Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 07:36 AM

FANNIE BAY ~ Doug & Andy Tainsh / and possibly David Charles


Tell her I’m droving down Camooweal way
Or signed on with pearlers for seas far away
You can tell her I’ve gone, I’ll be back some day
Please don’t tell her they hanged me in old Fannie Bay.

ch.
And on Thursday Island the sun warms her hair
As the breeze from the sea blows her hair
And she sits by her window and calls me
Yes, she calls me.

You can say I’ve gone on the old “River Queen”
Its whistle a-haunting the bullockys’ dream
Down the Murray I’ve gone, I’ll be back some day
Please don’t tell her they hanged me in old Fannie Bay.

You can say the bush has called me away
And I’m riding the fences for ten bob a day
Yes, I needed a job, I needed the pay
Please don’t tell her they hanged me in old Fannie Bay.

And they came to the door and they dragged me away
From all that I love and I pray
That it won’t reach her ears, ‘cause I love her
And she’d die - she’d die - she’d die for sure.

Just say the gold has taken me down
To the places where fortunes are easily found
Yes, I’ve gone, but tell her I’ll be back some day
Just don’t tell her they hanged me in old Fannie Bay.



I wanted to link to the version by Darwin, NT trio "Tropical Ear" - from the 1980s - but I cannot locate one on YT.   
However, I found this version which has similarities - it's by FNQ [= Far North Qld] group "Snake Gully" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yniaWFegcE


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:00 AM

Miner’s Washing ~ John Warner

I come from Durham in 99
Married a laddie from the Coal Creek mine
The finest lad that a girl could ever know
Til he brought me his washing from the pit below.

Ch.
Scrubbing the miner's clothes
Scrubbing the miner's clothes
All piled up in a ghastly stack
Heavy as lead and smelly and black
And oh, the pain in my aching back!
Scrubbing the miner's clothes

Well your Currumburra miner is a grimy sort of bloke
So I chuck in his duds for an all-night soak
I takes me a soap and I'll grate it like a cheese
And I'll chuck it in the bucket with his grubby dungarees.
                                                        
And it's haul ‘em from the copper to the rinsing tub
Pound ‘em with the dolly and scrub – scrub - scrub
Pour away the mucky water, do it all again
Haul ‘em through the wringer and pray it doesn't rain.

Beyond Cardella, the sky is looking fine
Basket out the washing to the old clothes line
I bet when they're hung out and I've hauled up the prop
The rain'll come a-pouring and the wind will drop.

So all you maids who to marriage do incline
Never wed a laddie from the Coal Creek mine
A squatter may be surly, a merchant may be mean
A banker may be boring but they're easier to clean.


A great session song - didn't find Margie Walters' version, but here is one from Qld duo, Cloudstreet :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtnwKFjM1Sc


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:26 AM

THE STATION COOK ~ trad Oz


The song I’m going to sing to you, will not detain you long
It’s all about a station cook we had at old Pinyong [Penong]
His pastry was so beautiful, his cooking was so fine
It gave us all a stomach ache, right through the shearing time.


Oh, you should see his plum-duffs, his doughboys and his pies
I swear by Long Moloney, they’d open a shearer’s eyes
He’d say “take your time good fellows” and he’d fix us with a glance
Saying “I’ll dish you up much better, if you’ll give me half a chance.”


Oh you should see his doughboys, his dumplings and his pies
The thought of such luxuries would open a shearer’s eyes
He gets up in the morning, gives us plenty of stewed tea
And don’t forget when shearing’s done, to sling the cook his fee.


But oh dear, I feel so queer, I don’t know what to do
The thought of leaving Fowler’s Bay just breaks me heart in two
But if ever I catch that slushy, I’ll make him rue the day
That he ruined me constitution while shearing at Fowler’s Bay.



The Station Cook could often be an old shearer who can no longer do his tally a day, bent over on the board -
much like The Old Woman was often an old cowboy who could no longer do long days in the saddle, keeping the cattle in check on the Trails.
Fowler's Bay is in South Australia's Eyre Peninsula/Nullarbor Plain region.

Here is Gary Shearston's version from 1965 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONE44capghQ


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:38 AM

> Richard M, well why don't you 'put forward' a few?

Fair comment! But where do I start? I could just scan the contents lists of a few books (where presumably the editors had already exercised some selection) but I should try to make a personal selection. I'm a bit tied up just now but I'll have a go.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 09:03 AM

Mysha's earlier question re if there will be a separate "edition" for Kiwi material, wasn't really answered and I've just come across typed words for one of me EnZed faves, so here goes :


PACKING MY THINGS ~ Phil Colquhoun


When first to this country I came [when I came and took up my claim]
Well, Bill Muggins was me name
And though I’m a young man and able
Here am I stuck rocking the cradle
- And that’s a Bill Muggins game.


But I’m awake up – I will break up
I’m never more going to roam
I've panned in my dugout with never a nugget
I’m packing my things to go home.

I’ve hunted Otago for gold
In the wind and the rain and the cold
And I’ve holed up all winter all under the snow
All along the winding Molyneux
- And that is where you need to have holed!

But I’m awake up – I will break up
I’m never more going to roam
I've panned in my dugout with never a nugget
I’m packing my things to go home.

In those shanties where you spin
Away all your hard-earned tin
Nancy’s smiles are so beguiling
That’s why Nancy is always smiling!
- Landlord says he’s not taking you in.

But I’m awake up – I will break up
I’m never more going to roam
I‘ve panned in my dugout with never a nugget
I’m packing my things to go home.


I almost gave up hope of finding many Kiwi folk songs on YT until I thought to plug in "Phil Garland"!
So here is his version :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kH8cLjr0A



Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 07:45 PM

You have posted some good'uns, R-J.

Re Gurindji people, are you aware that only 2 days ago (Tuesday 8th Sept) they were finally granted native title over Wave Hill Station at a special sitting of the Federal Court?

ABC report

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:53 PM

Another Lawson poem adapted by Gerry Hallom.

THE FREE SELECTOR'S DAUGHTER
(Lawson/Hallom)

(Chorus)
I met her on the Lachlan side
A darling girl I thought her
I swore before I left I'd win
The free selector's daughter

I worked her father's farm a month
I brought the wood and water
I mended all the broken fence
Before I won the daughter.

I listened to her father's yarns,
I did just what I oughte
And what I'd had to do to win
The free selector's daughter

So I broke my pipe and burnt my twist
Gave up my beer for water
I had to shave before I kissed
The free-selector's daughter

Chorus

Then, rising in the frosty morn
I brought the cows for Mary
And when I'd milked a bucketful
I took it to the dairy

I poured the milk into the dish
While Mary held the strainer
I summoned heart to speak my wish
And, oh, her blush grew plainer

Chorus

I told her I must leave this place,
I said that I would miss her
At first she turned away her face
But then she let me kiss her.

I put my pail upon the ground
And in my arms I caught her
I'd give the world to hold again
The free selector's daughter

Chorus

Youtube clip

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 09:58 PM

Here is a Hallom original. He recorded it on his 'On the Periphery' album. The fizzer delivered mail in the Northern Territory at the turn of the 20th century. He based it on information in Jeannie Gunn's autobiography.

THE FIZZER
(Gerry Hallom)

A thousand miles in forty days
He carries the precious freight
To the homes along the bush highways
For settlers who yearn and wait
Day by day, week by week
Keeping tight to the government time
Dicing with death on the dried out creeks
Yet it’s his face not his heart that bears the lines

Chorus
A thousand miles ‘cross the great divide
Inside mail from the world outside
No sooner here than he’s gone
With a hale so long

The long dry stretch on the open downs
That’s where the fizzin’ gets done
Eighty miles till a drink is found
Then fifty more with none
The thirst of the team fixes the time
This gamble with death is played
Where the searing, scorching heat combines
With a downs that holds no shade

Chorus

A drink at the well, an all night spell
To the toughest pinch of all
Fifty miles of sunbaked hell
With a team that’s fit to fall
And here’s where the tracks are vague and tell
Of a bushman’s skill and pluck
It’s here where the last mailman fell
And they talk of the fizzer’s luck

Chorus

Is it luck to know to the very last drop
Just what a horse can do?
Luck to know just when to stop
To know when to take them through
Is it luck to have the courage to play
This game when the stakes are high?
For only those who’ve been can say
What’s faced by a man on the downs in the dry

Chorus

Sixteen days on the open downs
He takes the treacherous run
Knowing the folk at Anthony’s town
Will come out in the noonday sun
To watch for the distant moving frame
Away in the quivering glare
And death will have won in the dice-throwing game
If the fizzer is late getting down there

Chorus

Youtube clip

Ted Egan also wrote a song about the fizzer.

