THE WOOL COMMANDEER
(George Meek w/Frank Fyfe t)

The commandeer is under way, and blimey what a fuss
The blinkin’ din and clatter sure would make a parson cuss
There's covees tearing up the floors and blokes in overalls
Slap-dapping cans of whitewash on the rafters and the walls

(Chorus)
Well it’s come from Haka Valley and it's come from Sunny Peak
It's come from up the river and down Waitaki Creek
She’s come from the back of nowhere up the wild McKenzie way
And a clip from Tipperary will get here any day

There's stackers swinging bale hooks and there's barrows shifting wool,
There's covees humping baskets, some half empty, some half full
There's classers squealing loudly for more bales of wool to class
And someone yelling,’Where do you want this wool from Dansey's Pass?’

Chorus

There's wool on every siding and there's wool on every street
There's wool on every lorry and every bus you meet
There's wool on every trailer and there's wool on every train
And the stock-and-station diggers have got it on the brain

Chorus

There's wool on every corner and there's wool on every floor
There's wool dumped in the basement and jammed behind the door
There's wool in the old dairy and there's wool down at the dump
There's wool in the old freezer and still more bales to hump

Chorus.

There's shaggy bales and baggy bales, there's fadges, sacks and bags
Thank heavens Wally Nash cut out the blinkin’, stinkin’ dags
There's belly wool and smelly wool and wool, well spare me days
And the old jumbuck that grew it, I'll swear's seen better days.

Chorus

In 1940, the New Zealand government decided to commandeer all available wool bales and store them for eventual use in the war effort. George Meek of Oamaru was amused by this huge stockpiling and subsequently wrote this ballad. It was set to music by Frank Fyfe.

Youtube clip

--Stewie.