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Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
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Subject: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Joe Offer Date: 15 Aug 20 - 10:32 PM
This thread will be edited by GerryM. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: Lyr Add: ANDERSON'S COAST (John Warner) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 16 Aug 20 - 04:14 AM Anderson's Coast by John Warner Old Bass Strait roars like a great mill race And where are you, my Annie? And the same moon shines on this distant place As shone that night on my Annie's face. Chorus (after each verse): And Annie dear, don't wait for me, I fear I'll never return to thee. There's naught to do but endure my fate And watch the moon, the lonely moon, Light the breakers of wild Bass Strait. We stole a vessel and all her gear And where are you, my Annie? And from Van Diemen's north did steer Till Bass Strait's wild waves, they wrecked us here. A mile inland as our path was laid And where are you, my Annie? We found a government stockade, Long, long deserted, but stoutly made. And somewhere's west port Melbourne lies And where are you, my Annie? Through swamps infested with snakes and flies And the fool who walks there, the fool he dies. We hail no ships, though time it drags, And where are you, my Annie? For our chain gang roll and government rags, They mark us out as Van Diemen's lags. We fled the lash and the chafing chain, And where are you, my Annie? We fled starvation and brutal pain, But here we are, and here remain. John Roberts and Debra Cowan sing Anderson's Coast. Words from Mainly Norfolk. Recording by Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, It's also in the DT: Here |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Jeri Date: 16 Aug 20 - 10:22 AM John and Debra sing Anderson's Coast on YouTube John DOES sing "our chain gang roll". |
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Subject: Lyr Add: ANDERSON'S COAST (John Warner) From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 16 Aug 20 - 11:00 AM John Warner Singer Songwriter Poet and good bloke 4. ANDERSON'S COAST © John Warner 8/5/93 Old Bass Strait roars like some great millrace, And where are you, my Annie? And the same moon shines on this lonely place, As shone one day on my Annie's face. But Annie, dear, don't wait for me, I fear I shall not return to thee, There's nought to do but endure my fate, And watch the moon, the lonely moon Light the breakers on wild Bass Strait. We stole a vessel and all her gear, And where are you, my Annie? And from Van Dieman's we north did steer, Till Bass Strait's wild waves wrecked us here. A mile inland as our path was laid And where are you, my Annie? We found a government stockade Long deserted but stoutly made. And somewhere west, Port Melbourne lies, And where are you, my Annie? Through swamps infested with snakes and flies, The fool who walks there, he surely dies. We hail no ships though the time, it drags, And where are you, my Annie? Our chain gang walk and our government rags All mark us out as Van Dieman's lags. We fled the lash and the chafing chain, And where are you, my Annie? We fled hard labour and brutal pain, And here we are, and here remain. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GerryM Date: 18 Aug 20 - 06:06 AM As the Mudcat Songbook is intended to be a follow-up to Rise Up Singing and Rise Again, here is a list of the Australian songs that are already in those two books. No point in posting these songs to this thread (unless it's to make corrections/additions to the entries in those books). Rise Up Singing contains Kookaburra Mothers Daughters Wives No Man's Land Safe in the Harbor South Australia Waltzing Matilda Rise Again contains Down Under Rattlin' Bones The Band Played Waltzing Matilda Leaving the Land The Court of King Caractacus Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport All For Me Job If It Weren't For the Union One Voice in the Crowd Until |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Mysha Date: 18 Aug 20 - 10:41 AM "Now I'm easy"? |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Joe Offer Date: 18 Aug 20 - 06:52 PM Certainly, the chapter should include something from Henry Lawson, like The Outside Track. Lots of ideas in John Thompson's Australian Folk Song a Day |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 18 Aug 20 - 08:11 PM Battler's ballad --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Helen Date: 18 Aug 20 - 08:53 PM One of my favourite Henry Lawson songs is Do You Think That I Do Not Know? The song is performed by Priscilla Herdman to the tune that Chris Kempster set it to, as shown in The Songs of Henry Lawson which CK compiled. I like this song because a lot of HL's poems or songs are about people striving to make a living in the bush, some are funny like The Loaded Dog, some are sad, some are about the hard life on the land, but Do You Think ... is different. It seems more personal to HL. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: SERVICE SONG (Harry Robertson) From: JennieG Date: 18 Aug 20 - 10:00 PM Yes - a great choice, Helen. I quite like "Service song" by Harry Robertson. SERVICE SONG Lyrics and Music: Harry Robertson Arranged by Evan Mathieson When I was a boy on my daddy’s farm, he sometimes used to say, Take the brown cow out for service, son, to the farmer down the way. Each time I took the cow down there, the farmer he would say, Just leave the cow with me my boy, and come back another day. For years it had me puzzled — what did this service mean? ’Til one day I decided that this service must be seen, Through a knot hole in the barn door — with a youthful naked eye, I saw what they’ve been doing to us in the years that had gone by. We hear a lot of talk these days, from companies big and small, What would we do without them, they’re a service to us all, We’re here to serve the people — just buy from us once more, For years we’ve really served you — but we’d love to serve you more. When you hear a politician say, “I’ve served my country true.” I don’t know what he means by that, so I’ll leave that one to you. We’re here to serve the people — elect us just once more, For years we’ve really served you — but we’d love to serve you more. So in the next election friends, when you put your cross on the dot, Be sure you elect a proper man — or you’ll get what the brown cow got! We’re here to serve the people — elect us just once more, For years we’ve really served you — but we’d love to serve you more! (Repeat last two lines — with great gusto — for final chorus) Any of Harry Robertson's songs would be good. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: ONE OF THE HAS-BEENS (Don Henderson) From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Aug 20 - 02:12 AM https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=6510 - Don Henderson's re-writing of this classic Australian folksong + original song both on this thread & below One of the has-beens by Don Henderson I'm one of the has-beens A folk song I mean. In oral transmission I once was serene. Illiterate agrarians my worth would avow, but you may not believe me 'cause they don't do it now. Chorus I'm as awkward as a new one, much more cap and gown, than a blithe air of arcadia; I've been written down Eluding the Banjo, Vance Palmer, Bert Lloyd, Jones, Durst and O'Connor I did likewise avoid. Manifold, Meredith, Tate, de Hugard, both Scotts, all found finding me was too hard. One day while engrossed in making a whip, my current custodian let his version slip. Ron Edwards was on hand and wrote down all that, while feigning description of the sixteen strand plait. Oh, it's no use complaining, I'll never say die, though the variant days for me have gone by. Now captured in MS, stave and magazine, I merely have told you just what I have been. Don Henderson 1937 - 1991 collectors of Australian Folk song Banjo Paterson, Vance Palmer, Bert Lloyd, Percy Jones, Joy Durst, Norm O'Connor, John Manifold, John Meredith, Brad Tate, Dave de Hugard, brothers bill Scott and Alan Scott Ron Edwards collector, folklorist, artist, storyteller, craftsman ... ================== ONE OF THE HAS-BEENS. It's an Australian shearing song and is from the point of view of an old man who used to be the best shearer in the sheds, i.e. the ringer, but now he is old and has lost most of his shearing prowess. The tune is PRETTY POLLY PERKINS OF PADDINGTON GREEN, and this tune and lyrics are in the DT database if you search for [Polly Perkins]. I probably found this on an Australian folk music site. I posted these lyrics in a thread called "Feedback please" a while back. I'll check where I got it from and post the site address. Helen ONE OF THE HAS-BEENS I'm one of the has-beens a shearer I mean I once was a ringer and I used to shear clean I could make the wool roll off like the soil from the plough But you may not believe me for I can't do it now CHORUS: I'm as awkward as a new chum and I'm used to the frown That the boss often shows me saying keep them blades down I've shore with Pat Hogan, Bill Bright and Jack Gunn Tommy Leighton Charlie Fergus and the great roaring Dunn They brought from the Lachlan the best they could find But not one among them could leave me behind It's no use complaining I'll never say die Though the days of fast shearing for me have gone by I'll take the world easy shear slowly and clean And I merely have told you just what I have been Notes - Printed in Stewart and Keesing Old Bush Songs with the note: "From Mrs G.L.Ginns, of Merrylands, NSW". (Written by Robert Stewart) From the singing of A.L.Lloyd, who writes on the notes for Across the Western Plains that he heard it in Cowra, NSW when he was working there in the 1920s. Tune 'Pretty Polly Perkins' |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST,Mysha Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:07 AM Is there a separate chapter on New Zealand songs? Or else, where does By the Dry Cardrona go? Bye Mysha |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: John MacKenzie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 02:44 PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c80UR3PtGuQ Where the Brumbies Come to Water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhH0r-0YbFo Reedy Lagoon |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:04 PM Alistair Hulett's excellent song relating to Wittenoom mine in Western Australia. He fades away Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:21 PM Another fine song from Hulett's days in Oz: Suicide town Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:37 PM Rabbit Trapper Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: WHERE THE CANE FIRES BURN (Bill Scott) From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:48 PM WHERE THE CANE FIRES BURN (Bill Scott) I've wandered east, I've wandered west, From the Hamersley Range to the Snowy Crest, From the Lachlan Plains to the Broken Hill, But my heart's at the Johnstone River still. Now the time has come when I must return Where the vine scrub grows and the cane fires burn. Where the vine scrub grows and the cane fires burn. By the Yarra now the cold rain falls And the wind is bleak from the Bass Strait squalls, I stand and wonder in the chill Has the season started at Mulgrave Mill? For Autumn comes and I must return Where the harvesters chug and the trash fires burn - Where the harvesters chug and the trash fires burn. The smog is thick and stings the eye Where the Harbour Bridge fills half the sky And the sirens wail through Sydney town.... But I dream of Tully when the sun goes down Where the rainforest covers the hills with green The cane grows tall and the air is clean - The cane grows tall and the air is clean. I've been wandering South and West On land and sea, but the north is best. Now Autumn comes with its hint of snows And I must follow where the egret goes To watch the evening's first faint star From Flying Fish Point or Yarrabah- From Flying Fish Point or Yarrabah. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HEY RAIN (Bill Scott) From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 09:02 PM HEY RAIN (Bill Scott) CHORUS: Hey rain, rain comin' down On the cane, on the roofs of the town. There's rain on me hands and rain on me face, Oh muddy old Innisfail's a muddy wet place, Hey rain, hey rain. And there's rain in me beer and rain in me grub, And they've just fitted anchors to the Garradunga pub, Hey rain, hey rain. Chorus........ There's a Johnstone River crocodile livin' in me frig' And a bloody great tree on the Jubilee Bridge Hey rain, hey rain. And the monsoon sky has sprung a leak From Flyin' Fish Point to the Millstream Creek, Hey rain, hey rain. Chorus..... And the storm clouds are so black and big There's an old flyin' fox in the Moreton Bay fig, Hey rain, hey rain It's the worst wet season we've ever had, And I'd swim down to Tully, but it's just as bloody bad Hey rain, hey rain. Chorus..... Youtube clip Mudcat thread --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 09:33 PM Bob Randall's classic song about the stolen generation: Brown skin baby A beaut cover and video by Tom Reid, an Irishman who spent time in Oz: Tom Reid's rendition --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Aug 20 - 09:59 PM Phyl Lobl has written so many great songs. lyrics Antiwar songs In 1968, Phyl released her own E.P. (remember them?!) titled "Dark Eyed Daughter". It was a significant political statement by an Australian folk singer as it was dedicated to the political issue of Aboriginal Rights at a time when Australia's Aboriginal people were disenfranchised. Phyl recorded two of her own songs for the EP, the title song "Dark Eyed Daughter" and "Will You Fight, Will You Dare?" As well, Phyl recorded the song "Whose Hand" written by Ian Hills and Kath Walker's poem "No More Boomerang" to which she and her friend, later to be her husband, Geri Lobl had composed a tune and arrangement. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: SAILOR HOME FROM THE SEA (Dorothy Hewett) From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:00 PM Dorothy Hewett's poem 'Sailor home from the sea'. In Darwin, we always called it 'Cock of the north'. It has been put to several tunes, but the one used in the NT was by Martyn Wyndham-Read. SAILOR HOME FROM THE SEA Oh cock of the morning with a dream in your hand, My love has come home, come ashore to the land As he walks through the door with his eyes like the sun And his kit bags crammed full of the treasures he's won. There's a pearl shell from Broome and a tall Darwin tale, Coral and clam and the jaws of a whale, And our kitchen is full of the smell of the sea And the leaping green fishes my love brings to me. Oh tumble your treasures from Darwin and Broome, And fill with your glory my straight little room With the sun in the morning ablaze on your chest, My love has come home from the north of northwest. 