“A shearer's song from the Forbes district, that drives on at the pace of a ringer [master shearer] on the long blow in a busy shed. The Ward and Paine's mentioned in the song are a brand of shears. Jackie Howe, likewise mentioned, shore 321 wethers at Alice Downs, Central Queensland, in 1892. His record stood until 1947, when Daniel Cooper shore 325 at Glenara, Langkoop, Victoria. The tune, best known in Australia in association with the words of The Shearer's Cook, is a Scottish melody sometimes called Musselburgh Fair (It also exists in America, as The Cruise of the Bigler).” A.L.Lloyd on : “The Old Bush Songs” sleeve notes.

LACHLAN TIGERS

Well, at each gate each shearer stood as the whistle loudly blew,
With eyebrows fixed and lips set tight and the tigers all fed too.
You can hear the clicking of the shears as through the wool they glide
And see the ringer already turned and on the whipping side.

A lot of Lachlan tigers, it's plain to see they are,
And the ringer goes on driving as he loudly calls for tar.
“Tar here, you dozy loafer,” and quick the tar boy flies,
“Broom here and sweep them locks away,” another loudly cries.

The scene it is a lively one and ought to be admired,
There's never been a better board since Jacky Howe expired.
Along the board the contractor walks, his face all in a frown,
And passing by the ringer he says, “My lad keep down.”

I mean to have those bellies off and topknots too likewise,
My eye is quick, so stop your tricks or from me you will fly.
My curse on that contractor by flaming day and night
To shear a decent tally here in vain I've often tried.

I have a pair of Ward and Paine's that are both bright and new,
I'll rig them up and let you see what I can really do.
For I've shore on the Bogan where they shear them by the score,
But such a terror as this to clip I've never saw before.

A lot of Lachlan tigers, it's plain to see they are,
And the ringer goes on driving as he loudly calls for tar.
The scene it is a lively one and ought to be admired,
There's never been a better board since Jacky Howe expired.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfZZSa0aEjM This is Gary Shearston in 1965 displaying his A.L.Lloyd vocal influence!, with Les Miller on banjo.


Ah, Folk in the 70s!! Here are the Bushwackers Band in London, 1977 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vhahHg0FNo
Yay! That’s Mick Slocum singing lead (and still singing I believe); Dobe Newton murdering the lagerphone with great energy and style; the lovely late Louis McManus Jnr on fiddle #1; ; must be Davey Kidd on fiddle #2;
Jan Wositsky on that dual bodhran – and bones (speaking of great energy and style!); leaving the late Pete Farndon on bass.
[ I’m relying on the Comments section of the clip + the website Roll of Renown, coz some players I don’t recognise …...]


Notes on Gary’s recording by Edgar Waters :
“LACHLAN TIGERS goes to the same tune as The Station Cook. It is a good tune, and it seems to have come from Scotland. It is one of the few Scottish folk-song tunes used in the bush. This version comes from A. L. Lloyd.
Jackie Howe was a famous shearer, in fact the most famous shearer of them all. He shore 321 sheep in one day in 1892, and his record stood until 1947.

gate - the gate of the pen in which sheep are held alongside each shearer's work place in the shed.
whistle - as a signal to begin or end work.
tigers - as in the common Australian colloquial phrase, "he's a tiger for work,' meaning a very hard and enthusiastic worker.
ringer - the fastest shearer in the shed.
whipping side: - the second side of the sheep to be shorn, after the finnicky work of shearing legs, head and so on was over.
tar - antiseptic used for cuts given sheep in shearing.
contractor - shearers are not generally employed directly by the stations, hut by a middleman who contracts with the stations to see that their sheep are shorn.
topknots - the wool on the head of the sheep.
Ward and Paine's - a brand of shears.
Bogan - river in western New South Wales.”


R-J