Thanks, Sandra.

THE BALLAD OF LES DARCY
(Clem Parkinson)

In the early 1900s in Maitland New South Wales
The legend of Les Darcy first began
While working as a blacksmith he became as tough as nails
At sixteen worked as hard as any man

His folks were mighty poor and they struggled to exist
Young Darcy was the family’s sole support
In time the prize ring beckoned to that young man’s mighty fist
People came from miles when Darcy fought

The magic of his gloves set the boxing world ablaze
The crowd went wild with every victory
But he didn’t fight for glory and he didn’t fight for fame
But to keep his family free from poverty

Europe plays with war and by nineteen seventeen
Countless lives had perished in the mud
There had to be more fodder for the hungry war machine
Youth must be prepared to shed its blood

But Darcy slipped away in defiance of the law
To seek the title in the USA
He rejected king and empire, he loved his family more
But he little knew the price he’d have to pay

Bewildered and alone in a strange and foreign land
Hounded by a vicious press campaign
He was branded as a slacker, from the prize ring he was banned
And his health became affected by the strain

In Memphis Tennessee at the age of twenty one
Rejected and alone he passed away
Now the people mourn the passing of this fine Australian son
And we think of him with reverence today

Another fine song that I first heard on Ian White's 'Songs From a Busker's Bag'. Wongawilli have recorded an excellent rendition:

Youtube clip

The Maitland Wonder

--Stewie.