4. And deep in these beds we will love and we'll lie, We'll kiss and we'll listen to the rain in the sky, Warm as the summer, we'll hive winter long, My love has come home like King Solomon's song. A recent video by Martyn: Cock of the north --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: WEEVILS IN THE FLOUR / WHERE I GREW TO... From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:11 PM Dorothy Hewett's Weevils in the flour http://unionsong.com/u140.html - lyrics "Weevils in the flour" + original poem "Where I grew to be a man" On an island in a river How that bitter river ran I grew on scraps of charity In the best way that you can On an island in a river Where I grew to be a man. Chorus For dole bread is bitter bread Bitter bread and sour There's grief in the taste of it There's weevils in the flour There's weevils in the flour And just across the river Stood the mighty B.H.P., Poured pollution on the waters, Poured the lead of misery And its smoke was black as Hades Rolling hungry to the sea. In those humpies by the river Where we lived on dole and stew, While just across the river Those greedy smokestacks grew, And the hunger of the many Filled the bellies of the few. On an island in a river How that bitter river ran It broke the banks of charity And it baked the bread of man On an island in a river Where I grew to be a man. Last chorus: For dole bread is bitter bread There's a weevils in the flour But men grow strong as iron upon Black bread and sour, Black bread and sour. Notes Many thanks to Dorothy Hewett and Mike Leyden for permission to include this song in the Union Songs collection Weevils in the Flour was published in Australian Tradition, November 1965 and is sung here by Declan Affley, from the 1987 memorial LP 'Declan Affley' here is the original poem: Where I Grew To Be a Man On an island in a river, How that bitter river ran! I grew on scraps of charity In the best way that you can, On that island in the river Where I grew to be a man. For dole bread is bitter bread, Black bread and sour, There's grief in the taste of it, There's weevils in the flour. And just across the river Stood the mighty B.H.P., Poured pollution on the waters, Poured the lead of misery, And its smoke was black as Hades Rolling hungry to the sea. In those humpies by the river, We lived on dole and stew, And just across the river Those greedy smokestacks grew, And the hunger of the many Filled the bellies of the few. Oh! Winter on the river Was a time of bitter cold, A time of hungry bellies And children growing old, And men with nothing else to do But watch the river roll. For dole bread is bitter bread, Black bread and sour, There's grief in the taste of it, There's weevils in the flour. Oh! cats on the river, And men on the tide, They all became a commonplace On our river side, And even mothers couldn't weep When new-born babies died. Oh! black was the steel town, And black was the smoke, Cold-black the river water That can gag a man and choke, Till he dreams up a furnace fire Of his own to stoke. We met beside the river With the ghosts of good men drowned, We picketed the steel mill And we banked our hunger down With words that stung and deeds that hung Like live things on the town. For dole bread is bitter bread, There's weevils in the flour, There's rage in the taste of it. Black bread and sour! On an island in a river, How that bitter river ran! It broke the banks of charity, It baked the bread of man, On that island in the river Where I grew to be a man. For dole bread is bitter bread, There's weevils in the flour, But men grow strong as iron upon Black bread and sour! |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BARE LEGGED KATE (John Dengate) From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:16 PM BARE LEGGED KATE Words: John Dengate: "Written for my mother, Born Kathleen Mary Kelly, Gundagai, NSW, 1914." Tune: Bare-legged Joe First Verse and Chorus: Bare-legged Kate with your natural grace, The big, big sad eyes in the Irish face. A poor bush girl when the summer is high In the stony hills of Gundagai. Bare-legged Kate why do you weep When the men ride by with the travelling sheep? Does the sight of the drover make you sad? Do you think of the father you never had? CHORUS: Bare-legged Kate why do you run, Down to the creek in the setting sun? Down where the eyes of the world cannot see - Run Kate, run, from poverty. CHORUS: Bare-legged Kate, there is gold in the hills But you know that the cyanide process kills. Poisons the miners and cuts them down In the mean little homes below the town. Bare-legged Kate, when the floods come down, It's the poor on the creeks are the ones who drown: When the great Murrumbidgee is thundering by Through the haunted hills of Gundagai. The above is a transcription by Bob Bolton. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: SAILOR HOME FROM THE SEA (Dorothy Hewett) From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:48 PM My apologies, the transcription that I posted above of 'Sailor home from the sea' needs severe correction. I copied and pasted it from a Mudcat thread. Martyn's version varies a little from Hewett's original, but this is what he sings: SAILOR HOME FROM THE SEA Oh cock of the morning with a dream in his hand, My love has come home to this beautiful land He bursts through the door with his eyes like the sun And his kit bag crammed full with the treasures he's won A coral from Broome and a tall Darwin tale, A pearl and a clam and the jaws of a whale, My kitchen is full with the smell of the sea And the leaping green fishes my love brings to me Oh tumble your treasures from Darwin and Broome, And fill with your glory this straight little room With the sun of the morning ablaze on his chest My love has come home from the north of northwest And deep in our bed, we'll lie and we'll be We'll kiss and we'll listen to the rain on the sea Warm as the summer, we've lived winter long My love has come home like King Solomon's song Poem --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BROKEN-DOWN SQUATTER (Charles Flower) From: Stewie Date: 19 Aug 20 - 11:35 PM Below is my transcription of a Martyn Wyndham-Read rendition: THE BROKEN-DOWN SQUATTER (Charles Flower) Come, Stumpy, old man, we must shift whilst we can, Your mates in the paddock are dead We must bid our farewell to Glen Even's fair dell The place where your master was bred Together we'll roam from our drought-stricken home Seems hard that such things have to be, And it's hard on the horse when he's nought for a boss But a broken-down squatter like me Chorus: And the banks are all broken they say And the merchants are all up a tree When the bigwigs are brought to the bankruptcy court What chance for a squatter like me? No more we will muster the river for fats Nor speed on the fifteen-mile plain Nor rip through the scrub by the light of the moon Nor see the old homestead again Leave the slip-panels down, they don't matter much now, There's none but the crows left to see, Perching gaunt on a pine, as though longing to dine On a broken-down squatter like me. Chorus When the country was cursed with the drought at its worst The cattle were dying in scores Though down on me luck, I kept up me pluck Thinking justice might soften the laws But the farce had been played, and the government aid Ain't extended to squatters, old son; When me money was spent, they doubled the rent And resumed the best part of the run Chorus 'Twas done without reason, for leaving the season No squatter could stand such a rub And it's useless to squat when the rents are so hot That you can't save the price of your grub And there's not much to choose 'tween the banks and the screws When a fellow gets put up a tree There's no odds how I feel, there's no court of appeal For a broken-down squatter like me Chorus Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 20 Aug 20 - 03:56 AM Stewie, do you perchance have an MP3 of Smokey's (et al) version of Lawson's "The Outside Track" (music by Gerry Hallom)??? I always thought his rendition was beautiful and needs to be known outside of The Top End. Same with his singing of the "Northern Gulf" (was that with the early Tropical Ear perhaps?), using MacColl's "North Sea Holes" as a base. I'd be happy to put them up on Paul's YT channel if you like. Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Joe Offer Date: 20 Aug 20 - 04:06 AM Oh, this is fun. Thanks, Gerry. Anybody else ready to propose and manage a chapter? |
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Subject: Lyr Add: MY DEAR DARWIN (Paul Lawler) From: rich-joy Date: 20 Aug 20 - 07:36 AM The late Paul Lawler's observations of the changing face of tropical architecture in the Top End of the Northern Territory, after Cyclone Tracy (not necessarily for the better), are immortalised in his song "My Dear Darwin", popular with so many folkies who have visited or lived in Australia's Top End - it's very singable! MY DEAR DARWIN © Paul Lawler, 1983 Time was, when people in harmony With nature understood, That freedom for living things went without saying And life’s simple pleasures were good. Asymmetrical, practical, buildings of yesterday Made from lattice and lace, But louvres and shutters and the wide open spaces Now have concrete blocks in their place. Chorus My Dear Darwin Oh what have they done to your face, Since Tracy blew, your tropical hue Has somehow fallen from grace. Call it green season, then build without reason These homes from latitudes far, Creating hot boxes, visually obnoxious On Darwin’s horizon, a scar. Government platitudes, old-fashioned attitudes Building suburbs of gloom, Breezes are few, in your tropical igloo You’ll never enjoy the monsoon. Caravan window, breeze adagio Air condition the room, Depend when you’re hot, on one thousand watts Sealed in a suburban tomb. But make the correction and opt for convection Let the nor-wester in from the sea, Airing your dwelling and bonus that’s telling The wind and the breezes are free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bueF-1abr_s Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST,Mysha Date: 20 Aug 20 - 08:04 AM Which end of Australia is its top? Bye Mysha |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 20 Aug 20 - 08:21 AM The Top End is the pointy bit! Northern Territory & the northern part of Queensland. Darwin has a Top End Folk Club which used to meet in the Gun Turret I've never been there & now I can see why the Gun turret was such a great venue. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST,Mysha Date: 20 Aug 20 - 09:35 AM Ah, thanks Sandra. I have a grasp of how Jan Abe Tassema named those islands, but have only a vague idea of how later natives reinvented the topography afterwards. (-: So, back to the general topic. I see we do have a mention of Van Diemenslandt. Are there specific parts of New Holland that we are missing but that are worth mentioning songs for? Bye Mysha |
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Subject: Lyr Add: GENTLE ANNIE (Australian variant, Foster) From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 20 - 09:40 AM R-J, unfortunately I do not have any recordings of Smokey. I recall he also did a belter rendition of 'Death of Ben Hall'. He had an excellent voice for Oz bush ballads - his German accent would disappear when he sang. Ah, Sandra, the turret days were wonderful. We had hundreds attend of a Sunday night. Many heard about us on the hippy routes to the north. Here is an Australian version of Stephen Foster's 'Gentle Annie'. There are several variants, but the text of an unusual one was given to Danny Spooner by Dave Lumsden who said his family tradition had that it was written for his grandmother's sister, but that he believed it was probably written for a friend. The words were by Jack Cousens who was an itinerant worker around the Murray River in the 1890s. Cousens spent much of his time with the travelling steam-driven threshing machines that travelled from town to town. GENTLE ANNIE Now the harvest time is come, Gentle Annie And the wild oats they are scattered o'er the field And you'll be anxious to know, Gentle Annie How your little crop of oats is going to yield And we're travelling down the road into Barna And we're following the feeder, Billy Yates When we arrive and we see the donah She's the little girl we left at Tommy Waits' So we must meet again Gentle Annie As each year we're travelling round your door And we never will forget you, Gentle Annie You're the little dark-eyed girl we do adore Well, your mutton's very sweet, Gentle Annie And your wines they can't be beat in New South Wales But you'd better get a fence round your cabbage Or they'll all be eaten up by the snails And you'll take my advice, Gentle Annie, And you're bound to watch old Chaffie going away With a pack bag hung over his saddle For he stole some knives and forks the other day Yes, we must meet again Gentle Annie Each year as we're travelling round your door And we never can forget you, Gentle Annie You're the little dark-eyed girl we all adore Well, your little bed of oats is fresh, Gentle Annie And the bullocks they are yoked to go away You'll be sorry when we're gone, Gentle Annie For you'll want us then to stop and thresh the hay But we must say farewell, Gentle Annie, For you know with you we cannot longer stay But we hope one and all, Gentle Annie, To be with you on another threshing day Here's a version by Martyn Wyndham-Read: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: JOHNNY STEWART DROVER (Chris Buch) From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 20 - 10:17 AM The late Chris Buch was a good friend of mine. He used to run the Mt Isa Folk Club which for a time was one of the clubs that organised the Top Half Folk Festival. Back when the world was young, Chris was commissioned by the Australian Folk Trust to go on a cattle drive and collect songs from the drovers. He went on the drive but was unable to collect any songs. Chris told me that the drovers were too buggered at night to sing around a campfire - all they did was consume soup, snore and fart in their sleeping bags. Bereft of any collected songs, Chris decided to write one himself. He based it on a drover from Camooweal who occasionally attended the Mt Isa folk club. It is a fine song indeed. The story goes that the song came over the radio in the Camooweal servo/cafe. One of the patrons yelled out to Johnny who happened to be there: 'Hey Johnny, there's some pommie bastard singing about you on the radio. JOHNNY STEWART DROVER (Chris Buch) The mob is dipped, the drive is started out They're leaving Rockland's dusty sheds behind them The whips are cracking and the drovers shout Along the Queensland stock-roads you will find them Droving ways have been like this for years No modern ways have meant their days are over The diesel road trains cannot know the steers Or walk them down like Johnny Stewart, drover CHORUS On the banks of the Georgina and down the Diamantina To where the grass is greener, down by New South Wales Johnny Stewart's roving with mobs of cattle droving His life story moving down miles of dusty trails The cook is busy by the campfire light Above a fire a billy gently swinging The mob is settled quietly for the night And Johnny's riding softly around and singing Johnny doesn't spend much time in town Impatient for the wet to be over Most of the year he's walking cattle down The stock roads are home for Johnny Stewart, drover CHORUS Dawn will surely find another day Sun still chasing moon, never caught her The morning light will find them on their way Another push to reach the next good water CHORUS They're counted in now, Johnny's work is done And fifteen hundred head are handed over It's into town now for a little fun And a beer or two for Johnny Stewart, drover CHORUS The song has gone around Australia and the world. Gordon Bok made a fine recording of it: Youtube clip |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 20 Aug 20 - 10:20 AM Thanks Stew. I'll have to see what I can "carefully resurrect" from my old tapes!! Wonder if Tone has copies?? R-J |