Ted Egan

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 10:13 PM

The reference to Jeannie Gunn reminded me of a very fine song by a good mate of mine, Bob Sharp, who lived for many years in the NT but now lives in Tasmania.

BOSS LADY
(Bob Sharp)

She came to the outback unwanted, unseen
By the men who lived their lives hard
They could not foresee what life there could be
For a lady from Melbourne’s backyard
But bold Jeannie Gunn would prove it to them
She was as strong in the heart as the rest
It did not take long before she proved them all wrong
And they found a new type of respect

She was the lady of old Elsie Station, arrived from the city in 1902
They called her Boss Lady respected her greatly
For all the things that she went through

Heard many stories of men and their travels
And how they developed new lands
Jeannie she wrote of a woman's view
In a man’s world of hot fiery sands
Their lives were hard in a far different way
Their reasons for being there too
They would follow their men to the ends of the earth
To make far distant dreams come true

Chorus

Time has moved on and the old homestead's gone
White ants have left their mark here
Road markers stand where the station once stood
Now only the hot springs run clear
The legends live on of bold Jeannie Gunn
Her stories of good times and bad
And what it would be for a lady like thee
To experience the times that you had

Chorus

Bob recorded it on album that he made with Ken Ferguson 'The Windmill Run' - the duo called themselves 'Facial Expressions'. You can find info here:

Bob Sharp

Phil Beck and I included the song in a themed concert entitled 'Images of Strong Women'. Phil's introduction to the song:

Jeannie Gunn (nee Taylor), ‘The Little Missus’, was born on 5 June 1870. Her father was a Presbyterian minister. In the 1890s she met Aeneas James Gunn, son of Rev. Peter Gunn. Gunn had spent most of the 1890s in northern Australia and helped to establish sheep and cattle stations. Aeneas and Jeannie married in December 1901. Just before his marriage Aeneas had agreed to manage the Elsey cattle station on the Roper River, about 300 miles south of Darwin, so on 2 January 1902 the couple sailed for Port Darwin.

In Darwin Jeannie was told that as a woman she would be 'out of place' on a station such as the Elsey. The Territory had always been considered a man's world and news of her arrival in Darwin caused an alarm amongst the tough stockmen of the Elsey who attempted to stop this female invasion by forwarding telegraph messages to prevent her coming. This wasn't enough to discourage Jeannie, all five feet of her had always had a determined streak. The Elsey was in a remote part of the NT known locally as the ‘Never-Never’: in fact later on in life Jeannie wrote ‘We of the Never Never’ based on her time there. The homestead when she arrived was a run down, comfortless bush dwelling which Jeannie set about trying to transform into a home.

The stockmen were not easily won over. They were men who’d withdrawn from civilisation and were intolerant of anything that wasn't an accepted part of their lifestyle, which included intrusions from women. Jeannie's friendliness and humour as well as her personal courage and refusal to complain showed these bushmen that she would, like them, accept and make the best of conditions. It was this attitude along with her determination that in the end earned their respect and admiration.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 11:45 PM

Thanks for that extraordinary Wave Hill news, Stew; I've been off the news radar for a few days!

And speaking of Jeannie Gunn, do you have the lyrics/recording to Bob Sharp(?)'s 'Boss Lady'???
I'm having great trouble dredging the singer/songwriter names and songs from my aging memory (and it could be that the continual post-midnight bedtimes and poor diet, are not assisting me?! :(

I noted "The Streets of Forbes" posted above and have "The Death of Ben Hall" ready here - but I wanted Tony Lavin's excellent recording to go with it. Haven't found it on YT and Andy Irvine's is just not quite what I wanted.
I think Tony's was on "Glenrowan to the Gulf" (Wild Colonial Boys), but I no longer have that LP.

I hafta opine that SO MUCH much good earlier Folkie material - esp the HUGE swag of LPs and tapes from 70s-90s - is missing from the Internet, whilst the dross increases by the minute (or am I being too unkind?!)


OK, gotta go and werk.
Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 11:47 PM

OMG Stewie - that'll teach me to update the page before I post, haha!

But great song choice, eh :)

R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 12:28 AM

I wonder if I still have Ken Ferguson's tapes? - I just leaned to the right & immediately put my hands on them.

Franklin & The Singing Wire, not much use tho, unless I buy a plug-in cassette machine, & transcribe them ...

The National Library has both cassettes, but there is no other info on line

sandra


obit for Ken Ferguson https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=124337

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 02:34 AM

I just revisited the interesting 2009 discussion thread re Austn Songs of Influence, for the new (at the time) "Museum of Australian Democracy" in Canberra :
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=118102#2552374

However, of the final 30 chosen by the Curating team, at first glance I recognised exactly half - not sure what that says of me, hahaha!!

Archer, Robyn    Menstruation Blues
Blue King Brown    Come and Check Your Head
Bogle, Eric    And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Carmody, Kev    Cannot Buy My Soul
Cox, Kerrianne    Beagle Bay Dreaming
De Bortoli, Lucia    [trad] Mama Mia Don me Cento Lire
Hewett, Dorothy and Mike Leyden    Weevils In The Flour
Hicks, Peter and Geoff Francis    One day in October
Hunter, Ruby    Down City Streets
Luscombe, Jack    [trad] Sam Griffiths
Mazella, Kavisha    Love and Justice
McCormick, Peter Dodds    Advance Australia Fair
Midnight Oil    US Forces
Mills Sisters    Waltzing Matilda (Wadjimbat Matilda)
O'Loughlin, Tim and Angie McGowan    No dams
Palmer, Helen and Doreen Bridges    Ballad of 1891
Randall, Bob    My Brown Skin Baby
Reddy, Helen and Ray Burton    I am Woman
Slim Dusty    When the Rain Tumbles Down in July
Sloan, Sally    Ben Hall
Small, Judy    Mothers Daughters Wives
Storer, Sara    Land Cries Out
The Herd    The King is Dead
The Saints    Stranded
Warner, Dan & Dastey, Sally    Anthem
Warumpi Band    Blackfella Whitefella
Wiggan, Roy    Bardi Ilma
Wright, Lola and Ruth Shepherd    The Equal Pay Song
Youthu Yindi    Treaty

Wonder if the museum is still going strong and if the song list is still the same?!


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 03:59 AM

I remember that thread

search-Austn Songs of Influence at Museum of Australian Democracy 13 results & first one is Songs of Influence - I was only 19!

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: JennieG
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 05:24 PM

The Museum of Australian Democracy is in the old Parliament House in Canberra. Might check it out, when and if we can ever visit Canberra again.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:14 PM

THE BALLAD OF 1891
(H.Palmer/D.Jacobs)

The price of wool was falling in 1891
The men who owned the acres saw something must be done
“We will break the Shearers' Union, and show we're masters still
And they'll take the terms we give them, or we'll find the ones who will.”

From Claremont to Barcaldine, the shearers' camps were full
Ten thousand blades were ready to strip the greasy wool.
When through the west like thunder, rang out the Union's call:
“The sheds'll be shore Union or they won't be shorn at all.”

Oh, Billy Lane was with them, his words were like a flame,
The flag of blue above them, they spoke Eureka's name.
“Tomorrow,” said the squatters, “they'll find it does not pay.
We're bringing up free labourers to get the clip away.”

