G'day again John in Brisbane,

It took me 3 years and five months to notice this thread ... and promise the Australian song ... so another month or so is hardly anything ... is it ... ? Anyway:

I imagine that the version you have heard is the one sung by Phyl Lobl and Tony Suttor of The Larrikins on their LP Man of the Earth (Larrikin 001, 1985) and published by Warren Fahey in his book EUREKA - The Songs That Made Australia, Omnibus Press, Sydney, 1985.

I have also included the version published in Singabout, vol. 1, no. 1, Autumn 1956 ... and included in my 1985 anthology Singabout - selected reprints, Bush Music Club, Sydney, 1985. This has an earlier take on the words - and a tune written by John Arcott. The original was in 'F' in the Singabout version ... but I find that many of the songs of that period need to be lowered a little for modern voices ... and I sing it best in 'C' ... so I have put it in 'D', as being suitable for the widest range of (less lugubrious) voices!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Larrikin Version

Man of the Earth,
Words: Jock Graham (Kurri Kurri, NSW)
Tune: Phyl Lobl

By profession and birth I'm a man of the earth,
I burrow in it like a mole.
I dig it and drill it, and blast it and fill it
For that great commodity coal.

To some I'm a brave man, to others a knave man
Who's putting the land in a hole;
A strike and attack man, a black man and slack man
Who plunders the country for coal.

It's narkin' art times to be blamed for their crimes,
And placed in a villainous role -
Invented by story, press-jury and tory;
The profit-made agents of coal.

No story of men who are suffering pain;
Of heroes who starve on the dole;
Nought written or spoken of hearts that are broken:
The widows and orphans of coal.

The court is the guage which determines my wage,
The parson looks after my soul;
My hands are my boss's, his gains are my losses;
My body is bartered for coal.

The gaps in our lines: "Red roll of the mines",
Show death has been takin' his toll,
While snipers at maimed men and dead men and famed men
Grow fat on the blood on the coal.

Yet through muck and mire - and lung-dust and fire,
More clearly I'm seein' my goal:
Of diggin' and drillin' and blastin' and fillin';
Supplyin' a socialised coal.

MIDI file: mote-eur.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Tempo: 150 (400000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0480 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0288 0 71 064 0072 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0113 0 69 064 0007 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0576 0 64 064 0624 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0085 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 64 080 0083 1 67 080 0030 0 64 064 0083 0 67 064 0007 1 61 080 0225 0 61 064 0135 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0576 0 62 064 0624 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 61 080 0288 0 61 064 0072 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0576 0 69 064 0624 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0288 0 67 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 61 080 0288 0 61 064 0072 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0576 0 62 064
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:3/4
Q:1/4=150
K:C
A5A|AB3A2|A4^F^F|A4BA|A4^F2|AA3A2|A2G2^F2|
E6|-E4G2|GA3G2|GE3G2|GA3G2|GE3G2|G9/4A3E3/4|
G^C3E2|D6|-D4D2|^C2^C2D2|E2^C2A,2|D2D2E2|
^F2D2D2|^C^C3D2|E2G2B2|A6|-A4D2|G2G2B2|B2G2G2|
^F2^F2A2|A2^F2^F2|E2G3G|G^C3E2|D19/4||

Singabout version: 1956

Singabout vol 1, # 2, Autumn, 1956.

A Man of the Earth
Words: Jock Graham
Tune: John Arcott

By profession and birth I'm a man of the earth,
I burrow in it like a mole;
I dig it and drill it, I blast it and fill it,
For that great commodity - coal.

To some I'm a brave man, to others a knave man
Who's puttin' the land in a hole;
A stab-in-the-back man, a black man and a slack man,
Who plunders the country for coal.

It's narkin' at times to be blamed for their crimes,
And placed in a villainous role,
Invented by story, press-agent and tory,
The grabbers of profit from coal.

No story of men who are suffering pain'
Of heroes who starve on the dole;
Nowt written or spoken of hearts that are broken -
The widows and orphans of coal.

The gaps in our lines - the "Red Roll" of the mines
Show death has been takin' its toll,
While snipers at maimed men, and good men and famed men,
Grow fat on the blood on the coal.

Yet through muck and mire, and lung dust and fire,
More clearly I'm seeing my goal:
To work and unite and to preach and to fight
For nationalised mining of coal.

MIDI file: motes1-2.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 2/2 48 8
Tempo: 240 (250000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0480 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0384 0 62 064 0096 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0384 0 62 064 0096 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0336 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 71 080 0384 0 71 064 0096 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 71 080 0384 0 71 064 0096 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 1296 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0384 0 64 064 0096 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0384 0 67 064 0096 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0384 0 66 064 0096 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0384 0 64 064 0096 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0384 0 62 064 1296 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064
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:2/2
Q:1/4=240
K:C
A,6A,2|D4D2D2|D4^F2G2|A4A2A2|A6A2|B4B2B2|
B4A2G2|A8|-A6^F2|E4E2^F2|G4E2E2|^F4^F2G2|
A4^F2B2|A4^F2^F2|E4A,2E2|D8|-D6A,3/2||