Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander

Subject: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: GUEST,Offkey in Portland
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 11:29 AM

Does anyone have the words to the song from Sydney, "Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander"

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From:
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 11:50 AM

Charle Noble posted here

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From:
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 11:51 AM

I found it with a quick look in the Lyrics and Knowledge Search. See up at the top on the right. Check and there might be more information in other threads.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 02:25 PM

I see that what I posted above is missing some verses. Here's the whole thing with my notes:

"In the early 1970's the inner city neighborhood of Woolloomooloo in Sidney, Australia, was threatened by massive urban renewal. The resistance by the residents; the cooperation gained from the building and trades union; the roles of the politicians, real estate speculators, and city planners; the battles with goon squads and with the police; is all effectively presented in the documentary film Woolloomooloo. Sydney poet Denis Kevans and Builders Laborers organizer Seamus Gill were in the thick of the fight and livened things up with such great songs as this one, patterned after the old sailors drinking song 'All for Me Grog.'" One of the protest songs featured in this film was this one:

Words by Denis Kevans and Seamus Gill © 1973
Tune: traditional "All for Me Grog"

Across the Western Suburbs

Oh, me name it is Fred,
In Sydney born and bred,
And the inner-city used to be my home, boys,
But it's caused me heart to grieve
For I've had to take me leave,
Now across the Western Suburbs I must roam, boys.

Chorus:

Under concrete and glass,
Sydney's disappearing fast;
It's all gone for profit and for plunder;
Though we really want to stay,
They keep driving us away,
Now across the Western suburbs we must wander.

Now where is me house,
Me little terrace house?
It's all gone for profit and for plunder,
For the wreckers of the town
Just came up and knocked it down;
Now across the Western Suburbs we must wander...

Before I even knew it,
We were shifted to Mount Druitt,
And the planners never gave me any say, boys;
Now it really makes me weep,
I am just at home to sleep
For it takes me hours to get to work each day, boys. (CHO)

What's happened to the pub,
Our little local pub,
Where we used to have a drink when we were dry, boys?
Now we can't get in the door
For there's carpets on the floor,
And you won't be served a beer without a tie, boys. (CHO)

Now I'm living in a box
In the West Suburban blocks,
And the place is nearly driving me to tears, boys;
Poorly planned and badly built
And it's mortgaged to the hilt,
But they say it will be mine in forty years, boys. (CHO)

Now before the city's wrecked,
Those developers must be decked,
For it's plain to see they do not give a bugger;
And we soon will see the day
If those bandits have their way,
We will all be driven out past Wagga Wagga. (CHO)


Thanks to Bob Bolton, I had the pleasure of meeting Denis in Blackheath back in 2001, sang some songs with him and raised a glass or two. Sadly Denis passed away a couple of years ago but I'm sure wherever he is he's creating rabble rousing songs.

It's undoubtedly true that Victoria St. is highly gentrified now but I was under the impression that much of the low lying neighborhood behind the Finger Wharf is still low and moderate income residential, something which was not in the original "urban renewal" plan. What seems to have happened is a more gradual "displacement," with a few dramatic highrise condos sticking up like the sore thumbs.

I do have my own version of this song to commemorate the battle of the working waterfront in Portland, Maine, in the 1980's.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 02:43 PM

Thanks for that, Charlie: I lived in the Western Suburbs (Burwood) for about four years, back in the seventies. A recent conversation with an Australian, revealed to me that Burwood is now considered part of Sydney and that the Western Suburbs of today are almost at the Blue Mountains.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 08:02 PM

Jim-

It could be that the Blue Mountains are actually slumping toward Sydney and are almost ready to engulf that fair city

I'll be revisiting Australia this October and be happy to report on what I see.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble!

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 08:06 PM

ahem - typo alert, pls correct your master copy!

"In the early 1970's the inner city neighborhood of Woolloomooloo in Sidney, Australia, was threatened by massive urban renewal.

SIDNEY??????

I grew up in the Western Suburbs (Granville, 2 stations east of Parramatta & Wentworthville, 2 stations west of Parramatta) & moved into the inner city in the 70's.