“Tomorrow,” said the shearers, “they may not be so keen,
We can mount three thousand horses, to show them what we mean.”
“Then we'll pack the west with troopers, from Bourke to Charters Towers.
You can have your fill of speeches but the final strength is ours.”

“Be damned to your six-shooters, your troopers and police,
The sheep are growing heavy, the burr is in the fleece.”
“Then if Nordenfeldt and Gatling won't bring you to your knees.
We'll find a law,” the squatters said, “that's made for times like these.”

To trial at Rockhampton the fourteen men were brought,
The judge had got his orders, the squatters owned the court.
But for every one that's sentenced, ten thousand won't forget,
Where they gaol someone for striking, it's a rich man's country yet.

Trevor Lucas

The Bushwackers

Helen Palmer

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:45 PM

R-J I didn't even reach 50% recognition, but it is pleasing to note the inclusion of the classic kriol rendition of 'Waltzing Matilda' by Darwin girl, Ali Mills. Thanks to a posting a decade ago by Rob Naylor, we have the lyrics.

WALTJIM BAT MATILDA

one balla carrdia bin cum up langa billabong
im bin chid on a groun langa coolibah tree
im bin chingum but corobree watchim but him billy boil
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
im bin chingum but corobree watchim but him billy boil
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

bum bye datun maaa bin cum up langa billabong
carrdia bin gatchim wholly maaa ngee ngee
im bin put im dtun maaa inchide langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
im bin put im dtun maaa inchide langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

bum bye datun marrdagee bin cum up langa dimina
pleetjaman bin cum up one, two, three
where datun maaa you bin putim langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
where datun maaa you bin putim langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

bum bye datun carrdia bin jump in langa billabong
you gan gatchim me libe one ngee ngee
and im pirit jere chingin out inchide langa billabong
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
and im pirit jere chingin out inchide langa billabong
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
and im koodook (spirit) jere chingin out inchide langa billabong
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me

Dibmorr diborr dibmorr diborr dibmorr diborr – whee

Youtube clip

Mudcat thread

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 09:44 PM

Yay!! Beats that feckin 'AAF' hands down!!
Miss seeing Ali, June, and the girls in those regular Brown's Mart shows, e.g. - it's rather different here in provincial Qld ...........
R-J :(

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 12:27 AM

Here is one of many excellent compositions from the late Kiwi-Quoinslander, Mark Gillet.


Little England

Our pioneers, many generations lost in time,
Sail away, made a home across the world
They took this land, transformed it with blood and iron
Above it all, the flag of England unfurled

They saw clouds like white cliffs on the horizon
Above a land that was clean, green and new
But when they came they bought Little England with them
And it lives on inside me and inside you

Ch.
And in the lion and the unicorn,
Cricket oval and a croquet lawn
Carol singers and a hunting horn
Little England
And though I know it’s just a state of mind
Little England can be so unkind
I’ll sail away and see what I can find
In Little England

Echoes from, my childhood so far away
The cradle songs, my mamma sang to me
Oh Little England when will I let you go
Your cradle songs, keep haunting me

The beating drum, there’s red coats marching in the square
Keeps us in chains, stop our souls from flying free
Oh Little England when will you let us go
Your beating drums keeps driving me

Chorus .....
I’ll sail away and see what I can find
In Little England

I can see clouds, like white cliffs on the horizon
Above a land that‘s clean, green and new
But I can’t go Little England’s got this hold on me
Till everyone can sail away too



More about Mark can be read in the Mudcat "In Memorium" thread.
Thanks to his mate, Noel Gardner, for these lyrics. Noel has been learning Mark's 'LE' song of late, for his next CD.

Here is a YT clip of Mark singing "Little England" that I only just discovered : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SmVXeq4Jus


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 02:49 AM

THE DROVER'S BOY   ~   Ted Egan


They couldn't understand why the drover cried
   as they buried the drover's boy,
For the drover had always seemed so hard
   to the men in his employ.
A bolting horse, a stirrup lost, and the drover's boy was dead
The shovelled dirt, and a mumbled word
And it's back to the road ahead
And forget about…..the drover's boy.

They couldn't understand why the drover cut
   a lock of the dead boy's hair,
Put it in the band of his battered old hat
   as they watched him standing there.
And he told them "Take the cattle on; I'll sit with the boy awhile"
A silent thought, a pipe to smoke
And it's ride another mile,
And forget about …..the drover's boy.

They couldn't make out why the drover and the boy
   always camped so far away,
For the tall white man and the slim black boy
   had never had much to say.
And the boy would be gone at the break of dawn; tail the horses, carry on                        
While the drover roused the sleeping men
Daylight - hit the road again,
And follow…..the drover's boy.

In the Camooweal pub they talked about
   the death of the drover's boy,
They drank their rum with the stranger who'd come
   from the Kimberley round Fitzroy.
And he told them of the massacre in the West; barest details, guess the rest
Shoot the bucks, grab a gin,
Cut her hair, break her in,
And call her a boy…..the drover's boy.

So when they build that stockman's hall of fame
    and they talk about the droving game,
Remember the girl who was bedmate and guide
Rode with the drover side by side
Watched the bullocks, flayed the hide
Faithful wife, but never a bride
Bred his sons for the cattle runs
Don't weep…..for the drover's boy,
Don't mourn….. for the drover's boy,
But don't for-get! The Drover's Boy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ9a0qr7ORY

Great song; great story; great bloke. I'm sure it's been discussed on The Cat before.


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 03:05 AM

THE RUSTY FORD CORTINA ~ Mark Gillett


The vinyl on the dashboard has all faded
And I can’t believe the speedo’s reading true
Coz it’s been 10 long years today
        Since I purchased this old station - wagon
An’ I’ll drive this hack till the driving’s done.

Ch.
For the rain always falls on my rusty Ford Cortina
Bits keep falling off and get left behind
And the muffler’s mighty roar
   Always causes a sensation
An’ I’ll drive this hack till the driving’s done.


Seems when I start it up each morning
That it’s gonna take me half the day
For there’s only one headlight
   And it isn’t very bright
An’ it bucks & jumps and handles like a dray.


Sometimes I think, I’ll buy myself a new one
But they cost so much, I always change my mind
And the tailgate rattles on and on
   And the front end’s most peculiar
But I’ll drive this hack till the driving’s done.


Mark wrote this parody c.early 80s - with apologies to Hugh McDonald!

Here is Hugh's song and his amended story of the writing of "The Diamantina Drover" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoWJWEr7DO4


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 03:23 AM

BILL AND THE BEAR - John Thompson

1. Come listen now, good people here
To a story of renown
of the day a hundred years ago
when the circus came to town
Mr Wirth and all his gallant crew
They raised the big top high
And all the folk for miles around
Gathered under a canvas sky

Ch.
And were you there in the clear night air
when William Sinclair he fought the bear
Were you there to see William Sinclair
When he wrestled the bear to the ground

2. There were dancing ponies and tumbling clowns
The best you ever did see
A lion tamer and a high wire act
A girl on the flying trapeze
There was a fat ring-master in a big top hat
And he slashed his whip through the air
With a roar and a growl, a cage went clang
It was Samson the mighty bear


3. He was ten feet high, he was nine feet wide
A mountain of muscle and fur
A mighty beast just as black as the coal
The ground shook with his roar
Then the man with the whip He called for quiet
not a sound from those who were there
I've a crisp ten pounds for any man here
Who's brave enough to wrestle a bear.


4. Bill and his family had come to see the show
his youngest newly born
The strongest man to ever walk the range
He'd carry his weight in corn
he sized up the beast, with a glance at his wife
he slowly raised his hand
"I'll have a go", he heard himself say
then up struck the band

5. Stripped to the waist, bill entered the ring
Circling and bouncing round
First left, then right, 'til he lunged right in
The crowd didn't make a sound
They twisted and they turned as they wrestled and they grappled
At the skin and the muscle and the hair
With a mighty roar, Bill threw Samson down
He raised his fist in the air

6. You've never heard a roar quite like it
The shouts split the midnight air
Bill was raised above all the heads of the crowd
to the cheers of everyone there
And to this day, when you see the name
of the famous Bill Sinclair
Raise your glass and drink to the health
Of the only man to ever beat the bear.


