G'day seanmcractagan,

Here are the 'Banjo' Paterson words and (my interpretation) of the "Wallis & Matilda" tune for Clancy of the Overflow. (I finally found where I had tucked it away.) I see that I transcribed it in the key of "C", but I find that a fairly high key for this song (I think it suited the singer in the band, at the time), so I have posted it in "A", as being in a better general range.
BTW: I also seem to have another (more melodic?) tune for Clancy, written by Graham Jenkins … this may be the version you have heard. In fact there are probably several more settings for this poem … certainly a few from the C/W area and one or two from the "Classical" end of town. Let me know if you are actually looking for another version.

CLANCY, OF THE OVERFLOW
Words: 'Banjo' Paterson
Tune: "Wallis & Matilda"

I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better
Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan years ago;
He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
Just on spec, addressed as follows, "Clancy, of The Overflow".

And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected
(And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar);
'Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
"Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are."

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone a-droving "down the Cooper" where the Western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,
For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush has friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city,
Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all.

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street;
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal-
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of The Overflow.


And here is the tune, in Alan of Oz's MIDItxt format

MIDI file: clancy.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Tempo: 089 (666667 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0240 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 69 080 0144 0 69 064 0036 1 71 080 0048 0 71 064 0012 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 66 080 0144 0 66 064 0036 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0084 1 64 080 0072 0 64 064 0018 1 64 080 0072 0 64 064 0018 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 69 080 0144 0 69 064 0036 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 74 080 0144 0 74 064 0036 1 74 080 0048 0 74 064 0012 1 74 080 0144 0 74 064 0036 1 74 080 0048 0 74 064 0012 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 71 080 0144 0 71 064 0096 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 71 080 0048 0 71 064 0012 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0144 0 69 064 0066 1 69 080 0072 0 69 064 0018 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 71 080 0144 0 71 064 0036 1 71 080 0048 0 71 064 0012 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 74 080 0096 0 74 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0084 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 71 080 0060 1 69 080 0012 0 71 064 0084 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064
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=89
K:C
E7E|A3B^c2B2|A2E4EE|^F3AA2^F2|^F2E3E3/2E3/2|
^F2A2A2^F2|E2A4AA|A3AB2^c2|B4B2^c2|d3dd3d|
^c2B4AB|^c2^c2^c2^c2|B2A7/2A3/2A|B3BB2^c2|
d2B3^c2B|A2A2^c2B2|A5||

Regards,

Bob Bolton