Working class battlers lived in our broad area, some in rent-controlled Housing Commission houses, others in small houses they were paying off. Most would have had 3 bedrooms, & all would have had 1 bathroom, with a dunny out the back (bathroom = room with basin, bath & shower, dunny = little house = toilet).

Nowadays the battlers (renamed Aspirational Voters & courted by politicians on both sides) live much further west, or south west as they can't afford the area where I grew up. Nowadays a lot of these small houses have been extended or rebuilt as MacMansions.

Mount Druitt is 6 stations west of Wenty.

sandra

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 09:18 PM

Yeah: But look at how he spells his own name. Charley?

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Helen
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 11:16 PM

And where the 'ell is the other "l" in Woolloomooloo? :-)

Nice to see something by one of the Kevans brothers on the threads.

Helen

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: iancarterb
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 11:23 PM

It certainly is a useful framework to make verses for Seattle and the west sound- Kitsp County, Bainbridge Island in particular, but even west toward Hadlock and Port Townsend. The chorus would need no amendment save the name change.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 11:43 PM

"Now we can't get in the door
For there's carpets on the floor,
And you won't be served a beer without a tie, boys"

So here's an interesting piece of trivia for you: When I was there, so many years ago, the pub floors were mostly clay tiled. You know the kind. When a pool ball lands on it, it keeps on bouncing 'til it lands in a glass.
Up until some time in the sixties or so, the pubs were only open for a couple of hours, somewhere around dinner time. To accommodate the rush, the pubs had durable, washable floors and long horseshoe bars. The horseshoe bars provided more standing room and quicker service with less help.
Fortunately, when I was there, the licensing hours had been extended to twelve hours per day and each establishment could choose which hours. You could drink 24 hours a day! Neat.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 12:39 AM

Jim Lad, it's true that the Western Suburbs are considered to be further out towards the Blue Mountains now. I live in Earlwood, which is not all that far from Burwood, and we think of our area as the "Inner West". The Western Suburbs to me are what you come to if you go shooting out along the M4. There are new suburbs out there I have never even heard of.

Charlie, I haven't noticed the mountains doing any slumping, but I'll keep an eye on them till you come.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 01:32 AM

Yeah! That's what the lady told me. The "Inner West" It was nice back then. Ah well! A hundred years from now, it won't matter.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 08:34 AM

Thanks for the proofing, gang! That typo for "Sydney" has lurked in the manuscript for over 25 years. And Helen may be trying to pull my leg with regard to the correct spelling of "Woolloomooloo." There are 540,000 references to that fine harbour neighborhood with that spelling in Google. So thair!

According to Denis there was a plan afoot in the Blue Mountains to fill in the adjacent valleys with concrete: "so gray and smooth and beautiful!" I'm sure that's happened by now and there is ample room for new developments and parking.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 09:26 AM

Not the "Megalong Valley" by God! There was a wee cafe' down there that specialised in Crumpets with Jam and Cream and up top a Pub with a fireplace and a juke box where I'd play "Send in the Clowns" & "Please Mister Please".

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Helen
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 10:33 AM

OMG, quel embarrassment! I always thought it was spelt with 8 o's & 4 l's.

Well my excuse is that I don't live in Syddley and I've never been to Woolloomoo-whatsit - as far as I know.

Sorry. (Hiding my head in spelling shame.)

Helen

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 10:46 AM

Charlie, of course, refers to Denis Kevans's "Concreeto". I really miss hearing Denis performing this one. We always joined in on the key words. On Denis's obit thread, Bob Bolton said about it:

"From what I laughingly refer to as my memory, I seem to have it that the subject of Denis's Conreeto was a builder/developer/local alderman ... with big plans for the Blue Mountains ... and his bank account."

Here it is:

CONCREETO IS BYOO-TEE-FUL!!