The true story of a Glaswegian emigrant to Australia, William Sinclair, who became famous in the Maleny District of South-East Queensland for defeating a bear in a wrestling match when a circus visited Landsborough in the early 20th Century.

John says his post is dedicated to Bill's grandson, Leslie Norman ("Nugget") Sinclair who died at the age of 92 on 26 August, 2011.

With a good chorus for joining in on, this track is on Cloudstreet's 'Circus of Desires' album; but this is a link to a local(ish) live performance of John & Nicole & Emma : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnWcE0ukutU



Landsborough is just a few Kays down the bottom of the hill from me, in Qld's Sunshine Coast Hinterland!!

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 04:23 AM

SUN ARISE ~ Rolf Harris & Harry Butler

Sun arise, she bring in the morning.
Sun arise, bring in the morning, fluttering her skirts all around.
Sun arise, she come with the dawning.
Sun arise, come with the dawning, spreading all the light all around.
Sun arise, on the kangaroo paw.
Sun arise, on the kangaroo paw, glistening the dew all around.
Sun arise, filling all the hollows.
Sun arise, filling all the hollows, lighting up the hills all around.

Sun arise, come with the dawning, Sun arise, she come every day.
Sun arise, bring in the morning, Sun arise! Every, every, every, every, day.

She drive away the darkness.
Every day, drive away the darkness.
Bringing back the warmth to the ground.
Sun arise, oh, oh, Sun arise, oh, oh.
Spreading all the light all around.
Sun arise, bring in the morning.
Sun arise, bring in the morning,
Sun arise, bring in the morning,
Spreading all the light all around.


Regardless of the circumstances of Rolf’s recent falling from grace and his consequent punishments, I have always maintained that this 1960 song was important, in that it introduced the feel and sound of Aboriginal music to a wide audience, both in Oz and the UK. Remember that Aboriginal music - as heard by the general populace - in those days, was pretty much limited to Jimmy Little’s country style “Royal Telephone” and Harold Blair’s classical singing. After all, The Authorities considered The Aborigines as “a dying race” (or so they seemed to hope.....) But as a West Australian growing up in the ‘burbs of the 50s-60s, I really loved this song (as did my Mother!) – and we weren’t alone – it was often heard on the radio and it is still popular today and has been covered by many artists.

“ In his autobiography Rolf Harris recalls the writing of Sun Arise:

Another song from that time was 'Sun Arise' which was inspired by the Aboriginal music that Harry Butler had introduced to me. (pp. 159-160)
Harry Butler and I wrote 'Sun Arise' together, trying to capture the magic of Aboriginal music by reproducing the repetition of lyrics and music that make it so mesmerizing.
The lyrics of the song came from a story Harry told me about Aboriginal beliefs. Some tribes see the sun as a goddess. Each time she wakes in the morning, her skirts of light gradually cover more and more of the land, bringing back warmth and light to the air. (p. 161)

- Rolf Harris, Can You Tell Me What It Is Yet? London, Bantam Press, 2001 “

Here is a clip using mostly scenes of nature and Aboriginal life to illustrate – perhaps try to maintain some perspective and not let the odd pic of Rolf disturb your sensibilities : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwtnBm8glPE


And with that, I’m taking a break for the night (to await the sun arise - coz "Che gelida manina" :)
Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Andrez
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:12 PM

Another great one from days gone by.

Turning Steel (The Factory Lad)
A song by Colin Dryden ©Colin Dryden 1969

You wake up in the morning, the sky's as black as night,
Your mother's shouting up the stairs, you know she's winning the fight,
You hurry to the breakfast table and grab a bite to eat,
Then out the door and up the road, and through the factory gate.

Chorus:
Turning steel how do you feel, as in the chuck you spin.
If you felt like me you'd roll right out and never roll back in.

Cold and dark the morning as you squeeze in the gate.
As you clock in, the bell will ring - eight hours is your fate.
Off comes the coat and up go the sleeves and "right lads" is the cry.
With one eye on the clock, the other on your lathe, you wish that time could fly.

But time can't fly as fast as a lathe, and work you must -
The grinding, groaning spinning metal, the hot air and the dust.
And many's the time I'm with me girl and we're walking through the park,
While gazing down at the spinning steel or the welder's blinding spark.

Well, old Tom, he left last week - his final bell did ring.
His hair as white as the face beneath his oily sunken skin.
But he made a speech and he said "good-bye" to a life time working here,
As I shook his hand, I thought of hell - a lathe for forty years.

When my time comes, as come it must, why then I'll leave this place.
I'll walk right out past the chargehand's desk and never turn my face.
Out through the gates, into the sun, and I'll leave it all behind,
With but one regret for the lads I've left, to carry on the grind.

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:26 PM

Barry Skipsey is a singer/songwriter and professional photographer from Alice Springs. He has written many fine songs. This one is a session favourite in the Northern Territory.

OCEAN LINER
(Barry Skipsey)

When I was fishing back in the west
Rollin’ on the foamin’ sea
I dream of them pretty girls back on the shore
And I wish they was here with me

Chorus
Step on board the ocean liner
Step on board without delay, me lads
Step on board there’s nothin’ finer
And together we’ll sail away

Well, I made up me mind to take to the wave
On hearing of a good return
So the very next mornin’, I found myself prawnn’
Me stomach it began to churn

Chorus

I was workin’ twenty four hours a day
Me eyes hangin’ out of me head
Twenty four hours barely makin’ a wage
I wish I was back in me bed

Chorus

Seven cents a kilo for kings, they said
Eight cents a kilo endeavours
At ten cents a kilo for tiger prawns
For that they want the best out of you

Chorus

I’m a long way from mother out here on the waves
A long way from family
And a bloody long way from being a tap dancer
That my mother so wanted me to be

Chorus

The skipper is a big man, he stands so high
His head pokes up through the riggin’
And a crew of old dragons and they’re so high
I think they’ve left the land of the living

Chorus

So I’m eatin’ and thinkin’, and sortin’ prawns
Till they flamin’ well come out of me ears
And the cook gives me the shits in more ways than one
So I think I’m on my very last run

Chorus

Here is a rendition at Top Half Folk Festival in Alice Springs - ragged but right.

Youtube clip

It's hard to believe that prawns (or shrimps as they are called in the US) were ever that cheap. These days, you almost have to take out a bank loan to purchase a box.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Andrez
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:33 PM

Link to Factory Lad by Colin Dryden.

https://soundcloud.com/nomeshome/factory-lad-turning-steel-by

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:45 PM

Here's another one from the NT. Wendy Baarda was a long-time resident at the Yuendumu Aboriginal community out from Alice Springs. Bloodwood, a well-regarded bush band from Alice Springs, adapted a poem that she wrote many years ago. It relates to the serious problem of illegal grog-running into the community.

YUENDUMU FLAGON WAGON
(Wendy Baarda/Bloodwood)

(Chorus)
Engine roarin’, tailpipe draggin’
Yuendumu flagon wagon
Made it home again

Every time, rain or shine
Cops are waitin’ far behind
Kids clear out and the women are cryin’
Daddy’s comin’ home with a load of wine

Airstrip out and the road is clay
Rain coming down every night and day
No tucker in the store but they dropped in the pay
There’s a big mob of flagon in the camp today

Chorus

Flagon wagon caught in a bog
Rain comin’ down, no jack, no log
No food, no fire, no blankets, no dog
Seven day living off nothing but grog

Chorus

Every time, rain or shine
Cops are waitin’ far behind
Kids clear out and the women are cryin’
Daddy’s comin’ home with a load of wine

Copper up ahead, too late, cut short
‘Hey black feller, what’s that you bought’
Ten jerry cans full of Four Crown port
Talk about it two weeks later in court

Chorus

A hundred dollar down, hey man you’re on
Win this round, get a car and I’m gone
Another flagon wagon doin’ the run
Up and down the Track to Aileron

Chorus

Every time, rain or shine
Cops are waitin’ far behind
Kids clear out and the women are cryin’
Daddy’s comin’ home with a load of wine

The song may be found on the 2-CD set 'Bloodwood: the Collection'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 11:21 PM

Stewie, do you have WABO's "The Timbercutters Song" that Tropical Ear used to sing??
("Keep them logs rolling boys, Down to the mill my boys, Keep them logs a-rolling down ....")

