuapeka, bright, fine gold.
I'm weary of Otago. I'm weary of the snow.
If I should strike it rich, away I shall go.

Bright, fine gold. Bright, fine gold.
Wangapeka, Tuapeka, bright, red gold.

It cannot light a lantern. It cannot cure a pain.
But still I'll go on searching, although its all in vain.
I came to make my fortune, far across the sea,
but the riches in the river were not for such as me.

Bright, fine gold. Bright, fine gold.
Wangapeka, Tuapeka, bright, red gold.


RECORDINGS:
Phil Garland / Songs of Old New Zealand / Kiwi-Pacific 191 (NZ, 1986)
Gerry Hallom / A Run a Minute / Fellside 36 (UK, 1983)
The Cat's Been Spayed (group) / Down the Hall... / Kiwi-Pacific 231 (NZ, 1993)

COPYRIGHT: Trad / Park / Niland / Colquhoun / Garland

NOTES AND TERMS: Excerpts from album notes by Phil Garland: "Gold was
discovered in 1861 [in NZ] in the Wangapeka Valley... no sooner had this field
settled down, than the rush to... the Tuapeka district of Otago was on.
A large migration south began, giving rise to the chorus 'Gold, gold, fine
bright gold,Tuapeka, Wangapeka, bright red gold', the 'red' referring to the
gold-bearing quartz at Wangapeka, which had a reddish tinge. A variant of
this chorus has survived...[as] a children's skipping rhyme, sung to the tune
of 'Hot Cross Buns' and used as the title theme for a book 'One-A-Pecker, Two
-A-Pecker' by the Australian novelest, Ruth Park. The song, as it stands
today, is the perfect example of the creative folk process still at work,
adapting and gathering extra verses from Ruth Park, D'Arcy Niland, Neil
Colquhoun and others..."

@NewZealand @mining
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