Concreeto is byoo-tee-ful !!!!
We need more concreeto in the Blue Mountains,
Because there's a Big Flood coming,
One in a hundred thousand year flood !
Coming tomorrow morning at 6 minutes past seven,
Noah will be "hanging five" on this flood !
We've got to put thirty metres of concreeto on top of the Warra-da-Gamba Dam,
So bush walkers can walk straight up, and straight down,
Saves time walking around the crooked mountains,
Because concreeto is byoo-tee-ful, It's a byo-tee-ful colour grey-ey-ey, nice and smoooothe,

One in a hundred thousand year flood,
One is a very small number, not very attractive,
But 100,000 is fairly attractive, it's one tenth of a million,
And it's easy to make a million these days with the—concreeto—
Because concreeto is byoo-tee-ful, it's a beautiful colour, grey-ey-ey,
Nice and smoo-oothe… cheap to make, dear to sell, I love it---

The Mountains are very crooked, very rough job,
Full of cracks, very rough, rough rocks,
Got to fill it up with the concreeto,
Because concreeto is byoo-tee-ful, it's a beautiful colour…grey-ey-ey…
Nice and smoo-oo-ooth…fill up all the cracks with the concreeto,
Make a nice big wedding cake from Lapstone to Mount Victoria,
Nice and smooooth,

Got to straighten up all the cliffs, with the concrete-eeto,
So the bush walkers won't get eye strain
Looking at the crooked cliffs, make them nice and smoo-ooth,
Nice and square, nice and rectangular with the concree-eeto,
Nice straight cliffs and nice square waterfalls,
Because concreeto is byooteeful, it's a beautiful colour, grey-ey-ey,
Nice and smooooth…..

There's Warra da Gamba, Vasco da Gamba and Viola Da Gamba,
Now Vasco da Gama he circumcised the world,
In a Spanish Galleon! If he had a concrete ship,
He could conquer the whole world, I came, I saw, I con-creeted !!!
Viola Da Gamba, it's a concrete violin,
If you don't like the conductor hit him over the bloody head.

Now we've got five riders in the mountains, the Wollondilly, that's a silly,
The Kedumba, that's a dumb name, the Grose, that's a filthy pooey,
The Cox's that's a pornographic, and the Cowdung…
Got to fill em up with the concreeto, make them nice and straight,
Nice and square, nice and smooooth, so the water can run straight
Up and straight down, no more crooked rivers, so the bushwalkers
Can walk straight up and straight down,

Because concreeto is beautiful…it's a beautiful colour grey-ey-ey…nice and smooooth
Nice and square, nice and straight, with the concree-eeto,
So the bushwalkers can walk straight up and straight down,
Saves time walking round the crooked mountains,

The Wollondilly is Concreeto No 1, The Kedumba Concreeto No 2,
The Grose is Concreeto No 3, The Cox's is Concreeto No 4,
And the Cowdung is Concreeto No 5, nice and smooth, with the concreeto,
Because concreeto is beautiful…it's a beautiful colour, grey-ey-ey, nice and smooooth,

Some people come to the mountains for the O-ZONE
I come for the RE-ZONE..
Some people like the multiplication and division,
I like the multiplication and SUB-DIVISION…
With the concreeto, because concreeto is byooteeful,
It's a byooteeful colour, grey-ey-ey, nice and smooooth,

These bushwalkers say the bush is a "Cathedral Without Walls",
How stupeedo! You've got no walls, we've got the con-creeto !
Because concreeto is byoo-tee-ful, it's a byoo-tee-ful colour, grey-ey-ey,
Nice and smoooothhh....

                                                                Denis Kevans

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 11:55 AM

The Grose Valley is probably one of the most stunning sights, I have ever seen. A must see for anyone who finds themselves stranded in Oz for a while.
Grin

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 01:23 PM

JennyO-

"Concreeto" -- the very song!

Which reminds me of the time I was reconnoiting a stream that was flowing over the edge of the Blue Mountains plateau and slipped on the mossy streambed. Fortunately I was able to penetrate the stream bedrock with my fingernails before being carried over the edge. JudyB was much amused, afterwards. I only suffered a bruised hip and ego.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 10:45 PM

Yikes, Charlie - how far would you have fallen if you hadn't got a grip? We have some serious drops around those parts!

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 02:28 AM

You can guess how far some might fall if you check out the BS threads - seems like some have lost their grip there... :-)


What's the tune for "Concreeto is byoo-tee-ful !!!!"?