How about "Matt Savage - The Boss Drover" - Ted Egan/Bloodwood???

Cheers, R-J


BtW, someone mentioned "The Year of the Drum"
"This song from Wendy Joseph describes the tragic effects of the World Wars on several generations of the people of Mannum and the use of music to entice young men to war. Mannum is a small town on the lower Murray River and has the distinction of having lost more men per head of population in both World Wars than any other town in South Australia."

Here is Wongawilli's version : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj7g5v-891s


"The Year of the Drum" ~ Wendy Joseph

My name is Jack Gresham, I grew up in Mannum,
That river boat town I loved well,
I married Meg Davis, we had us two children,
One day our family bliss turned to Hell.
For in nineteen fourteen, 'twas the year of the drum,
The guns and the Government called me to come,
Past melaleuca and tall shining gums,
I drifted away down the Murray.

My name is Meg Davis and I work down at Shearers,
Making wagons and stirrups and hames,
The war it is raging, the men are all fighting,
The women toil here making fuel for the flames.
For it's nineteen fifteen and the men have all gone,
They're fighting in Europe so we carry on,
We're keeping the candles lit bright here at home,
To light their way back up the Murray.

My name it is Mary and I am an orphan,
My father was killed in the war,
My mother Meg Davis, an upstanding lady,
She drowned in the Murray the year I turned four.
It was nineteen sixteen when the telegram came,
The death of her soldier its message proclaimed,
My Mum lost her footing due to tears and the rain,
She slipped on the banks of the Murray.

My name it is Billy and I am a soldier,
I just got my orders to-day,
My wife's name is Mary, she's as fair as a sunset,
I hate to be leaving her lonely this way.
But the year's forty two, 'tis the year of the drum,
The guns and the Government call me to come,
Past melaleuca and tall shining gums,
I'm drifting away down the Murray.

But the year doesn't matter, there's always a drum,
The guns and the Governments call men to come,
But the town still grows strong in her tall shining sons,
While her daughters light lamps by the Murray.


RjB

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 12:34 AM

R-J, I had the WABO album, but I gave it to Pembo years ago to convert to CD. He never got a 'round tuit' and I don't know what has happened to his stuff.

I have the words to 'Matt Savage' in one of Ted's songbooks. I'll type them out tomorrow.

Here is a link to a spirited rendition of 'The Rabbiters' for which Sandra posted the lyrics earlier in this thread. Beaut song.

Mucky Duck BB

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:12 PM

A simple happy song for Sunday, to be sung by saints and sinners alike!!

Pass the Song Along ~ Bernard Carney.

You can Sing and I can Sing
So let’s all Sing together
Lift your voice and pass the song along,
Sing your joy, Sing your love
And we can Sing forever
Lift your voice and pass the song along.

Share a simple melody
When you hit some nasty weather
Lift your voice and pass the song along,
Don’t care what you sound like
If we’re singing it together
Lift your voice and pass the song along.

Pass the song along, the song is loud, the song is strong
The song is old, the song is new, the song is free,
The song is helping someone out,
The song is laugh and dance and shout
The song is anything you want the song to be.

So you can Sing and I can Sing
So let’s all Sing together
Lift your voice and pass the song along,
Sing your joy, Sing your love
And we can Sing forever
Lift your voice and pass the song along.
Lift your voice and pass the song along.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmKTzRrEBmA

Bernard has over 40 years working full-time in the Oz entertainment industry, with numerous overseas and interstate gigs (he resides in WA), has released many CDs, and also works with the “Spirit of the Streets” choir and “Working Voices” combined unions choir.   http://www.bernardcarney.com/

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:19 PM

KALGOORLIE PIPELINE ~ Alan Ferguson / trad Irish tune


Ch.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Way Way over the desert, the daylight is fading
The camp fires grow bright at the close of the day
And over the Darlings, our loved ones are waiting
Beyond the Great Ocean, in Ireland far away.


Way out in the diggings, the miners are toiling
Dry blowing gold in the bright blazing sun
They're cursing the price of the water they're drinking
And praying O'Connor will get the job done.

300 miles we have toiled for O'Connor
Swinging our hammers and heaving the lines
A desert in front and a pipeline behind us
And C. Y. O'Connor will get there in time.

chorus.....

Political wrangles have led to this pipeline
And I cursed the day that I joined on meself
To Kalgoorlie, soon, the water is flowing
But that damned Irish foreman will see me in Hell.

From Mundaring we're known as the wild pipeline navvies
We sing and we booze 'round the campfire at night
Through all the long days of typhoid and sickness
Laying this pipeline for O'Connor's lone fight.

Ch.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Way over the desert, the daylight is fading
The camp fires grow bright at the close of the day
And over the Darlings, our loved ones are waiting
Beyond the Great Ocean, in Ireland far away.


A song from the pen of Alan Ferguson - half of The Settlers (with Sean Roche) from WA and from their 1979 album "Bound for Western Australia" for WA's 150th anniversary celebrations.
The original LP had a wonderful accompanying history/lyric booklet, which sadly, the later CD edition lacked.
SUCH a shame that this whole record has not been placed online.

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:31 PM

THE DEATH OF BEN HALL

Come all Australian sons with me, for a hero has been slain
Cowardly butchered in his sleep, upon the Lachlan Plains.
He never robbed a needy man, as all the records show
Staunch and loyal to his mates, and manly to the foe.
No brand of Cain e’er stamped his brow, no widow’s curse did fall
When tales are read, the squatter’s dread, the name of bold Ben Hall.
When first he left his trusty mates, the cause I ne’er did hear
The bloodhounds of the law heard this, and after him did steer.
Then savagely, they murdered him, those cowardly bluecoat imps
Who were led on to where he lay, by informing peelers’ pimps.
No more he’ll mount his gallant steed, or range the hills so high
The widow’s friend in poverty, bold Ben Hall – goodbye.
Pray do not stay your seemly grief, but let the teardrops fall
For all Australia mourns today, the death of bold Ben Hall.


It’s a pity that the version poignantly sung (in my memory!) by TONY LAVIN (Wild Colonial Boys) does not appear to be online. It was on their 1971 “Glenrowan to the Gulf” LP.
WCB were Jacko Kevans, Bob McInnes, Jim Fingleton, Bill Morgan, Tony Lavin, and originally, Declan Affley.

