bbc asked, in another thread for Aussie songs about animals. I figure this includes birds (and fish), so here this one is.

THE LITTLE SPARROW
Music: John Meredith
Words: Launcelot Harrison ("The Perfesser and Alter Ego, Esquire")

There was a little sparrow,
And he was out of work;
So he put his bluey on his back
And he set off for Bourke.
He walked till he had bunions,
Then thought he would enquire,
But found that he had only got
As far as Nevertire.

He was hungry and so weary
He could hardly draw a leg,
When suddenly along the track,
He found an emu egg.
He boiled it in his billy can,
And chuckled in his glee,
While by his Waterbury watch,
He counted minutes three.

And when the minutes three were gone,
He thought it time to stop.
He took his little tomahawk
And he cut off the top.
'Twas a pity that he boiled it,
'Twould have been much better fried,
For, as he stooped to sup it up,
He tumbled down inside.

And when he fell inside the egg,
He to his sorrow found -
Three minutes wasn't long enough
And the poor little chap was drowned.
The moral to this story is;
If emu eggs you seek
For supper, you should take great care
To boil them for a week.

This was written by a note scientist and ornithologist of his day – who wrote children's poems about Australian birds and animals (with a scientific truth embedded in their humour) – and set to music by Australian folklorist John Meredith, some time in the 1950s.^^

Here is John's tune, in MIDItext format:

MIDI file: lsparrow.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Tempo: 100 (600000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0360 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0168 1 67 080 0048 0 67 064 0012 1 67 080 0048 0 67 064 0012 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0168 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0168 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:2/4
Q:1/4=100
K:C
G8|G2E2A2A2|G2E4D2|E2D2E2D2|C6GG|G2E2c2B2|
A2G2E2D2|E2D2E2D2|C6C2|D2D2D2D2|E2G4G2|A2A2G2E2|
D6G2|c2B2A2G2|A2G2E2G2|E2G2E2D2|C3||

Regards,

Bob Bolton