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 04:16 AM

'Concreeto' is a poem, recited in a vaguely Italian accent. Especially wonderful when the whole audience joins in
Because concreeto is byoo-tee-ful, it's a byoo-tee-ful colour, grey-ey-ey,
Nice and smoooothhh...,

sandra

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 12:22 PM

Yes, I can't imagine how it could be made into a song - there is no rhyme or metre. I'd even be unsure about calling it a poem - more a recitation really, although the repetition makes it somewhat poetic, sorta.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 12:45 PM

JennyO and Sandra-

But the poem flows so smoooth and byoo-tee-ful!

I would think an appropriate accompaniment could be worked up with accordians and trombones.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 12:50 PM

Oh yes! Lets do that when you come to Oz in a few months. I can just imagine it....

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 03:39 PM

darn, I was hoping this the title of this thread was to indicate a mudcatter might be coming to Los Angeles!

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 08:46 PM

Dave's Wife-

We could work up a couple of verses for the Santa Monica waterfront if you'd like.

My last view of it was in 1965 so I could use an update.

JennyO and Sandra-

Maybe we could get the Wheeze & Suck band to work up an appropriate accompaniment.

Cheerily,
Chrley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 09:52 PM

for those who asked - Charley will be support at my folk club for the
Wheeze & Suck Band, a bunch of Morris Men who also make musical noise when he comes to Sydney in October!

JennyO is having a copy-cat concert a week later at her club, so Sydney will get 2 doses of the madness.

sandra

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Rowan
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 01:09 AM

Since you mention the Grose Valley, you might be interested to know that it got a bit burnt recently, resulting in a bunfight over bushfire management. The two people whose opinions I trust in such things (Nic Gellie, who used to be the Blue Mountains Fire Management Officer in NPWS, and Wayne Brennan, who has been an archaeologist and RAFT firefighter for NPWS in the area) crossed swords on camera with the Rural Fire Service's Commissioner Phil Koperberg. Phil pulled out the political flannel and has now been elected the local State MP for the area. So the Grose Valley will be a bit different from now on.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 01:42 AM

The vastness of it all was a truly magnificent sight. We are well used to forest fires where I am now and my dear wife is a scientist with the forestry division. I tend to look at forest fires as a natural process, regardless of the cause. Most of us understand this. The forest will regenerate one way or another.
Love a good scrap though.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 11:13 AM

I do recall staring out over the rim of the Blue Mountains from our aerie near Blackheath at the smoke plumes rising from various forest fires. They all looked reassuringly remote but when we checked the local trees we were dismayed to see layers of charred bark. We began to wonder if they spontaneously combust! No one else seemed to worry.

The rainbow lorikeets were fun to watch as they flew in for their breakfast, occasionly even perching on a tourist's shoulder to be fed. We don't get to see many rainbow lorikeets in Maine. However, in Brooklyn, NY, there are now huge colonies of larger green parrots nesting in colonies on top of utility poles, and apparently happily surviving the winters there. It probably won't be long before they migrate north to Maine in the summer, now that we have a reliable source of bagels.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, your guide to a more interesting world

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 12:18 PM

Bagels??

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Jim Lad
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 12:29 PM

Wee dogs that look like bloodhounds, cut off at the elbows.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: JennyO
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 12:35 PM

More like these I would have thought.

O O O O O O O O O

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 01:32 PM

JennyO-

Oh, very nicely done! Now if you could add some little black specks for the poppy seeds, they would be a feast for Brooklyn exciles this wide-world over.

Oh, here's the version of "Across the Western Suburbs" that we worked up for Portland, Maine, a few years ago. We still get an opportunity to air it down on the waterfront:

New words by Charlie Ipcar - 1985
Adapted from Denis Kevans' & Seamus Gill's
Australian parody of "All for Me Grog" © 1973

Concrete and Glass

Oh, me name it is Fred,
In Portland born and bred,
And the Old Port used to be me home, boys
But 'tis caused me heart to grieve,
For I've had to take me leave,
Now across them western suburbs
        I must roam, boys!