They all had a bit part in Tony Richardson’s 1970 film “Ned Kelly” (yes, the Mick Jagger version) – did they even get credited??
IMHO, t’would have been better if they had featured in the soundtrack instead of the Yanks (i.e. Shel Silverstein comps with Waylon Jennings & Kris Kristofferson & Tom Ghent singing, FFS!!!!)
But yes, it’s all a long time ago now - and the remakes of Ned just keep on coming :)


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:49 PM

MATT SAVAGE: BOSS DROVER
(Ted Egan)

At the six-mile in Wyndham the word passed around
Matt Savage, the boss drover, has just come to town
His plant's on the common, he's looking for men
'Cos he's taking a mob into Queensland

He's a legend in the outback, he's a man among men
Matt Savage, the boss drover, and he's riding again
Two thousand store bullocks, wild ones at that
That's the mob that he's taking into Queensland

Chorus:
Matt Savage, the boss drover, he'll take a mob over
Taking the bullocks to Queensland, ah ha!
Matt Savage, the boss drover, he'll take a mob over
Taking the bullocks to Queensland

Six of us ringers with cigarette swags
Signed up by Matt Savage and we've each got six nags
The cook's all hung over but the boss drover knows
That he'll travel ok into Queensland

First night, star bright, cattle travelling well
Hear the jingle of the hobbles, hear the Condamine bell
Sing a song as we watch them, make the buggers lie down
Or they'll rush all the way into Queensland

Chorus

Meat for the packbags as we pass through Wave Hill
There's a big Vestey's bullock so we're in for the kill
Grilled rib-bones tonight by the campfire's light
We'll be fit when we finally hit Queensland

But we're haunted by ghosts on the Murranji Track
Dead men, dead bullocks, cursed outback
Cattle dry-staging and the boss drover's raging
Hard times on the way into Queensland

Chorus

The Murranji's dry but at Newcastle Waters
We'll be dancing in the bar with old Bullwaddy's daughter
Then it's back in the saddle, keep pushing them cattle
Gotta take 'em along into Queensland

And when the bullocks all rushed, led by the big roan
Matt Savage on the night-horse, he turned them alone
He's been on the road now for about forty years
Boss drover on the stock routes to Queensland

Chorus

Four months on the road and the Tableland's bare
And it's heat, and it's dust, and there's flies everywhere
But when we get to Camooweal, we won't give a damn and we'll
Go riding along into Queensland

And there's the railway, there's the siding, delivery Dajarra
Then as quick as a flash we'll be into the bar
Of the pub for a blowout and a gutful of rum
'Cos we just brought a mob into Queensland

Ted noted:
Bullwaddy Bates was a legendary figure who came on to the Barkly Tableland, acquired several Jingili women as concubines and set up Beetaloo and OT Stations. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bates (or Bathern, which was his correct name) recognised his mix-race children and bequeathed the properties to them when he died.

Youtube clip

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:52 PM

WARATAH AND WATTLE ~ Frances Patterson (& Henry Lawson)


Though poor and in trouble I wander alone
With a rebel cockade in my hand
Though friends may desert me and kindred disown
My country will never do that!
You may sing of the Shamrock, the Thistle, the Rose
Or the Three-in-a-Bunch, if you will
But I know of a country that’s gathered all those
And I love the Great Land where the Waratah grows
And the Wattle bough blooms on the hill.                  

In Dreamtime, they tell us, the Great Spirits came
They wandered and traveled the land
They raised up the mountains and flattened the plains
They laid down the rocks and the sand
They carved out a course for the long river’s way
They planted the forests in shade
The great power of forming is joined to their way
And the tracks that they traveled are still here today
Under the roads we have made.                                         

Now under the Wattle I wander alone
And I think of the loss and the gain
To the land where we live we no longer belong
Although it is held in our name
This great earth which has borne us we want to disown
We have deserted our land
We are separate now and we live quite alone
And we try to grow roots in a place that we own
And bitterly don’t understand
   And bitterly, we won’t understand.


I learnt this great song in the 80s from the singing of Lynne Tracey (now back to being Lynne Muir), who is a most beautiful artist - calligrapher in Victoria and now sings classical music rather than folk.
Though the first verse is Lawson's, Frances Paterson of Sydney, wrote the next two and composed the music. If you find Lawson's poem being sung on YT, it's pretty dire, and the tune definitely does not fit this song.
Frances recorded her song in 1987 on an album of originals called "Sol Y Sombra" - I cannot find the song online, but I have ordered the LP from EBay!
Frances was also in bands like "Okapi Guitar Band" performing "AfroPop" - great-sounding dance music. She died in 2018.



Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 11:19 PM

I am still interested in finding songs relating to C.Y. O'Connor, the brilliant Irish-born engineer who planned/built the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme (aka The Kalgoorlie Pipeline - from Mundaring in the Darling Range of Perth), 1896-1903,
amongst other projects in West Aussie and New Zealand. He was hounded to take his own life less than 12 months before the taps were successfully turned on, by MSM rants (esp The Sunday Times) and politicians like Alexander Forrest (though his brother, John Forrest, was a supporter).
I have posted songs I have found so far in the following thread :

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=48647&messages=31#4071699

Cheers, R-J

(not sure why the Blicky Machine doesn't work for Mudcat threads - I only get 404 messages!)

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 11:35 PM

Some additional information re 'Waltjim bat Matilda' posted above. Ali Mills is the grand-niece of the late Val McGinness who had an old-time string band in pre-WW2 Darwin. Val was the writer of 'Waltjim but Matilda' (original had 'but' not 'bat') and Ali adapted it by adding some Gurindji and Larrakia words. Jeff Corfield, who lived in Darwin for many years, wrote a book in tribute to the life and music of Val McGinness whom he described as 'one of the last of Darwin's old string band musicians: 'String Bands and Shake Hands'. Val died in 1988. Shortly before Val's death, Jeff made extensive recordings of his songs and tunes and these have been deposited in the Northern Territory Archives. Val's brother, John (Jack), was also a musician. In relation to 'Waltjim but Matilda', Val told Jeff in 1988:

We (Johnny and I) would start off singing 'once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong' and the rest of the band would play with us. When we'd finish that first verse, I'd come in and say 'hey you fella, you chingim that song wrong way!' (and they'd say) 'yeah, which right way you chingim?' and I'd say 'you blow that bamboo (that didgeridoo) and I'll chingim proper way for you' ... and Johnny would get the guitar and he'd go dung dung a dung - make noise like a didgeridoo and I'd sing it see!

Here is one of Val's songs. His brother wrote the music.

ADELAIDE RIVER
(V.McGinness/J.McGinness)

Have you been on the beautiful Adelaide River?
Have you ever seen kangaroos and wallabies at play?
Trees are ever green on the beautiful Adelaide River
That is where my heart is and where I long to stay

Bamboo trees sway in the breeze while moon is rising high
Waters rolling, lovers strolling, just like you and I
Night birds calling, shadows falling, over silver streams
Oh how grand to hold your hand just like I do in dreams

We fell in love on the beautiful Adelaide River
Moon rose above, lighting love's glorious way
You were in my arms on the beautiful Adelaide River
Darling, I love you for ever and a day

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 02:25 AM

Thanks Stew! I'm very fond of Val's "Adelaide River' song!! Hopefully one day it will make it online.

Here is the sound of the regenerated Darwin String Bands in The Darwin Rondalla and the famous Shake Hands dance :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol4XPSNHT7E

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 02:49 AM

RANGITIKI   [© BOB WILSON 2014]


1.        Life was spartan in England years after the war
Few jobs, low wages, prospects were poor
No better in Scotland or Ireland too
Uncle Jim emigrated so we joined the queue
It was life on the prairies or in old Sydney town
Dunedin was mentioned, with a worrisome frown
Nine families, one bathroom, it was not hard to choose
Except for the day they told their parents the news.

ch.
When the Rangitiki, Rangitane, Rangitata sailed upon the seas
They carried troops in the war, then took migrants to the colonies                                                                                                   
The commonwealth of nations welcomed them with open arms                                                                           
They brought teachers and tradesmen and laborers to work the farms.

2.        My dad said “they’ll take us if we’re breathing and warm.”
There was ice on the windows, it was a terrible storm
He had one small piece of paper to say who we were
Paid five english pounds for the seagoing fare
We all got vaccinations and smallpox scars
Stayed with auntie in London, saw the changing of the guard
She drove us to Tilbury on a drizzly day
With sad music playing, we sailed away.

Ch.
When the Rangitiki, Rangitane, Rangitata sailed upon the seas                                                                                                                                                
They carried troops in the war, then took migrants to the colonies
The commonwealth of nations welcomed them with open arms
They brought teachers and tradesmen and laborers to work the farms.

   People in the new land helped put us at our ease
   They made fun of our accents but no-one called us refugees
   Yet we sought asylum in our modest anglo-saxon way
   Now one in four is born somewhere else, or so they say,


3.        There are pictures of her children hanging on the wall
Wearing academic gowns, standing proud and tall
Some have been to England, some have been to France
One moved to Manitoba, a refugee romance
Sometimes with her family gathered all around
She thinks of what we got for those five english pounds
We work and we save and we give what we can
To those seeking refuge from their troubled lands.

