The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168402   Message #4071711
Posted By: rich-joy
13-Sep-20 - 04:20 AM
Thread Name: Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
When you posted "On the Death of Harold Holt" by JS Manifold, Stewie, I had clean forgotten that it was already up on Paul's YT channel at his 15th National Folk Festival concert in Brisbane at Easter 1981 :))
(I said I thought I was going ga-ga :(

It was quite a few posts back, so I'll repeat the lyrics :


HAROLD HOLT***   
poem by John Streeter Manifold
music by Paul Oswald Lawler


Only a week before Christmas
The happiest day of the year
They held a wake for Harold Holt
And the big wig guests came here

Bonny Prince Charlie came o’er the sea
With Wilson who never smiles
And L B J from the U S A
And the king of the cannibal isles

Chaps from Siam and South Vietnam
And the Philippines too I think
Some for the sake of the free free world
And some for the free free drink

They made long speeches and shed loud tears
To propitiate Harold’s ghost
And the king of the cannibal isles got up
To propose a final toast

He said we have had such a splendid time
Such generous Christmas cheer
We hope you’ll be able to drown
A Prime Minister every year

***JSM’s title was “On the Death of Mr Holt”        

The track is at 12:55 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kGADIvdG_c


Cheers, R-J