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Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THE BRUMBIES COME TO WATER (Ogilvie) From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 20 - 10:45 AM Will Ogilvie, a Scotsman, wrote some fine bush ballads during his years as a jackaroo in Australia. One of his best was 'When the brumbies come to water' which circulated in oral tradition, changed, shortened and turned into a song. This version was collected by Ron Edwards. WHEN THE BRUMBIES COME TO WATER There's a lonely grave half hidden where the blue-grass droops above, A slab that roughly marks it: we planted it with love There's a mourning rank of riders closing in on every hand O'er the vacant place he left us: he was best of all the band Now he's lying cold and silent with his hidden hopes unwon Where the brumbies come to water at the setting of the sun There's a well-worn saddle hanging in the harness-room above A good old stock horse waiting for the steps that never come And his dog will lick some other hand when the wild mob swings We'll get a slower rider to replace him on the wing Ah but who will kiss his wife who kneels beside the long lagoon Where the brumbies come to water at the rising of the moon We will miss him in the cattle camps a trusted man and true The daddy of all stockmen was young Rory Donahue We will miss the tunes he used to play on his banjo long and low We will miss the songs he used to sing of the days of long ago Where the shadow-line lies broken 'neath the moonbeams' silver bars Where the brumbies come to water at the twinkling of the stars Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 20 - 11:02 AM West Australian group, Loaded Dog, give their authentic version of Australia's best-known song. I reckon they are the best bush band in Oz. Alan Mann is telling the story and Bob Rummery is lead vocalist and box player. Waltzing Matilda --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 20 Aug 20 - 11:04 AM I've just made a quick list of traditional songs, collected & re-popularised in the revival of the 50s/60s. They were all published by the Bush Music Club in Singabout (1956-67) Maggie May Nine Miles from Gundagai The Neumerella Shore - 1 2 pages The Neumerella Shore - 2 The Wild Colonial Boy The Black Velvet Band & The Old Bark Hut also in Singabout 5(1) 1963 The Drover's Dream & Wild Rover both also in Singabout 3(1) 1958 Old Black Billy (written in 1938 but thought to be trad. when it was collected) and a couple of other classics which strangely enough were not published in Singabout! - Moreton Bay & Reedy River lyrics & video of Chris Kempster singing |
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE OUTSIDE TRACK (Henry Lawson) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 20 Aug 20 - 11:46 AM Gerry Hallom sang The Outside Track to his own tune in 1984 on his Fellside album A Run a Minute. He noted: Another Lawson poem which fits conveniently into song. To me it captures the sadness and emptiness when parting company from friends when futures are uncertain. The traveller at least has his adventures before him to soften the parting, but those on the quayside have only the loss. There were ten of us there on the moonlit quay, And one on the for’ard hatch; No straighter mate to his mates than he Had ever said: “Len’s a match!” “’Twill be long, old man, ere our glasses clink, ’Twill be long ere we grip your hand!”— And we dragged him ashore for a final drink Till the whole wide world seemed grand. For they marry and go as the world rolls back, They marry and vanish and die; But their spirit shall live on the Outside Track As long as the years go by. The port-lights glowed in the morning mist That rolled from the waters green; And over the railing we grasped his fist As the dark tide came between. We cheered the captain and cheered the crew, And our mate, times out of mind; We cheered the land he was going to And the land he had left behind. We roared Lang Syne as a last farewell, But my heart seemed out of joint; I well remember the hush that fell When the steamer had passed the point We drifted home through the public bars, We were ten times less by one Who sailed out under the morning stars, And under the rising sun. And one by one, and two by two, They have sailed from the wharf since then; I have said good-bye to the last I knew, The last of the careless men. And I can’t but think that the times we had Were the best times after all, As I turn aside with a lonely glass And drink to the bar-room wall. But I’ll try my luck for a cheque Out Back, Then a last good-bye to the bush; For my heart’s away on the Outside Track, On the track of the steerage push. Thanks to Mainly Norfolk |
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Subject: Lyr Add: AND WHEN THEY DANCE (Roy Abbott) From: GUEST Date: 20 Aug 20 - 08:48 PM Here's a good'un from Roy Abbott, a West Australian singer-songwriter. It was first recorded by Mucky Duck Bush Band. AND WHEN THEY DANCE (Roy Abbott) I play in a band, I’ve played all around, From Perth in the west to old Melbourne Town, But one thing delights me each time I look down It’s the lasses who dance ‘til the morning. Chorus: And when they dance their dresses spin round, They travel so light that they scarce touch the ground And the smiles on their faces would win any crowd The lasses who dance ‘til the morning. I’ve played for the gentry I’ve played for them all, From the old bush hut to the debutante’s ball, But one thing unites them the great and the small It’s the lasses who dance ‘til the morning. And when the dance ends and they all leave the floor Their legs are so weary tired and sore But who are the ones that keep yellin’ for more? It’s the lasses who dance till the morning. So, long may I travel and far may I roam Around this big country we call our home Playing for people that I’ll never know And the lasses who dance till the morning. Danny Spooner recorded it on his 'Emerging Tradition' album, but here is a live version: Youtube clip |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 20 - 09:01 PM My apologies. The Guest above for 'And when they dance' was me. I forgot to log in or to sign the post. Henryp referred to Gerry Hallom and 'Outside Track'. Here is a link to Gerry singing it: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: WATCHERS OF THE WATER (Paul Hemphill) From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 20 - 09:19 PM Gallipoli is a striking example of place identity. Bob Hawke fancied that Anzac Cove is ‘a little piece of Australia’ and John Howard postulated that the Gallipoli peninsula is ‘as much a part of Australia as the land on which your home is built’. We have been told for decades that Australian soldiers sacrificed their lives there for our freedoms. If anything, the notion of ‘sacrificing for freedoms’ is truer for the Turks. The Turks were defending their land from invasion at a cost of over 50 000 dead – the Anzac count was 10 000. For Turks, every piece of soil at Gallipoli is sacred. Historians, Mark McKenna and Stuart Ward, wrote in their essay ‘An Anzac Myth: The Creative Memorialisation of Gallipoli’: 'Turkey and Australia have rushed to memorialise a romantic image of Gallipoli – one of co-operation and friendship. As admirable as these intentions might be, they are based on falsehoods and the misrepresentation of war. Far better a friendship that has the courage to confront war’s brutality and the senseless loss of life that occurred in 1915' WATCHERS OF THE WATER (Paul Hemphill) It is the night of April 25th, 1915. The Turkish soldiers are waiting for the ANZAC assault on Gallipoli to begin … The sun's fiery furnace beat down upon our backs As we fixed our sharpened bayonets and shouldered heavy packs We marched in ordered files to destiny that day In a land God had forgotten, due east of Suvla Bay And in the hills so rough and rugged, we hauled our guns by hand Raised the shells upon our shoulders to the heights we must command We watched and prayed and waited, each heart beating like a drum We all had our eyes on the seaward horizon to west where they would come And the cold moon she rose on the watchers of the water The stars hung brightly high above the trees And in the warm night-tide, sheep came to the slaughter From their land so far away across the seas And when night fell, oh, she fell so soft and silent We could have been in the Garden of Paradise And no man raised his voice, not a soul made a noise Though our blood ran as cold, as cold as ice And the cold moon she shone on the watchers of the water The stars hung brightly high above the trees And in the warm night-tide, sheep came to the slaughter From their land so far away across the seas The cold moonlight upon the water glistened And enwrapped in all of our hopes and fears As through the long night-tide, oh, we watched and listened With sharpened eyes and very, very frightened ears And we saw small boats come sailing from great ships far out to sea Shells came at us wailing in infernal symphony And with fists of fire and steel, we were hammered hard that night And many brave men went to God without the chance to fight And as the boats drew nearer, oh, we watched with bated breath We waited for the order and our turn to deal out death And the cold moon looked down on the watchers of the water The stars hung brightly high above the trees And in the warm night-tide, sheep came to the slaughter From their land so far away across the seas From their land so far away across Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 21 Aug 20 - 07:56 AM very famous songs in copyright Redgum - I was only 19 lyrics I was only 19 video Paul Kelly & Kev Carmody - From little things big things grow In this video Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly talk about the process of writing the song. From Little Things Big Things Grow tells the story of Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji stockman who, in 1966, initiated a strike in response to the poor working conditions faced by Gurindji workers, on the Wave Hill Cattle Station. |
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Subject: RE: LYR ADD-Time is a tempest From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:22 PM TIME IS A TEMPEST John Broomhall / John Thompson As sung by Cloudstreet on "Dance up the Sun" (2008) Time is a tempest and we are all travellers. We are all travellers; we are all travellers. Time is a tempest and we are all travellers, Travelling through the storm. Our cities are crowded; our forests are falling, War clouds above, angry voices are calling. Five minutes to midnight is no time for stalling. It's time to share our load. So lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain. Sing of the wind and rain; sing of the wind and rain. Lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain, Travelling through the storm. For time is a tempest and we are all travellers. We are all travellers; we are all travellers. Time is a tempest and we are all travellers, Travelling through the storm. They've poisoned the oceans; they've dammed the great rivers. They've killed all the jungles; they're takers, not givers. They call it progress; well, it gives me the shivers. We're in for a winter that's cold. So lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain. Sing of the wind and rain; sing of the wind and rain. Lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain, Travelling through the storm. For time is a tempest and we are all travellers. We are all travellers; we are all travellers. Time is a tempest and we are all travellers, Travelling through the storm. So brothers and sisters, we'll join hands together. With love in our struggle, we'll face the foul weather. And when the sun shines through, under blue skies we'll gather. Our journey will take us home. So lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain. Sing of the wind and rain; sing of the wind and rain. Lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain, Travelling through the storm. For time is a tempest and we are all travellers. We are all travellers; we are all travellers. Time is a tempest and we are all travellers, Travelling through the storm. |