   We work and we save and we give what we can
   To refugees from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan
   From Burma, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, (spoken)


Ch.                                                                                                   
When the Rangitiki, Rangitane, Rangitata sailed upon the seas,
When the Rangitiki, Rangitane, Rangitata sailed upon the seas,
When the Rangitiki, Rangitane, Rangitata sailed upon the seas.


Here is the link to The Goodwills YT presentation of this song :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idnXHKWl01A&t=297s

And here is Bob's Blog where he explains the background story :
https://bobwords.com.au/rangitiki-migrants-story/

This track is from their latest CD "The Last Waterhole" and their previous recording "Loungeroom Legends", has another great favourite of mine : "Impressions of New Zealand" - a companion migrant song to this one. Watch their YT presentation :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3gCGksoS_8

Bob Wilson [The Goodwills] is a lovely songwriter and The Goodwills (now of Warwick, Qld) have 4 CDs , which contain mostly Bob's originals. He paints great pictures with his words and gentle humour.



Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 04:20 AM

When you posted "On the Death of Harold Holt" by JS Manifold, Stewie, I had clean forgotten that it was already up on Paul's YT channel at his 15th National Folk Festival concert in Brisbane at Easter 1981 :))
(I said I thought I was going ga-ga :(

It was quite a few posts back, so I'll repeat the lyrics :


HAROLD HOLT***   
poem by John Streeter Manifold
music by Paul Oswald Lawler


Only a week before Christmas
The happiest day of the year
They held a wake for Harold Holt
And the big wig guests came here

Bonny Prince Charlie came o’er the sea
With Wilson who never smiles
And L B J from the U S A
And the king of the cannibal isles

Chaps from Siam and South Vietnam
And the Philippines too I think
Some for the sake of the free free world
And some for the free free drink

They made long speeches and shed loud tears
To propitiate Harold’s ghost
And the king of the cannibal isles got up
To propose a final toast

He said we have had such a splendid time
Such generous Christmas cheer
We hope you’ll be able to drown
A Prime Minister every year

***JSM’s title was “On the Death of Mr Holt”        

The track is at 12:55 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kGADIvdG_c


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 05:14 AM

GREEN AMONG THE GOLD ~ Steve Barnes


1.   Dusty plains and iron chains met Erin's sons and daughters
Cast upon a barren land, a far-off distant shore
They dreamed of misty mountains and their home across the water
They sang of Connemara and the home they'd see no more.
Now limestone walls are all that's left of times of pain and failure
This country yields the secrets of the beauty that it holds
And the tunes of Erin's Isle are now the music of Australia
For Irish hands have woven strands of green among the gold.

Ch.
And so beneath the southern cross they sang their songs of Ireland
Who sent her sons and daughters there in the hungry days of old
They play their jigs and reels beneath the skies of their new homeland
For Irish hands have woven strands of green among the gold.

2.   Times were hard at home and so they took a crazy notion
To start a brand new life upon the far side of the globe
And now they find their hearts are stranded somewhere in mid ocean
Though their days are full of sunshine and their future's full of hope,
Their children sing of a droving life, of shearers, and bushrangers
They learn to play the music and to dance the steps of old
Though their hearts are in Australia they never will be strangers
To the land they left behind them; they're the green among the gold.


I didn’t find a recording by WA composers Steve & Ros Barnes, so here is an a cappella version by the Germany-based trio IONTACH :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx1Slp02jE0

Steve Barnes was for many years the Artistic Director of Fairbridge Folk Festival, at Pinjarra in Western Australia.


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 07:37 AM

ORE TRAIN BLUES
© BOB WILSON 2013


V.1   He got a job way out west carting iron ore
From the outback mines of the Pilbara to the West Australian shore
The hours were long, but the pay was good, but there wasn’t much to do
Except strum the ukulele and sing train songs with the crew.

CH.1
and they sang:
   Freight train, Graveyard train, Blow that Lonesome Whistle train
   The Indian Pacific and the Abalinga Mail
   Night train, Morning train
   Roll in m’Baby’s Arms train
   Picking up the tempo with the rattling of the rails.


V.2   Now the bosses and the union called a meeting in the yard
They had heard about this trio with the engineer and guard
“It’s workplace health and safety, it’s like talking on your phone.”
But he knew it wasn’t the music, they just didn’t like the tone.

CH.2
and they sang:
   Ghost train, Poison train, not bound for glory, This train
   And they all sang la la la la, when They Drove Old Dixie Down
   Bridal train, Salvation train, Get on Board Little Children train
   He could have been the King of the Road but he never got the crown.


V.3 The boss bought high-tech robots from Korea and Japan
And the maiden hands-free journey went pretty much to plan
They said: “It’s a boring job, we’ll find you something else to do.”
Now he’s in a control room, sharing train songs with the crew.

CH.3
and they sang:
   Freight train, Graveyard train, Blow that Lonesome Whistle train
   The Indian Pacific and the Abalinga Mail
   Night train, Morning train
   Roll in m’Baby’s Arms train
   Picking up the tempo with the rattling of the rails.


CH.4
and they sang:
   Mail train, Slow train, Desper-ados Waiting for a Train
   Homeward Bound, John Henry, Engine Engine Number Nine
   Peace train, Freedom train, Robert Johnston’s Love in Vain
   And they all sang like Dylan: well, I'm walkin' down the line
   And they all sang like Dylan: well, I'm walkin' down the line.



For all you lovers of Train Songs - another from Bob & Laurel Wilson (aka The Goodwills) and a great one to try and sing along, esp with the 4 chorus variations!!

You'll find it here :
https://www.thegoodwills.com/store/music-by-the-goodwills/the-last-waterhole/
on their latest CD "The Last Waterhole".


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 07:48 AM

Sorry if Stewie and I have put anyone else off from posting, but there's just so much good music out there (much of it not heard outside of Oz festivals or folkclubs), and when the spirit moves you, well, ya just gotta let it take ya :))

But I think I'm having a break for a coupla days now anyway ....

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 09:40 AM

does that mean I have to get back to work?

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 08:52 PM

R-J, well said. Thanks for posting a link to Val McGinness's 'Shake Hands Dance'. Lovely.

Sandra, yes.

PIONEERS
(F.Ophel/R.Rummery)

They said, 'Now here is gold
The cloth of gold unrolled
Lies spread about our feet
Now fortune smiles and sweet'
The mulga hid the face of fate
Watching with ruthless eyes of hate

'Now wealth is ours', they said
'Great wealth and riches red
Our journeying is done
Guerdon and gold are won'
Red were the written words they signed
And scenting blood the wild dog whined

They said, 'Now ours is fame
And honoured glorious name -
The name of pioneers
And honour as of seers'
They turned to take the homeward track
And dreamed a joyous welcome back

No man knows where they lie
None heard their last death cry
Unmarked their grave by mound
But at the last trump sound
Perchance some god who all things hears
Will give them praise as pioneers

This one is on Bob Rummery's 'Man with the concertina' CD.

Bob's note:

A poem written by Frederick Ophel in June 1906. A story on WA's goldfields in the early 1890s told that the first prospectors to peg Coolgardie found pegs in the ground with indecipherable writing in red ink. No one knows who pegged the ground'.

You can find a rendition at about the 45-min mark of Chloe and Jason's tribute to Bob.