Chorus:

In concrete and glass,
Portland's disappearing fast;
'Tis all gone for profit and for plunder;
Though we really want to stay,
They keep forcing us away,
Now across them western suburbs
        we must wander!

Now, where is me house,
Me old three-decker house?
'Tis all gone for profit and for plunder;
For the wreckers of the town
Just come up and knocked it down;
Now across them western suburbs
        we must wander! (CHO)

And where is me pub,
Me Irish Village Pub?
'Tis all gone for profit and for plunder;
Now when you walk in the door,
You'll find carpets on the floor,
And you'll have to wear a tie to
        get your beer, boys! (CHO)

And where is me port,
Me old working port?
'Tis all gone for profit and for plunder;
Now when you walk down the dock,
All ye'll hear is disco rock;
And ye'll have to dry ye nets
        in a laundromat, boys! (CHO)

Now, before the city's wrecked
Them developers must be decked;
For 'tis plain to see they do not give a bugger,
And if them bandits have their way
We soon shall see the day
That we'll all be driving in
        from Madawaska! (CHO)

"Madawaska" is a small town in northern Maine on the border with Canada, about 8 hours drive time from Portland.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 09:12 PM

Someone told me the way to remember the spelling is to split it into 4 "words":
Wool loo moo loo.

Subject: Across the western suburbs I must wander
From: GUEST,Offkey in Portland
Date: 24 Nov 10 - 11:58 PM

Sometime ago I heard someone sing a parody, Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander, at a festival in Australia. Does anyone have the words?

Subject: RE: Across the western suburbs I must wander
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Nov 10 - 12:26 AM

here you go:

ACROSS THE WESTERN SUBURBS
(By Denis Kevans and Seamus Gill © 1973)

Tune: traditional All for Me Grog

Oh, me name it is Fred,
In Sydney born and bred,
And the inner-city used to be me home, boys,
But it's caused me heart to grieve
For I've had to take me leave,
Now across the Western Suburbs I must roam, boys.

Chorus:

Under concrete and glass,
Sydney's disappearing fast;
It's all gone for profit and for plunder;
Though we really want to stay,
They keep forcing us away,
Now across the Western suburbs we must wander.

Now where is me house,
Me little terrace house?
It's all gone for profit and for plunder,
For the wreckers of the town
Just came up and knocked it down;
Now across the Western Suburbs we must wander. (CHO)

Before I even knew it,
We were shifted to Mount Druitt,
And the planners never gave me any say, boys;
Now it really makes me weep,
I am just at home to sleep
For it takes me hours to get to work each day, boys. (CHO)

What's happened to the pub,
Our little local pub,
Where we used to have a drink when we were dry, boys?
Now we can't get in the door
For there's carpets on the floor,
And you won't be served a beer without a tie, boys. (CHO)

Now I'm living in a box
In the West Suburban blocks,
And the place is nearly driving me to tears, boys;
Poorly planned and badly built
And it's mortgaged to the hilt,
But they say it will be mine in forty years, boys. (CHO)

Now before the city's wrecked,
Those developers must be decked,
For it's plain to see they do not give a bugger;
Or we soon will see the day
If those bandits have their way,
We will all be driven out past Wagga Wagga.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Nov 10 - 08:34 AM

Thanks to whoever moved the new request over to this vintage thread. I've certainly enjoyed re-reading it.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: GUEST,sumyob
Date: 25 Nov 10 - 02:34 PM

I just popped in to put a bit on another thread,but while I'm here I'll add something that I never got around to a couple of years back:

The Bank(the British Fed.)
Has gone back on what it said
About bailing out those chancers with our money
That old Governor still looks smug
Tho' we're about to lose the rug
From under the western 'burbs..
I shouldn't wonder.


Yeah..still looks current.

Subject: RE: Across the Western Suburbs I Must Wander
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 10:51 AM

Your verse does remind me of one of our fleeting verses from the bank crisis in the 1980's:

Where is me bank, me old Maine Savings Bank?
It's all gone for profit and for plunder;
Now who can you trust,
When all the banks go bust,
And across the Western Suburbs we must wander!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble