Joy Durst dots here

097 STRINGYBARK AND GREENHIDE

audio- Oz Folk Song a day

1. I sing of a commodity, it's one that will not fail yer,
I mean the common oddity, the mainstay of Australia;
Gold it is a precious thing, for commerce it increases,
But stringybark and greenhide can beat it all to pieces.

Chorus:
Singybark and greenhide, that will never fail yer,
Stringybark and greenhide, the mainstay of Australia.

2. If you travel on the road and chance to stick in Bargo,
To avoid a bad capsize you must unload your cargo,
For to pull your dray about I do not see the force on,
Take a bit of greenhide and hook another horse on.

3. If you chance to take a dray, and break your leader's traces,
Get a bit of greenhide to mend your broken places;
Greenhide is a useful thing, all that you require,
But stringybark's another thing, when you want a fire.

4. If you want to build a hut to keep out wind and weather,
Stringybark will make it snug and keep it well together;
Greenhide, if it's used by you, will make it all the stronger,
For if you tie it with greenhide it's sure to last the longer.

5. New-chums to this golden land, never dream of failure
While you've got such useful things as these in fair Australia,
For stringybark and greenhide will never, never fail yer,
Stringybark and greenhide is the mainstay of Australia.

Another beauty from Ron Edward's collecting, this time from Jock Dingwall in Cairns, recorded in April, 1965. Ron took these words from an undated Sydney Songster of the mid-19th century.

Recorded with 1890 tenor and 1853 bass Wheatstone concertinas.