Youtube

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 09:50 PM

THUNDERBOLT'S DREAM
(Trad/Anon)

One night in Uralla scrub as I lay
Strange fancies came o'er me and I thought it was day
I thought it was day yet I knew it was night
My dreams they all vanished and I woke in a fright

I saw scenes of a picnic in a faraway town
Of music and dancing and sports all around
My mother and father enjoying the fun
And schoolmates with whom I once ventured to run

Yes my dreams they all vanished and I woke with a jolt
To find myself still the outlaw Thunderbolt
But the music kept playing, there was a dance on nearby
No one would know me so I strolled on inside

We were having a spell, we'd just finished a dance
When a trooper rode up and his horse it did prance
I could tell by his looks he was more than a colt
So I thought to myself, 'You'll suit Thunderbolt'

While the trooper engaged in having a dance
I made for the door, to the horse I soon pranced
I sprang to the stirrup, in the saddle with one bound
I said, 'My young fellow a rider you've found'

Over rivers and valleys and mountains we flew
And from the green grass swept the bright morning dew
The trooper gave chase but he hadn't a chance
With his head hanging down he rode back to the dance

To that young policeman a lesson I've taught
No more he'll be heard in any police court
It was a hundred good miles I made on that colt
They put a thousand bright sovereigns on bold Thunderbolt

The song is the opening track of Bob Rummery's 'Man with the concertina'. Here is less spirited rendition than Bob's - Bob's nephew, Mark Rummery, and Barry McDonald.

Youtube clip

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: JennieG
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 09:59 PM

Uralla is just an hour north of here, their local museum has an excellent Thunderbolt display.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 10:07 PM

Bob Rummery put a tune to Ian Mudie's poem about Australian soldiers in New Guinea in WW2.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN
(Mudie/Rummery)

Are you there, Peter Lalor, are you there?
Ghost with gold-dust in your hair
And lean Stuart do you ride to seek your northern tide?
Where in greens they're slowly swinging
Through the mud, too tired for singing
Where the poison of New Guinea fills the ai

Are you there, untiring Eyre, are you there?
With your heart beyond compare
Are you there, you brave wild Kellys where heroes on their bellies
Through the jungle now are creeping
May their women have no weeping
When snipers from their tree-tops cruelly stare?

You ghosts that walk beside
Do you watch them now with pride?
As through green hell and glory, they carry on your story
Where in mud their feet are sinking
And in dreams they're always thinking
Of their homes and of the cobbers who have died

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 08:52 PM

As sung by Martyn Wyndham- Read.

TOMAHAWKING FRED

Now some shearing I have done, and some prizes I have won
Through knuckling down so close against the skin
But I'd rather tomahawk every day and shear a flock
For that's the only way to make some tin

Chorus
I am just about to head for the Darling River shed
To turn a hundred out I know the plan
Just give me sufficient cash and you'll see me make a splash
For I'm Tomahawking Fred, the lady's man

Put me on a shearing floor and I’ll lay you five to four
That I'd give any ringer ten sheep start
Oh when I’m on the whipping side then away from me they glide
Just like any bullet or a dart

Chorus

Oh of me you might have read for I'm Tomahawking Fred
In shearing sheds me fame has travelled far
I'm the don of the Riverine, amongst the shearers cut a shine
And our tar-boy says I never call for tar

Chorus

Wire in and go ahead, for I'm Tomahawking Fred
In a shearing shed, my lads, I cut a shine
There is Roberts and Jack Gunn, shearing laurels they have won
But my tally's never under ninety-nine

Chorus

Youtube clip

This belter of a shearing song was preserved for us by the self-styled 'last of the bushrangers', Jack Bradshaw, who had done a bit of shearing when he wasn't horse stealing or planning bank robberies. He served 20 years from 1880 for bank robbery and some business over a stolen cheque. In jail, he put together his 'Highway Robbery Under Arms Without Shedding Blood' and 'Twenty Years of Prison Life in the Gaols of NSW'. These included a number of traditional songs, including this one. It appears in Stewart and Keesing' edition of 'Old Bush Songs' under the title 'Some Shearing I Have Done'. Evidently, the ballad is based on a music hall song 'Fashionable Fred'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 09:43 PM

Once again, I forgot to login.

Of course, this Lawson poem should be among any collection of Australian 'folk songs'.

FREEDOM ON THE WALLABY
(Henry Lawson)

Australia's a big country
An' Freedom's humping bluey,
An' Freedom's on the wallaby
Oh! don't you hear 'er cooey?
She's just begun to boomerang,
She'll knock the tyrants silly,
She's goin' to light another fire
And boil another billy.

Our fathers toiled for bitter bread
While loafers thrived beside 'em,
But food to eat and clothes to wear,
Their native land denied 'em.
An' so they left their native land
In spite of their devotion,
An' so they came, or if they stole,
Were sent across the ocean.

Then Freedom couldn't stand the glare
O' Royalty's regalia,
She left the loafers where they were,
An' came out to Australia.
But now across the mighty main
The chains have come ter bind her –
She little thought to see again
The wrongs she left behind her.

Our parents toil'd to make a home –
Hard grubbin 'twas an' clearin' –
They wasn't crowded much with lords
When they was pioneering.
But now that we have made the land
A garden full of promise,
Old Greed must crook 'is dirty hand
And come ter take it from us.

So we must fly a rebel flag,
As others did before us,
And we must sing a rebel song
And join in rebel chorus.
We'll make the tyrants feel the sting
O' those that they would throttle;
They needn't say the fault is ours
If blood should stain the wattle!

There are plenty of renditions available on the Net. Unfortunately, my favourite is not - Bob Rummery singing it on Loaded Dog 'Dusty gravel road'. Loaded Dog faithfully keep to Lawson's text.

Decades ago, I put together the following intro for a themed concert of Oz songs. It may be of interest:

The depression of the early 1890s led to an explosion of the antagonisms that had been simmering between capital and labour. Strikes and lockouts were the order of the day. The shearers' strike of 1891 brought Australia close to the brink of civil war at a time when working people throughout the world were demanding social justice, better pay and improved working conditions. The powerful squatters were aided and abetted by colonial governments, the military and the police. At Barcaldine, over 1500 troopers with cannon and gattling guns confronted 1000 armed shearers who were attacking a train loaded with scabs. This led to hundreds of shearers being arrested and woodsheds being burned to the ground. Lawson published 'Freedom on the Wallaby' in 'The Worker' in Brisbane on 16 May 1891. It was his comment on the use of the military to put down the shearers' strike and some stanzas were read out in the Queensland parliament amid calls for his arrest for sedition. The poem took to the bush and grew itself a tune. A.G. Stephens once said of one of Lawson's poems and would have said of many 'this is not high poetry, but the passion, the grip of it, make it valuable and, in Australia, memorable. It is interesting to note that, as early as 1889, Lawson was writing: 'I don't think I'd live for a week under the freedom or tyranny of unionism, universal brotherhood, glorious liberty or whatever you like to call it'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
From: Stewie
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 10:16 PM

Here's another Lawson poem for which Bob Rummery provided a tune:

THE SHEARERS
(H.Lawson/R.Rummery)

No church-bell rings them from the Track,
No pulpit lights their blindness–
‘Tis hardship, drought, and homelessness
That teach those bushmen kindness:
The mateship born, in barren lands,
Of toil and thirst and danger,
The camp-fare for the wanderer set,
The first place to the stranger.

They do the best they can today–
Take no thought of the morrow;
Their way is not the old-world way–
They live to lend and borrow.
When shearing’s done and cheques gone wrong,
They call it “time to slither”–
They saddle up and say “So-long!”
And ride the Lord knows whither.

And though he may be brown or black,
Or wrong man there, or right man,
The mate that’s steadfast to his mates
They call that man a “white man!”
They tramp in mateship side by side–
The Protestant and Roman–
They call no biped lord or sir,
And touch their hat to no man!

They carry in their swags perhaps,
A portrait and a letter–
And, maybe, deep down in their hearts,
The hope of “something better.”
Where lonely miles are long to ride,
And long, hot days recurrent,
There’s lots of time to think of men
They might have been–but weren’t.

They turn their faces to the west
And leave the world behind them
(Their drought-dry graves are seldom set
Where even mates can find them).
They know too little of the world
To rise to wealth or greatness;
But in these lines I gladly pay
My tribute to their straightness

It can be found on Loaded Dog 'That there dog o' mine' CD.

--Stewie.