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Subject: RE: LYR ADD - The Answer's Ireland -John Dengate From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:30 PM http://ozfolksongaday.blogspot.com/2011/03/answers-ireland.html The Answer's Ireland (Tune Rody McCorley) originally published in Singabout 6(1), 1966, p.4 Who gave Australia the tunes to sing, the tunes of songs so grand? Songs to inspire, full of beauty and fire – the answer's Ireland. Know when you sing of Jack Donahue, that he was a Dublin man And Dennis O'Reilly is travelling still with a blackthorn in his hand. Who raised a ruckus at Castle Hill, who there defied the crown? 'Twas the same rebel boys who in '98 'gainst odds would not lie down. Oh, but they made Samuel Marsden fret and ruffled silver tails, Why, the words "Croppy Pike" were enough to strike fear into New South Wales. Who agitated at Ballarat for Joe Latrobe's death knell? Who was it raised up the five-starred flag and damned the traps to hell? Who was it gathered beneath that flag, where solemn oaths were sworn? Who would not run from the redcoats' guns, upon Eureka morn? Ned Kelly's dad was an Irish lad, the Kellys all died game. Brave Michael Dwyer's bones are buried here, we'll not forget that name. Who could resist Larry Foley's fist, and Foley wore the green. Who led the anti-conscription ranks in 1917? |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:59 PM It is a somewhat disappointing that it was up to a Canadian - Garnet Rogers - to put a tune to one of Lawson's finest poems: AFTER ALL (Henry Lawson) The brooding ghosts of Australian night have gone from the bush and town; My spirit revives in the morning breeze, though it died when the sun went down; The river is high and the stream is strong, and the grass is green and tall, And I fain would think that this world of ours is a good world after all. The light of passion in dreamy eyes, and a page of truth well read, The glorious thrill in a heart grown cold of the spirit I thought was dead, A song that goes to a comrade's heart, and a tear of pride let fall -- And my soul is strong! and the world to me is a grand world after all! Let our enemies go by their old dull tracks, and theirs be the fault or shame (The man is bitter against the world who has only himself to blame); Let the darkest side of the past be dark, and only the good recall; For I must believe that the world, my dear, is a kind world after all. It well may be that I saw too plain, and it may be I was blind; But I'll keep my face to the dawning light, though the devil may stand behind! Though the devil may stand behind my back, I'll not see his shadow fall, But read the signs in the morning stars of a good world after all. Rest, for your eyes are weary, girl -- you have driven the worst away -- The ghost of the man that I might have been is gone from my heart today; We'll live for life and the best it brings till our twilight shadows fall; My heart grows brave, and the world, my girl, is a good world after all. Rogers makes some very minor changes to the Lawson text: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 09:42 PM I first heard a lovely setting of another Lawson classic on a home-recorded cd of Brian Mooney given to me by his fellow Tasmanian, Mike Manhire. THE SLIPRAIL AND THE SPUR (Henry Lawson) The colours of the setting sun Withdrew across the Western land - He raised the sliprails, one by one, And shot them home with trembling hand; Her brown hands clung - her face grew pale - Ah! quivering chin and eyes that brim! - One quick, fierce kiss across the rail, And, "Good-bye, Mary!" "Good-bye, Jim!" Oh, he rides hard to race the pain Who rides from love, who rides from home; But he rides slowly home again, Whose heart has learnt to love and roam. A hand upon the horse's mane, And one foot in the stirrup set, And, stooping back to kiss again, With "Good-bye, Mary! don't you fret! When I come back" - he laughed for her - "We do not know how soon 'twill be; I'll whistle as I round the spur - You let the sliprails down for me." She gasped for sudden loss of hope, As, with a backward wave to her, He cantered down the grassy slope And swiftly round the darkening spur. Black-pencilled panels standing high, And darkness fading into stars, And, blurring fast against the sky, A faint white form beside the bars. And often at the set of sun, In winter bleak and summer brown, She'd steal across the little run, And shyly let the sliprails down, And listen there when darkness shut The nearer spur in silence deep, And when they called her from the hut Steal home and cry herself to sleep. And he rides hard to dull the pain Who rides from one that loves him best... And he rides slowly back again, Whose restless heart must rove for rest. Unfortunately, Mooney's rendition is not available on the Net. However, Garnet Rogers recorded a version on his 'Speaking softly in the dark' album. He is faithful to Lawson's text for the first few stanzas but reshuffles and rewrites the latter part of the poem. You can listen to it on Bandcamp here: Rogers There's a trio of renditions available on Youtube, including one by a choir, but none of them sparks my clod. Youtube clips --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 10:08 PM At a themed concert that my mate Phil Beck and I presented at folk festival in Tasmania, Phil had this to say about another Alistair Hulett belter: '"The Swaggies Have All Waltzed Matilda Away" is from the pen of the song writer non-pariel, Alistair Hulett. It’s really a potted history of the foundation of Australia as we know it, and refers not only to transportation of convicts but also to the dispossession of the Aboriginal lands to the newcomers. I’m sure I remember Alistair telling me that he wrote the song as an entry into an Australia Day song-writing competition and this was his ‘up yours’ take on the thing. Whatever, it’s an optimistic song and says that whatever our people in the end, we all ought to be united". THE SWAGGIES HAVE ALL WALTZED MATILDA AWAY (Alistair Hulett) You came to this country in fetters and chains Outlaws and rebels with numbers for names And on the triangle were beaten and maimed Blood stained the soil of Australia Dookies and duchesses, flash lads and whores You worked their plantations and polished their floors Lived in their shadow and died in their wars Blood stained the soil of Australia Chorus: Does it quicken your heart beat To see tar and concrete Cover the tracks of the old bullock dray Have you grown so heartless To christen it progress When the swaggies have all waltzed Matilda away Driven like dogs from your own native home Hardship and poverty caused you to roam Over the bracken and over the foam Blood stained the soil of Australia Then in the fever for fortune and fame You caused the poor blacks to suffer the same Imprisoned on missions or hunted for game Blood stained the soil of Australia Chorus Its two hundred years since you came to this land Betrayed by the girl with the black velvet band And still to this day you don't understand Blood stained the soil of Australia Koori and white, old Australian and new Brothers and sisters of every hue The future is ours, take the wealth from the few And raise the Red Flag in Australia Let it quicken your heart beat The road's at your own feet Travel it lightly and travel it well And don't speak of success Or christen it progress Til the swaggies can all waltz Matilda as well [Repeat last 3 lines of final chorus] Hulett recorded it first with Roaring Jack. Unfortunately, although there are clips by Roaring Jack on Youtube, this is not among them. However, Wongawilli do a fine rendition, but they replace Hulett's 'red flag' with 'true flag'. Bowdlerism! Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 10:22 PM My favourite rendition of another beaut Lawson poem: Riogh PAST CARIN’ (Henry Lawson) Now up and down the siding brown The great black crows are flyin’ And down below the spur, I know Another `milker's' dyin'; The crops have withered to the ground, The tank's clay bed is glarin' But from my heart no tear nor sound For I have gone past carin' — Through death and trouble, turn about Through hopeless desolation Through flood and fever, fire and drought Through slavery and starvation Through childbirth, sickness, hurt and blight And nervousness and scarin' Through bein' left alone at night I've got to be past carin'. Our first child took, in days like these A cruel week in dyin' All day upon her father's knees, Or on my poor breast lyin' The tears we shed, the prayers we said Were awful, wild, despairin' I've pulled three through and buried two Since then, and I'm past carin'. T’was ten years first, then came the worst All for a dusty clearin' I thought, I thought my heart would burst When first my man went shearin' He's drovin' in the great North-west I don't know how he's farin’ For I, the one that loved him best Have grown to be past carin'. My eyes are dry, I cannot cry I've got no heart for breakin' But where it was in days gone by A dull and empty achin' My last boy ran away from me I know my temper's wearin' But now I only wish to be Beyond all signs of carin’ Past wearyin' or carin' Past feelin' and despairin'; And now I only wish to be Beyond all signs of carin'. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 11:52 PM The late Danny Spooner recorded this little gem on his final album 'Home'. Danny noted that a 1935 article identified the author as Jimmy Connors. If that is correct, it passed into oral tradition. The version below was collected here in the Northern Territory by Geoff and Nancy Wills. The song was published in the Stewart & Keesing, John Manifold (Penguin) and Ron Edwards books of Australian folk songs. THE REEDY LAGOON The sweet-scented wattle sheds perfume around, Enticing the bird and the bee; As I lie at my rest in a fern-covered nest In the shade of a currajong tree; High up in the air I can hear the refrain Of a butcher-bird piping its tune, For the spring, in her glory, has come back again To the banks of the Reedy Lagoon. I've carried my bluey for many a mile, My boots they are worn out at the toe; And I'm dressing, this season, in a far different style, To that of last season, God knows! My cooking utensils, I'm sorry to say, Consist of a knife and a spoon. And I've dry bread and tea, in my battered jack-shay On the banks of the Reedy Lagoon. Where is old Frankie, man how could he ride, And Johnny, the kind-hearted boy; They tell me that lately he's taken a bride, A benedict's life to enjoy. And Big Mac, the Scotchman; I once heard him say, That he wrestled the famous Muldoon: But they're all far away, and I'm lonely today On the bank of the Reedy Lagoon. Now where is that lassie I oft-times caressed, The girl with the sad dreamy eyes? She pillows her head on another man's breast, While he tells her the very same lies. My bed she would hardly be willing to share, Where I camp by the light of the moon. But it's little I care, cos I couldn't keep square On the bank of the Reedy Lagoon. Martyn Wyndham-Read recorded on his 'A rose from the bush' LP and noted: 'I would take this song with me to a desert island, as it brings home so much of Australia and the smell of the bush to me'. I first heard it recorded by Gordon Bok on his 'Seal Djiril's Hymn' album. He sticks pretty close to the Wills text. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Aug 20 - 09:30 PM Always great fun to sing - from 60's group The Settlers: THE COOMA CAVALIERS (Ulik O'Boyle) From Jindabyne tunnel and 'round Island Bend We boys go to Cooma, our money to spend And we'll buy youse one beer there if you happen to see Four Italians, three Germans, two Yugoslavs and me Chorus Now we may not be diggers but we'll have you know We're digging thee tunnels up here in the snow It's dark in that tunnel and the work she is rough By the time it hits payday we all have enough So we rush in to Cooma to have us one spree Four miners, three fitters, two chippies and me We pull up in Sharp Street by the Alpine Hotel If you've been to Cooma you'll know this place well Before we get inside our order rings out Four vinos, three schnappses, two slivovitz, one stout Well I guess a we got-a noisy, though no-a harm did we mean Singing "O Solo Mio" and "Lili Marlene" Some Aussies went crook 'cos they didn't agree With four singing, three marching, two dancing and me We may not be diggers but we'll have you know The barmen all love us up here in the snow The barman stood up then with a snarl on his face, He said: "You Europeans, you're a flipping disgrace, Stop drinking those queer drinks if you want to stop here Become integrated drink our Aussie beer. So we switched on to schooners and to the bar's cheers Sang "Waltzing Matilda" and "Click Go The Shears" For hours and hours without any cease 'Till the sudden arrival of the Cooma police Now we may not be diggers but we'll have you know We're regular swiggers up here in the snow In a furious moment the whole bar was cleared And no sign remained of those Aussies that cheered So the coppers locked up then - unfair you'll agree - Four Italians, three Germans, two Yugoslavs and me Now we're back in that tunnel as broke as can be For it cost us a fortune to bail ourselves free But before you start laughing let me make it clear It was worth it Australia for the sake of your beer We may not be diggers, but we'll have you know We dig digger beer up here in the snow Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:23 PM Another fine song relating to an immigrant worker is Ted Egan's 'Sayonara Nakamura' - one of his best: Mudcat thread Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:44 PM Another Ted Egan song posted by rich-joy. 'Back to Broome always feature in 'uglies' at Top Half Folk Festivals here in the Northern Territory. Mudcat thread Youtube clip --Stewie |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:55 PM My apologies, the Youtube link in my previous post was the wrong one. It should have been: Back to Broome Where are other Oz 'catters? Is our thread moderator going to post any songs? --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Aug 20 - 11:00 PM Please ignore my previous post. It appears the Youtube link was correct. Somehow when I first clicked it, the Nakamura clip came up. I'll go and lie down. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 23 Aug 20 - 09:59 PM In Sydney the Redfern Shanty club does a great version of "Broome" & it might be on their facebook page as it's not on their Reverbnation page I met Ted Egan at Illawarra Folk Festoval one year & suggested he see Shanty club as thy were on the program, I hope he got to see them When you get (got! preCovid) a legal maximum for the premises of 45 mainly young singers all roaring out a shanty or sea song under the instruction to the newcomers "if you don't know the words, sing louder" it is magic. One day they will be back. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 23 Aug 20 - 10:17 PM Here's another fine Ogilvie poem that has been put to music. At this very moment, due to covid-19, there are challengers to bringing in the NZ shearers needed to do the job in Oz. NORTHWARD TO THE SHEDS (Will Ogilvie) There's a whisper from the regions out beyond the Barwon banks There's a gathering of the legions and a forming of the ranks There's a murmur coming nearer with the signs that never fail And it's time for every shearer to be out upon the trail Chorus: For the western creeks are calling, And the idle days are done With the snowy fleeces falling, And the Queensland sheds begun They must leave their girls behind them and their empty glasses too, For there's plenty left to mind them when they cross the dry Barcoo There'll be kissing, there'll be sorrow much as only sweethearts know But before the noon tomorrow they'll be singing as they go Chorus There is shortening of the bridle, there is tightening of the girth There is fondling of the idol that they love the best on earth Northward from the Lachlan River and the sun-dried Castlereagh Outward to the Never-Never ride the ringers on their way Chorus From the green bends of the Murray they have run their horses in For there's haste and there is hurry when the Queensland sheds begin On the Bogan they are bridling, they are saddling on the Bland, There is plunging and there's sidling -- for the colts don't understand Chorus They will camp below the station, they'll be cutting peg and pole Rearing tents for occupation till the calling of the roll And it's time the nags were driven, and it's time to strap the pack For there's never licence given to the laggards on the track Chorus Hark the music of the battle: it in time to bare our swords! Do you hear the rush and rattle as they tramp along the boards? They are past the pen-doors picking light-wooled weaners one by one I can hear the shear-blades clicking, and I know the fight's begun! Ted Egan printed the complete Ogilvie poem in his 'The Shearers: Songbook', but the clip on Youtube for 'Northward to the sheds' has 3 stanzas only - the song begins at the 2 minute mark. Gerry Hallom also messes with and shortens the Ogilvie text, but it's worth a listen: --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 23 Aug 20 - 10:23 PM I don't know what happened in my above post, but it seems that my signature became the link to Youtube. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 24 Aug 20 - 10:02 PM Sandra, it looks like it is down to us. I don't mind posting some more - our moderator can always chuck 'em out. LAST COAL TRAIN (Paul Wookey) No more black-faced miners Buying carbide at the store All the lamps that lit the darkness Are hangin’ empty by the door And the chilly winds that blow no good Have blown no good once more And the last coal train is leavin’ town No more kids out on the trestle bridge Playin’ that dangerous game You’ll never have to mend a broken track Or drive the spike again You can leave the sleepers rotting The signals rusting in the rain ‘Cause the last coal train is leavin’ town You’ll never have to feed a family Upon a striker’s pay You’ll never have to fight for what’s yours by right In this game that rich men play And for the first time in a long time You might see the light of day And the last coal train is leavin’ town So the word came down from Melbourne Said they’ve got to close the mine Oh we can’t afford to dig it out We’ll just have to leave it lyin’ With all the men who died in 20 shafts Who’ll lie there for all time And the last coal train is leavin’ town Youtube clip Paul Wookey, was raised in the Dandenong Ranges. An excellent singer and guitarist, he was heavily influenced by American folk, blues and country. He had a solid reputation in Melbourne’s folk clubs – Traynor’s, Outpost Inn and One-C-One. A fine example of his original work is 'The Last Coal Train' which he noted ‘was the last coal train that left Wonthaggi some time in 1968 after the coal mines were finally closed down. It represents the passing of a period in Australian history – the generational move from the land to the city, the loss of country jobs, the dislocation of the pre-war generation. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 24 Aug 20 - 10:24 PM SERGEANT SMALL I went broke in western Queensland in 1931 Nobody would employ me so my swag carrying begun I came down into Charleville through all the western towns I was on my way to Roma destination Darling Downs My pants were getting ragged my boots were getting thin But when I stopped at Mitchell a goods train shunted in I heard the whistle blowing and looking out could see She was on her way to Roma it was quite plain to me Chorus I wish I was about twenty stone andgonly seven feet tall I'd go back to western Queensland and beat up Sergeant Small Now as I sat and watched her inspiration's seed was sown I remembered the government slogan: Here's the railway that you own By this time the sun was setting and the night was getting nigh So I gathered my belongings and took her on the fly When we got into Roma I kept my head down low I heard a voice say "Any room mate?" I answered "Plenty Bo" "Come out of there my noble man" came the voice of Sergeant Small "I have trapped you very nicely - you've ridden for a fall" The judge was very kind to me he gave me thirty days Saying "Maybe this will help to cure your rattler jumping ways" So if you're down and outback boys I'll tell you what I think Stay off those Queensland goods trains for they're a short cut to the clink Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 24 Aug 20 - 11:21 PM DUSTY GRAVEL ROAD (Alan Mann) Have you travelled northwards past the slime dumps of Kalgoolie Out upon the old Broad Arrow Road Have you seen the heaps of mullock like the tombstones in a graveyard That signify the finding of a lode Have you ever stopped to wonder how many picks and shovels And aching muscles on bodies young and old Would have scraped the dust of legend, the clay and the ironstone Searching for a dish of yellow gold Chorus: For the passing of some years seats you in a four-wheel-drive The exhaust pipe leaves your sweat and your worries far behind The air-conditioned faint north-easter blows cool air across your mind Travelling on the dusty gravel road Well ahead there's corrugations and you spot the blackened carcass Of a tyre gone to pieces on the side Christ, what happens if you break down - the petrol tank is holed Or, worst of all, the grog supply runs dry Like the heroes in that legend maybe you'll walk a while Maybe you'll get lucky, hitch a ride But would you push your barrow, loaded up with life's possessions Like some of them damn near three hundred mile Chorus At the turnoff there's some diggings and you stop to rest a while As nightfall pulls the curtain on the day By the last few glints of sunlight something on that yonder hillside Beckons you to come and walk that way Glittering in the gully, piles of champagne bottles Signs they caught up with the golden fate And you lift the flimsy flip-top from a frosty ice-cold can And you join their celebration just eighty years too late Chorus Alan Mann, a fine musician and songwriter, has been part of the West Australian folk scene for ever. 'Dusty gravel road' is the title track of an album by Loaded Dog. In respect of this song, Alan noted: 'The first prospectors had a great and intimate understanding of the goldfields country. It was not until 1986 that the output of gold in Western Australia exceeded that of the halcyon year of 1904'. Unfortunately, the only clip of Loaded Dog on the Net is the one I posted re 'Waltzing Matilda'. Loaded Dog's website has disappeared. They have 4 excellent CDs. If any 'cattier is interested in obtaining their music, send me a personal message and I will put you in touch. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 24 Aug 20 - 11:37 PM Loaded Dog are fantastic, they turned up at Jamberoo years ago & I had hopes of booking them for the Loaded Dog Folk Club, but alas, they never came east again. I think they had a grant from some Govt agency to travel that year. Poison Train is one of the best session songs, & we've had it many a time at the Dog, often sung by Margaret & Bob Fagan. The Dog is run by singers for a singing audience. I remember the first time I went to another club after a friend took over the Dog in 1995 & NO-ONE SANG ALONG! sung by Chloe & Jason Roweth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45fvCPqTm8M Subject: ADD: The poison train ^^ From: Stewie - PM Date: 04 Mar 00 - 08:52 PM THE POISON TRAIN (Michael O'Rourke) This old town has had its day All the people moved away And the houses standing empty In the dry and the dusty day No one cares for this old town Now the money's not around And the railway lines are rusty And the station's falling down Chorus: There's a light down the line Let it shine, shine, let it shine There's a camp down the way All the fettlers will be coming home today When the railway opened here All the gutters flowed with beer And the people stood beside the line To watch and wave and cheer All the speeches that were made When the bosses smiled and said 'The good times are just beginning Follow us and you'll go ahead' Chorus Well, they built the street so wide It would be a thing of pride To walk across it drunk Or throw a stone to the other side And the buildings grew so tall You would tremble at the fall But they've just dried out And you would never know There was anyone there at all Chorus I still hear the tall man say To the children at their play 'You'd better go home early And you'd better stay away Stay away from the line Can't you hear the railway humming The grass has grown too tall And the poison train is coming Chorus You feel sorry for the grass All it did was grow too fast All the weapons used against it It was never made to last And the man and his offsider Are all dressed in black As the poison train goes through the town And blisters all the track Chorus Well, it never lasted long Half the town was packed and gone And everybody was afraid To be left there alone All the people stayed away And there was no celebration Nobody made a speech the day They closed the railway station Chorus Published by Greenhouse Publications. Source: Roy Bailey 'New Directions in the Old' Fuse CFCD 402. Recorded by 'Mike O'Rourke on 'Flying Pieman' 1980. PS. The image of the 'Poison Train' is used by O'Rourke to describe the decay of outback towns that grew too quicly. The fast-growing grass around the railway tracks has to be burnt back. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 25 Aug 20 - 12:10 AM You are doing a great job, Stewie! |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Aug 20 - 12:19 AM PADDY'S BACK (Alan Ralph) Father had a soft spot for the men out on the track And somehow Paddy featured regularly He worked upon the rabbit-proof and when he came to town He'd doss down in our shed for a week or three He'd spend his days in the town's hotels drinking pinkie wine And shouting drinks for almost all the town We'd feed his horse and dog and keep them watered regularly And when he left, he'd give us half-a-crown Chorus: And the spring-cart tracks led through our gate His horse and dog were there We ran to mother, shouting out the news 'Paddy's back from the rabbit-proof, he's in from way outback And I'll bet he's down at the Federal getting boozed' When Paddy staggered home alone or on a copper's arm We'd take him down some supper on a tray A plate of snags and murphys or mother's shepherd pie He thought it like a banquet, so he'd say And often when we'd go out to the outhouse in the night We'd hear old Paddy talking to his dog Or singing Irish melodies or spieling to the stars He'd stay a gentle man despite the grog Chorus When his money was all gone, then father told him so His clothes were laundered, he was scrubbed and shaved He'd join us at the table and tell stories of the bush Us kids would listen spellbound to his tales Then next day he'd load his cart up with stores to see him through And father'd slip some pinkie in the back He'd head off to the rabbit-proof to check along the fence And we'd watch him disappear along the track Chorus At christmas time there'd always be a parcel for us kids That Paddy got the local store to send And one year I remember when he really got it right Tin soldiers in a box - a hundred men Father would get a cherry pipe, a tablecloth for mum The gifts were better than a lump of gold A flask of Irish whisky was what father'd give to him To frighten off the snakes and beat the cold Chorus But somehow Paddy drifted from our lives as we grew up I often wonder where old Paddy went Did he meet a childhood sweetheart and settle down in town Or did he die out by that lonely fence The snake that killed his old blue heeler, did it get him too Or did he strike it rich in someone's will Either way I still can hear those Irish melodies And tin soldiers march across the table still Chorus That cracker of a song was written from an old-timer's recollections of growing up in country Western Australia. It is on Loaded Dog's 'Dusty gravel road' album. Alan Ralph is not a member of the group. His song was published in 'The West Australian'. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 25 Aug 20 - 11:28 AM thanks for the memories, Stewie, I need to locate my Loaded Dog CDs from wherever they are hiding. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 25 Aug 20 - 09:08 PM Cheers Jennie and Sandra. I'll post a few more favourites from the Dog albums. Bob Rummery wrote the tune for this one: CALL OF THE NORTH (J.Sorensen/R.Rummery) Oh the western wind is blowing So there’s rain and storm in store And the teams have long been going Down the road to Glindawor To where tropic sun is gleaming And the fragrant winds blow free I’ve awakened from my dreaming And the north is calling me Chorus: Oh, the steam is in the boiler In the expert’s room below While upon the board each toiler waits To hear the whistle blow For the shearing is beginning And my heart is fancy free And the friction wheels are spinning So the north is calling me From the southward to the nor’ward Where the long brown tracks wind down All me mates have hastened forward To the wilderness from town Gone! By stony hill and hollow To where I now fain would be Where they lead, I needs must follow For the north is calling me Chorus What’s this news I have been hearing Tidings strange to me indeed Bidgimia now is shearing With Sawallish in the lead Straining camels teams are swaying From the junction to the sea Why so long am I delaying When the north is calling me Chorus And so northward I am going For I cannot linger here For the starting whistle’s blowing And the ‘guns’ are into gear So to be there I am yearning I will hail the sheds with glee For the friction wheels are turning And the north is calling me Chorus The song is on 'Dusty gravel road'. Here is a rendition by Wongawilli: Youtube clip My mate, Phil Beck from Perth, and I once presented a themed concert 'Songs of Separation' which included 'Call of the north'. For those who may be interested, here are Phil's remarks about the life of Jack Sorensen: Sorenson was amongst other things a shearer and a pugilist (at one time welter weight champion of WA) who once said you had to be prepared to be the latter if you were going to pretend to be the former in and around a shearing shed in the outback. In other words that one needs to be a hard man in a hard environment. Born in Western Australia he began his working life as an orchardist on his family's property in Perth, and then worked as a shearer on stations in the Murchison, Gascoyne and Kimberleys. Returning to Perth, Sorensen took up employment with Mr Sampson, a local MP, who was influential in having some of his early poems published in local papers. Throughout his life he drew on his early bush experiences to write poetry and songs mainly about life in rural Western Australia, often with an environmental theme. He clearly loved the bush and the sense of peace that living in the outback can bring. The outbreak of war evoked in Sorensen a sense of doom that was to haunt him forever. The death of his friend and mentor, Mr Sampson had a further detrimental effect on his mental health to the point that he was discharged from the military. Not long after his discharge, his mother also died, further deepening his melancholia. Seeking happier times, Sorensen set out for the Kimberleys searching for that inner peace that he’d felt in the north of WA in earlier years. This song, probably written around that time, revolves around the start of the shearing season in northern Western Australia. The Bidgemia mentioned is a reference to Bidgemia Station located on the south bank of the Gascoyne River. Sawallish refers Bob Sawallish a gun shearer of the time. Mullewa, inexplicably referred to as Glindawor in our version of the song, is a shire in mid west WA. Sadly the inner peace Sorensen sought eluded him, so in 1949, he decided to fulfil his lifetime dream of going to the Queensland outback. He sailed from Fremantle, but never reached his goal, for it was on the ship in Sydney, just a week or so short of his destination that Jack decided his life was no longer worth living. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Aug 20 - 09:25 PM My apologies, I once again forgot to log in before posting 'Call of the north'. A couple of decades ago, Bob Bolton posted the lyrics to Alan Mann's 'Windmill run' together with a few notes to assist non-aussies: THE WINDMILL RUN (Alan Mann) The Southern Cross is turning, creaking joints need oiling There's a finger-full of grease for cog and gears, Clockwise, ever clockwise, hot-dipped and galvanised, The blades have turned for fully fifty years. One day's dawn will find him, astride his faithful Harley Just a kerosene tin jammed between his knees. There's a hessian bag of tucker, twitch wire and some pliers, And his camouflage, khaki dungarees. Out along the western fence, the three-mile troughs are full, And it's north along the track 'till deadwood bore. There's spinifex and mulga, plus the dozen mills or so, 'Till nightfall finds him on an Alcan floor The Southern Cross is turning, creaking joints need oiling There's a finger-full of grease for cog and gears, Clockwise, ever clockwise, hot-dipped and galvanised, The blades have turned for fully fifty years. Well, every now and then, there's a breakdown - and he finds it Depressing as the jammed-up rods he frees. Fifty head it cost him ... and the crows with bellies full; Sitting there ... laughing in the trees. Mostly, though, it's endless toil – adjusting floats and valves, And checking out the fences near and far. Visions of the wife and kids – see him through the afternoon, 'Till his nightly destination with the stars. The Southern Cross is turning, creaking joints need oiling There's a finger-full of grease for cog and gears, Clockwise, ever clockwise, hot-dipped and galvanised, The blades have turned for fully fifty years. Gone again's another week and he turns up at the homestead, Just a silhouette against the setting sun, There's just two days at home, for there's sheep to dip tomorrow. And a rest before another windmill run. The Southern Cross is turning, creaking joints need oiling There's a finger-full of grease for cog and gears, Clockwise, ever clockwise, hot-dipped and galvanised, The blades have turned for fully fifty years. The Southern Cross is turning, creaking joints need oiling ... Notes: Alcan: Local brand of aluminium (well, lots of Canadian money in it as well). Presumably the floor of a work shed or store out on the run. Clockwise, ever clockwise: Of course, the blades always turn in the same direction because the tailpiece keeps them pointing up wind Dungarees: Work overalls – in this case ex-army Fifty head it cost: On these huge inland runs, there is little permanent water and the bore (artesian) water brought up by the windmill may be all there is. A pump breakdown can mean death to all the cattle in that paddock. Harley: Harley Davidson motorbike? Maybe an old WWII despatch rider's bike, rather than the fat road bikes of today Hot-dipped and galvanised: They made things to last back then … not that there is much rain to rust windmill blades out in the outback! Mulga: Low scrubby acacias of the arid interior Southern Cross: The best known Australian brand of water-pumping windmill (named for the famous southern sky constellation). Spinifex: Thorny weed - the Australian species is zygochloa paradoxus. Tucker: Food, supplies Twitch wire: Binding or tie wire for minor repairs You can find the song on Loaded Dog 'A Coastline Facing West'. Here is a rendition by Wongawilli: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Aug 20 - 10:07 PM DOWN THE RIVER (H. Lawson/I. MacDougall) I've done with joys an' misery, An' why should I repine? There's no one knows the past but me An' that ol' dog o' mine. We camp an' walk an' camp an' walk, An' find it fairly good; He can do anything but talk, An' he wouldn't if he could. We sits an' thinks beside the fire, With all the stars a-shine, An' no one knows our thoughts but me An' that there dog o' mine. We has our Johnny-cake an' "scrag," An' finds 'em fairly good; He can do anything but talk, An' he wouldn't if he could. He gets a 'possum now an' then, I cooks it on the fire; He has his water, me my tea — What more could we desire? He gets a rabbit when he likes, We finds it pretty good; He can do anything but talk, An' he wouldn't if he could. I has me smoke, he has his rest, When sunset's gettin' dim; An' if I do get drunk at times, It's all the same to him. So long's he's got me swag to mind, He thinks that times is good; He can do anything but talk, An' he wouldn't if he could. He gets his tucker from the cook, For cook is good to him, An' when I sobers up a bit, He goes an' has a swim. He likes the rivers where I fish, An' all the world is good; He can do anything but talk, An' he wouldn't if he could You can find the song on Loaded Dog 'That there dog o' mine' album. They note that the tune they use is by Ian MacDougall. I can't find any rendition on the Net. There is a tune by Chris Kempster in his songbook (page 12): Kempster |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 25 Aug 20 - 10:41 PM Here's another good'un from the pen of John Warner. Kitty Kane is a tough woman who thumbs her nose at convention and not only survives but thrives. Good on her! KITTY KANE (John Warner) I came up the Thomson with thousands of others When Walhalla's gold wove its wild, shining spell I was young, I was pretty, I called myself Kitty I offered the best jewels a woman could sell A length of fine velvet in well fitting burgundy Tight round the curves where a man's eye could fall Lace at the edges and eyes full of laughter Oh young Kitty Kane was the pride of them all (Chorus) I might take a walk by the wild Thomson River Where the mountain ash rise in the soft misty rain There's gold in the range and there's gold in the memories Of the lady of pleasure they call Kitty Kane The publican brought a piano from Melbourne I could tell you right now, it was never in tune But the work-weary diggers came crowding to hear it When Samson would play in the late afternoon On nights when Walhalla lit up like a fire And the miners were roaring some boozy refrain There would always be eyes lit with lust and desire And bright gold for evenings with young Kitty Kane Chorus There were schemers and sailors and bearded old diggers Whose tough, hairy hides had the gravel ground in Young men far from home who still needed a mother And sad furtive parsons who needed to sin Rough, drunken brutes with the manners of cattle Who let me lie bleeding and shaking in pain I served them their drinks while my bruises were healing And I laughed and I shone, I was still Kitty Kane Chorus I've heard the men singing down at the piano That youth it soon passes and beauty will fade But I gave them their pleasure when I was past forty It's the light in me eyes made me queen of my trade Though Walhalla now is all merchants and farmers Whose wives see in me what they think of as shame I'll die in this valley with fine, singing memories My name's Kitty Kane, I was best in the game Chorus (X2) You can find the song on Margaret Walters' excellent 'Pithead and Fern' album. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Aug 20 - 11:15 PM I did it again - lost my cookie. Here's an amusing little poem that my good mate, the late Paul Lawler, put to music. It is by the late John Manifold, a fine poet, activist and editor of the original 'Penguin Australian Song Book'. Perhaps Rich-Joy will post the tune to the website of Paul's music in due course. ON THE DEATH OF MR HOLT (John Manifold/Paul Lawler Only a week before Christmas, The happiest day of the year, They held a wake for Harold Holt, And the bigwig guests came here. Bonnie Prince Charlie came owre 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 from 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!" --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 26 Aug 20 - 03:52 AM good one, Stewie, the more serious side of John Manifold |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 26 Aug 20 - 04:02 AM & I located my Loaded Dog CDs today, so can play them again. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 26 Aug 20 - 10:57 PM Many thanks for that, Sandra. It is very interesting, albeit difficult (physically), reading. Have you read his 'Who wrote the ballads'? He wrote one of Australia's finest poems: The Tomb of John Learmonth AIF THE SHAME OF GOING BACK (Henry Lawson) When you've come to make your fortune, and you haven't made your salt And the reason of your failure isn't anybody's fault When you haven't got a billet, and the times are very slack There is nothing that can spur you like the shame of going back Chorus: Crawling home with empty pockets Going back hard-up Oh! it's then you learn the meaning of humiliation's cup When the place and you are strangers and you struggle all alone And you have a mighty longing for the town where you are known When your clothes are very shabby, and the future's very black There is nothing that can hurt you like the shame of going back When you've fought the battle bravely and are beaten to the wall, 'Tis the sneer of man, not conscience, that makes cowards of us all And while you are returning, oh! your brain is on the rack, And your heart is in the shadow of the shame of going back When a beaten man's discovered with a bullet in his brain They post-mortem him, and try him, and they say he was insane But it very often happens that he'd lately got the sack And his onward move was owing to the shame of going back Ah! my friend, you call it nonsense, and your upper lip is curled You have had no real trouble in your passage through the world But when fortune rounds upon you and the rain is on the track You will learn the bitter meaning of the shame of going back Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 27 Aug 20 - 12:37 AM we have copies of "Who wrote the Ballads" in BMC library. THE PEOPLE HAVE SONGS (Miguel Heatwole) Here voices are tuned to each other in gladness To all here in common affection belongs Here joy and laughter meet keening and sadness Here tyranny's cursed for the people have songs Chorus: Let us set the room ringing with the sound of our singing When we come to the end let us hold the chord long Hear the harmonies rise and all close our eyes 'Til the last cadence dies the people have songs Here is war parting sweethearts Here are strong sweating sailors And poets for beauty who ardently long Here are people at work singing loud at their labours Here are marriage and drinking for the people have songs Respect for each other gives each one a hearing And whether the voice be uncertain or strong We listen with love if the heart is endearing Supported in harmony the people have songs Disdaining oppression like others before us Our gentleness angered by history's wrongs Our tradition endures, and our voices in chorus Are lifted in hope for the people have songs! People have Songs on bandcamp anotehr greta session song - |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 27 Aug 20 - 12:43 AM TYPO! how did I hit submit? another great session song is former Catter Canberra Chris's Call to Song , also recorded by Miguel for his latest CD More People Have songs, also available on Bandcamp. I'll ask him to pop in with the words. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 27 Aug 20 - 01:25 AM Gotta have Union Street by Alistair Hulett Siege of Union Street video https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=118813 THE SIEGE OF UNION STREET (words & music by Alistair Hulett) words taken from 'The Cold Grey Light of Dawn' by Alistair Hulett & Dave Swarbrick Musikfolk Ltd, 1997. The Unemployed Workers Union was formed in Melbourne during the Great Depression to fight evictions by heartless landlords of destitute families for non-payment of rent. A Sydney branch soon followed and the UWU drew thousands into it's ranks. Matters came to a head in Union Street in the inner city suburb of Erskinville in Sydney, when over a thousand militants fought a pitched battle with police that lasted several days. The tenants were a 'war widow' and her children, so emotions were running high and the struggle received much media coverage The Communist Party was deeply committed to supporting the UWU and the police had assistance from the covert right wing paramilitary group identified by D.H. Lawrence in his novel "Kangaroo." Casualties on both sides were high but the issue was finally resolved when the Labor State Premier, Jack Lang, introduced legislation to protect the unemployed from being thrown out of their homes. Jim Munroe, a founding member of the UWU is the source of the material on which much of this song is based. You should have seen us down at Erko Fourteenth August, Saturday night To Newtown, Stanmore, Enmore and Petersham Calls went out 'Workers unite!' We built a bloody great wall With planks and boards full seven foot tall We didn't mind the howling wind and sleet When we stood around the fire at Union Street The man from the shop said put it on tick The kids came round with bottles and bricks There was Irish stew and home-made lemonade They were grand old days on the barricade I never thought I would join a party Carry a card or see things red The sight of bare foot children crying Out on the pavement turned my head Their old man's over in France Flapping like a rag on a barbed wire fence Their Mum does what she can to make ends meet And she's down at the siege of Union Street The cops came down and they came down hard They must have numbered five hundred strong They called us reds and they cracked our heads To teach us poor sinners right from wrong I learned a lesson that night It's all out war when you stand and fight I saw those brisk young coppers on their beat Behave like thugs in Union Street Sunshine danced on the broken glass It shone like diamonds as morning broke The cops were back by the railroad track And the streets were filled with working folk They'd bashed us bloody and raw But it forced Jack Lang to change the law Now the landlords have to cop it sweet And the Red Flag flies over Union Street The man from the shop gave out licorice sticks To the kids who cleaned up the bottles and bricks Down the years those memories never fade Of the grand old days on the barricade. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 27 Aug 20 - 10:50 PM Another fine song from Alan Mann. Alan noted: Home thoughts from abroad! Sitting in a Canadian airport in winter knowing that in Western Australia it is summer and remembering the landscapes and associated farming activities. WINNIPEG IN WINTER (Alan Mann) Winnipeg in winter is not the place to be When the wind is up to 30 knots and it's minus 23 And all around a sea of white, snow drifts and sheets of ice Frozen lakes, high latitudes don't make for paradise Freezing, fevered snowbound - I'm sitting all alone In Winnipeg in winter, ten thousand miles from home Summertime is beautiful, so the locals say I'm not convinced to press my luck and stay another day Instead of this white wilderness, I see the big red heart Purple hill and spinifex - I'm ready to depart Brown and yellow's on the fields, a harvest's coming in Sweaty seat, the Inter truck, Kellerberrin bin And all along the gravel roads, lines of eucalypts Dance and shimmer in the heat, and make the light of it There an azure ocean laps a golden beach A little line of breakers is curling out of reach Majestic stands off karris and ghostly river gums Throw their shade at red-brown dirt 'til evening's blanket comes Of this distant dreaming it's not hard to make some sense When from a fresh-cut field of oats or along a barbed-wire fence Dust clouds spiral skywards, you'd pause and take a guess 'It's forty in the water bag' - more or less Stooped against the driving snow, hail the brave Canuck Wrapped up in fur and feathers, shuffling through the muck Tugging at the parka hood, he nods and says 'G'day' Breaking links to a train of thought - ten thousand miles away Winnipeg in winter is not the place to be When the wind is up to 30 knots and it's minus 23 And all around a sea of white, snow drifts and sheets of ice Frozen lakes, high latitudes don't rate with paradise Freezing, fevered snowbound - I'm sitting all alone In Winnipeg in winter, ten thousand miles from home You can find the song on Loaded Dog's 'That there dog o' mine' album. For this one, there is a beaut video on Youtube. Bob Rummery is lead singer: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 27 Aug 20 - 11:41 PM AWAY TO TINTINARA (Mike O'Connor) It's away to Tintinara and miles to Emu Springs Every year a little farther to the song the drover sings It's a hundred miles from Adelaide the Overlander rolls Then a dusty road to sunrise where open bushland calls Chorus: And the music on the wind is the creaking of the saddle And the rhythm of the song are the hooves upon the ground Where the fences run forever to the dusty blue horizon And like gems on distant velvet, stars echo to the sound 'Call me back' There's a lonely crossroad beckons to the blue remembered hills Then beyond the sands of Sugarloaf where memory lingers still On the sunlit plains of yester year where lyre birds dance and sing Are the echo of the voices a bushman's dreams can bring Chorus And around the paddock dreaming, you know that she'll be right And around the billy boiling the stories last the night For there's room enough for breathing, there's space to be your own And to sing again the old song and watch the sun go down Chorus Martyn Wyndham-Read explains the genesis of the song at the end of this video: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Aug 20 - 03:57 AM Sorry, only just got my 'puter back from the Docs (with a warning that it won't last too much longer :( I will try to add some more suggestions too! Crikey Sandra, that's funny about "Poison Train" - it was a firm favourite in SE Qld sessions when I arrived some 27 years ago and is still frequently heard. Good Song! Stewie, re "On the Death of Harold Holt" : a good 18 months back I was preparing Lawls' TEFC bracket of Manifold songs, with pics, for upload to his YT channel ..... not quite sure why they haven't manifested there yet ..... LtU&E, I guess :( I was always very fond of "Fannie Bay" [by D&A Tainsh] as sung by the late "Tropical Ear" in Darwin. Their version was quite unlike the (Dobe Newton's) Bushwackers version, more poignant and more singable. And not at all like the "Galway Bay" parody on John T's "Oz Folk Song a Day" webpages!!! So I'll just have to add another to my upload list, along with the previously mentioned "Northern Gulf", sung by Smokey. Happy Friday!! R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Aug 20 - 09:04 PM R-J, good to hear you got your 'puter back. What is LtU&E? Is it something like a 'round tuit'? Bob Rummery put the tune to this one: WHEN YOU'RE FLUSH (T.Brittain/R.Rummery) The work's been long and steady, now the contract's finished up When the pass is hard, it doesn't pay to rush Burning in my moleskin pocket is what I got from it And there's other things you think of when you're flush So I'll wind up the stringline, I'll put the tools away And I'll turn the old camp-oven upside down And in quest of earthly capers, I will look around a bit And I'll try the bill of fare in Bunbury town Yes, I'll try the bill of fare in Bunbury town By the noon I'd crossed the sandplain and I didn't raise a sweat 'Cause a traveller that day was kind to me I alighted from his sulky at the Prince of Wales Hotel And soon afterwards embarked upon a spree When a lady I befriended, so delightful was her charm My desire of it was soon to wear me down I feted her a fortnight with all the spice of life It was nice, the bill of fare in Bunbury town Yes, it was nice the bill of fare in Bunbury town And then a day out at the races, some pennies that I tossed Soon relieved me of my remaining dough So I shouldered my possessions, I whipped the cat a bit To the bush I stretched, 'twas time to strike a blow Back across the Preston River, and about a mile beyond Resting in the shade of Boyle O'Reilly's tree My mind's eye shaped a picture of him trudging years before In a way that seemed a parallel with me Yes, In a way that seemed a parallel with me Having finished with my dreaming at the junction of the roads And with thirty mile or more still left to tramp And past another sunrise to a gully farther on I've rested in the refuge of my camp Where I've unwound the stringline, I've turkeyed up my axe And I hope my daily tallies bring renown Cooking in the old camp-oven there's a lovely mutton stew And it beats the bill of fare in Bunbury town Yes, it beats the bill of fare in Bunbury town I've been toiling long a steady since the contract started up When the pass is hard, it doesn't pay to rush I'll settle up and clean the slate with what I get from it And I'll satisfy my needs when I am flushed Yes, I'll satisfy my needs when I am flush The song is on 'A coastline facing west'. Bob introduces the song in one of the few videos of the Dog available on the Net (there's some competition from sprog noises): Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Aug 20 - 09:53 PM Alan Mann used the tune of an old favourite for this one. He noted: This is the true story of the founding of the town of Menzies in WA's goldfields in 1894. After striking it rich, Leslie Robert Menzies tipped his nuggets on the floor of the Bank of Coolgardie and proceeded to shout the town 4000 pounds worth of champagne. Lonnie Donegan had a great skiffle version of this tune which had previously been covered by Leadbelly and collected by Alan Lomax. MENZIES' SHOUT (HAVE A DRINK ON ME) (Alan Mann) In the eighteen nineties down a dusty road Came a saddle-bagged miner with a six ton load Everybody - have a drink on me He was caked in dust from his foot to his head But he had a 'gold smile' it had to be said Hey, hey ev'rybody drink on me He reined his camels, hitched them to the rail Shouted to his mates: 'Found the Holy Grail' Everybody - have a drink on me He staggered to the bank, tipped nuggets on the floor 'I've pegged out ground, there's a whole heap more' Hey, hey ev'rybody drink on me Chorus: Have a drink, have a drink, have a drink on me Ev'rybody have a drink on me Hey, hey ev'rybody drink on me Have a drink, have a drink, have a drink on me Hey, hey ev'rybody drink on me There's trouble in store at the Old Camp Saloon It being quite early - not yet noon Everybody have a drink on me 'First things first, a day of champagne Settle in boys for a long campaign' Hey, hey ev'rybody drink on me Well I've been to Hannans and to Kununulling Toasted success - this time we're skulling Everybody have a drink on me This new show, a hundred miles from here Has beaten all the rest for all of last year Hey, hey ev'rybody drink on me I went to the Barossaa to float another mine The gold was scarce, but the red was fine Everybody have a drink on me Seems like the gold and my luck have run out But I remember the day it was my turn to shout Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Aug 20 - 10:23 PM "Life, the Universe, & Everything" Stew! (#1 excuse for not coping, or doing!!!) R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Aug 20 - 11:20 PM Thanks R-J. There are fewer Paterson poems set to music than those of Lawson, but there are some. Cathie O'Sullivan put a tune to this one years ago. SONG OF ARTESIAN WATER (Paterson/O'Sullivan) Now the stock have started dying, for the Lord has sent a drought, But we're sick of prayers and Providence - we're going to do without, With the derricks up above us and the solid earth below, We are waiting at the lever for the word to let her go. Sinking down, deeper down, Oh, we'll sink it deeper down: As the drill is plugging downward at a thousand feet of level, If the Lord won't send us water, oh, we'll get it from the devil; Yes, we'll get it from the devil deeper down. Now, our engine's built in Glasgow by a very canny Scot, And he marked it twenty horse-power, but he didn't know what is what. When Canadian Bill is firing with the sun-dried gidgee logs, She can equal thirty horses and a score or so of dogs. Sinking down, deeper down Oh, we're going deeper down: If we fail to get the water, then it's ruin to the squatter, For the drought is on the station and the weather's growing hotter, But we're bound to get the water deeper down. But the shaft has started caving and the sinking's very slow, And the yellow rods are bending in the water down below, And the tubes are always jamming, and they can't be made to shift Till we nearly burst the engine with a forty horse-power lift, Sinking down, deeper down, Oh, we're going deeper down: Though the shaft is always caving, and the tubes are always jamming, Yet we'll fight our way to water while the stubborn drill is ramming- While the stubborn drill is ramming deeper down. But there's no artesian water, though we're passed three thousand feet, And the contract price is growing, and the boss is nearly beat. But it must be down beneath us, and it's down we've got to go. Though she's bumping on the solid rock four thousand feet below, Sinking down, deeper down, Oh, we're going deeper down: And it's time they heard us knocking on the roof of Satan's dwellin', But we'll get artesian water if we cave the roof of hell in- Oh we'll get artesian water deeper down. But it's hark! the whistle's blowing with a wild, exultant blast, And the boys are madly cheering, for they've struck the flow at last: And it's rushing up the tubing from four thousand feet below, Till it spouts above the casing in a million-gallon flow. And it's down, deeper down- Oh, it comes from deeper down: It is flowing, ever flowing, in a free, unstinted measure From the silent hidden places where the old earth hides her treasure- Where the old earth hides her treasures deeper down. And it's clear away the timber and it's let the water run, How it glimmers in the shadow, how it flashes in the sun! By the silent belts of timber, by the miles of blazing plain It is bringing hope and comfort to the thirsty land again. Flowing down, further down: It is flowing further down To the tortured thirsty cattle, bringing gladness in its going; Through the droughty days of summer it is flowing, ever flowing- It is flowing, ever flowing, further down. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Aug 20 - 01:35 AM Gerry Hallom put a tune to Paterson's beaut poem 'With the cattle'. He makes some minor changes and omissions: here is how he sings it: WITH THE CATTLE (Paterson/Hallom) The drought is down on field and flock The riverbed is dry And we must shift the starving stock Before the cattle die So we muster up with weary hearts At breaking of the day And turn our heads to foreign parts And take the stock away By the stock routes bare and eaten On dusty roads and beaten In heat and drought and hopeless pain, we take the stock away We cannot use the whips for shame On beasts that crawl along We have to drop the weak and lame And try to save the strong For the wrath of God is on the track The drought fiend holds his sway With blows and cries and stock whip crack We take the stock away As they fall we leave them lying, With the crows to watch them dying With half a chance to save their lives we take the stock away So in dull despair the days go by With never hope of change But every stage we draw more nigh The distant mountain range And some may live to climb the pass And reach the great plateau And revel in the mountain grass By streamlets fed with snow As the mountain wind is blowing It starts the cattle lowing The creatures smell the mountain grass that's twenty miles away They press towards the mountain grass They look with eager eyes Along the rugged stony pass That slopes towards the skies Though their feet may bleed from rocks and stones And though the blood-drop starts They struggle on with stifled groans For hope is in their hearts As the mountain wind is blowing And the mountain grass is growing They break in to a kind of run – pull up, and let them go! The days are done of heat and drought Upon the stricken plain The wind has shifted right about And brought the welcome rain The river runs with sullen roar All flecked with yellow foam And we must take the road once more And bring the cattle home And it's `Lads! we'll raise a chorus There's a pleasant trip before us Towards the far-off mountain-land, to bring the cattle back' We have to watch them close at night For fear they'll make a rush And break away in headlong flight Across the open bush And by the campfire's cheery blaze With mellow voice and strong We hear the lonely watchman raise The overlander's song While the stars shine out above us Like the eyes of those who love us The eyes of those who watch and wait to greet the cattle home The plains are all awave with grass The skies are deepest blue And leisurely the cattle pass And feed the long day through But when we sight the station gate We make the stockwhips crack A welcome sound to those who wait To greet the cattle back And through the twilight falling We hear their voices calling, As the cattle splash across he ford and churn it into foam And the children run to meet us Our wives and sweethearts greet us Their heroes from the overland who brought the cattle home Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:04 AM geez, Stewie, don't you have anything else to do! I'd love to put some of Kevin Baker's songs up, but I'd have to type them. Tthere's not much online, just this bio from a 2006 appearance at Sutherland folk club. Kevin Baker A long time political activist and historian, Kevin Baker is a brilliant exponent on the social, economic and industrial life of the Illawarra. He has recorded in song the struggles of workers and the despair of unemployment. Kevin’s song The Snowy River Men” is regarded as the most powerful anti-war song ever written. His three recordings, The Snowy River Men, Still a Rich Man’s Land and Harvest and Heartbreak, all his own compositions carry a wealth of Australian history and are an invaluable Australian Folk Collection. A poet/singer/songwriter Kevin knows and feels the real Australia and has that special gift of telling a story in song. Kevin Baker - Snowy River Men - video Dear Mrs Allen I write to you today To say that I was with your son just before he passed away I trained with him at Goulburn and we traveled on to France And I was there when he got hit in the German advance. It seems so long ago since we marched into your town And all the young men heard the call and signed their name straight down And the girls and the children proudly all cheered us all along At Bibbenluke that day was a feast of speech and song. CHORUS - And the Snowy River men just couldn't march today There's far too many of them dead for the rest to feel that way The cold ground of Europe has been watered with their blood There's a strange new crop of crosses rising in this foreign mud From Goulburn to Sydney and then a ship from Circular Quay A spirit of adventure stirred and filled both Les and Me It was great to be with comrades true and travelling abroad For a while the war seemed far away and the world was to be toured In Durban the natives took us travelling in style In rickshaws that they pulled along at a shilling a mile. In Capetown we watched the black boys diving in the Bay The Snowies had a good time there and would have liked to stay CHORUS - But the Snowy River men just couldn't march today There's far too many of them dead for the rest to feel that way The cold ground of Europe has been watered with their blood There's a strange new crop of crosses rising in this foreign mud When we landed at Plymouth, we'd spent 8 weeks at sea And entrained straight way for Wilton where our camp turned out to be, They treated us well there so we really can't complain That the sky was grey, the weather bleak and it always seemed to rain When we set sail for France, the weather had turned fine And it wasn't long before the call to reinforce the line Then a shell whined above us and we were raked with stones and mud And I turned and saw Les sitting there in a pool of his own blood CHORUS And the Snowy River men just couldn't march today There's far too many of them dead for the rest to feel that way The cold ground of Europe has been watered with their blood There's a strange new crop of crosses rising in this foreign mud He stared as the blood poured out of his legless thigh And I carried him back to the aid post close nearby His blood soaked my uniform but he never breathed a sigh And I had no idea then that he was going to die When I left him he spoke of a pain inside his chest I suppose that's what killed him, I just don't know the rest But I know that we all miss him and cant help but wonder why So many Snowy men so quickly had to die. CHORUS - And the Snowy River men just couldn't march today There's far too many of them dead for the rest to feel that way The cold ground of Europe has been watered with their blood There's a strange new crop of crosses rising in this foreign mud We hear the king's grateful for all the men who've died And is sending home a photo of the graves in which they lie Well I still think that the cause is right but it's not clear any more Why so many Australian men should die in Europe's war We hope with our hearts that time will ease the pain Of never once to see his face or hear his voice again But I've seen so much death now since that day on which he died That I can't now be the snowy man that once I was inside CHORUS - And the Snowy River men just couldn't march today There's far too many of them dead for the rest to feel that way The cold ground of Europe has been watered with their blood There's a strange new crop of crosses rising in this foreign mud |
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Subject: LYR ADD - Kevin Baker - Superstar From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:52 AM Kevin Baker - Superstar I still hear my mother whistling as she hung clothes on the line While our neighbour did the Monday wash and sang away the time Down the road on a building lot where hammers kept the beat Workmen sang and shared their lunch with the boy from up the street And the Baker's cart and the Rabbito came trading to a tune As we lived to our own music morning night and afternoon. CHORUS - But now you've got to be a superstar if you want to sing a song If they catch you quietly singing people think there's something wrong Somehow we lost the right to sing: it almost seem a crime To share the things you care about in music, words and rhyme. I hear echoes of my father in the songs he used to know Of love and work and freedom; the memories start to flow And my mother played an old squeeze-box as he people had before And friends would visit friends and bring their songs in through the door. And no-one was at all surprised or thought it indiscreet If the friendly sound of music were to spill out on the street. CHORUS But now we get our music with an electronic sound In accents strange and foreign that aren't heard on our home ground It's slick and flash but hasn't got a thing to do with me But it clogs up all our radios and floods out from TV And I can't help looking back to when we thought we all belonged Before we lost our voices and bought other people's songs. CHORUS Rabbits were poor people's meat & Rabbitos sold them door to door. |
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Subject: LYR ADD - The Rabbiter by Stan Wakefield From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:08 AM https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=23038 THE RABBITER Words and music: Stan Wakefield I read about the fortunes that the rabbiters make outback - The sporting life and the lairy tales of prices fetched at Sydney sales, So I started out across New South Wales on the roving rabbiters' track. CHORUS: With a hool-em-up and a sool-em-up And the fool-em-up decoys; The men who scalp the rabbiters Are the Sydney market boys. A free and independent life, a life of simple joys I camped beneath an old belah ' and my tucker was mostly fried galah, And I trapped 'em near and I trapped 'em far, for the Sydney market boys. I poisoned out at Hillston, and I trapped at Gundagai, I followed 'em over creeks and bogs, and chopped 'em out of hollow logs, And tailed 'em up with yelping dogs, 'way back of Boggabri. Besides the bunnies that you catch, there's things that you despise: A hawk, a snake, a crow, a rat, a bandicoot, a tiger cat, And when you're lucky, a lamb that's fat is a welcome enough surprise. I skinned and scalped and scalped and skinned, till my back was nearly broke, With blood and muck all stiff and brown, the stink of my clothes would knock you down, And I slaved all day for half a crown for the Sydney market bloke. I thought I'd get a snifter cheque for skins I sent from Bourke, But the broker rogues in Sydney Town, they weigh them short and they grade them down, And they sent me back three lousy pound, for a month of slavin' work. Some day we're going to set our traps to catch the hungry crew Who live on useful workers' sweat -- we'll stop their thieving racket yet, And to make them earn their tucker, you bet, is the job for me and you. With a hool-em-up and a sool-em-up, And there'll be no more decoys; Then a-hunting, hunting we will go For the Sydney market boys. Stan (died early 1960s) wrote The Rabbiter's Song in the 1930s. It refers to the Government attempt to persuade the unemployed to go out and make money from trapping rabbits, instead of applying for the dole (which required working for the Government anyway - usually on public works programmes ... sometimes of utility and value). Of course, when a whole mob of unemployed city slickers started sending off rabbit skins to the Sydney or Melbourne markets ... the price dropped (the law of supply and demand) as well as a number of the skins arriving rotten due to poor preparation. Anyway, there wasn't much money to be made in the game and Stan, being the good Left-winger that he was, wrote a beaut song and, being the competent musician that he was, wrote his own tune to it. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Richard Mellish Date: 29 Aug 20 - 04:50 PM Thanks for The Rabbiter Sandra. It's one I've sung occasionally for many years, but I was missing the last verse. Now I have to graft that onto what is already in my brain. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:24 PM Extracts from Singabout - the early songwriters - Stan Wakefield (1906 - 1962) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:37 PM It keeps me off the streets, Sandra. Thanks for posting the Wakefield songs - excellent. it looks like it is up to us. I am puzzled by the absence of our thread moderator who listed songs in Joe's original thread, but has posted none. Anyhow, this lovely song is one of my wife's favourites. BRUNSWICK ROAD (Steve Groves & Danny Bourke) I know a woman who says she's old She weaves a spell around my rented house of stone It's late when we leave at the foot of the stairs The gas pipes ring as she laughs and sings of her dancing years Chorus: And she tells me we should go home down Brunswick Road Where we would walk and we would talk till the moon went down We were arm in arm, as in days of old We thought the street was lined with gold down Brunswick Road We live in the heart of the town she loves She doesn't mind I can't recall her yesterdays. Outside the hall, the iron lace Her dancing's over now the pain is on her face She laughs again, she sees her man He's singing Daisy on a bike out in the rain He fades from sight, he's out of view and if I had the chance I'd bring him back to you Chorus As sung by Graham Dodsworth: Brunswick Road --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:03 PM SHEARING IN A BAR (Duke Tritton) My shearing days are over, though I never was a gun I could always count my twenty at the end of every run I used the old trade union shears, and the blades were always full As I drove ’em to the knockers, and I chopped away the wool I shore at Goorianawa and didn’t get the sack From Breeze out to Compadore, I always could go back And though I am a truthful man, I find when in a bar My tallies seem to double, but I never call for tar Shearing on the western plains where the fleece is full of sand And the clover burr and corkscrew grass is the place to try your hand Where the sheep are tall and wiry where they feed on the Mitchell grass And every second one of them is close to the cobbler class And a pen chock full of cobblers is a shearer's dream of hell So loud and lurid are their words when they catch one on the bell But when you’re pouring down the grog, there's no need to call for tar For a shearer never cuts ’em, when shearing in a bar At Louth I caught the bell sheep, a wrinkled, tough-wooled brute Who never stopped his kicking till I tossed him down the chute My wrist was aching badly, but I fought him all the way I couldn’t afford to miss a blow, I must earn my pound a day So when I’d take a strip of skin, I’d hide it with my knee Turn the sheep around a bit where the right bower couldn’t see Then try and catch the rousie’s eye and softly whisper 'tar' But it never seems to happen when I’m shearing in the bar I shore away the belly wool and trimmed the crutch and hocks Opened up along the neck while the rousie swept the locks Then smartly swung the sheep around and dumped him on his rear Two blows to clip away the wig – I also took an ear Then down around the shoulder when me full blades open wide As I drove ’em on the long blow and down the whipping side And when the fleece fell on the board, he was nearly black with tar But this is never mentioned when I’m shearing in a bar Now when the season's ended and my grandsons all come back In their buggies and their sulkies -I was always on the track They come and take me into town to fill me up with beer And I sit on a bar stool and listen to them shear There’s not a bit of difference – it must make the angels weep To hear a mob of shearers in a barroom shearing sheep For the sheep go rattling down the race with never a call for tar For a shearer never cuts ’em when he’s shearing in a bar Then memories come crowding in and they wipe away the years And my hand begins to tighten and I seem to feel the shears I want to tell them of the sheds, the sheds where I have shorn Full fifty years and maybe more, before these boys were born I want to speak of Yarragin, Dunlop or Wingadee But the beer has started working and I’m wobbling at the knees So I’d better not start shearing, I’d be bound to call for tar Then be treated as a blackleg when I’m shearing in a bar Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:33 PM Extracts from Singabout - the early songwriters - Duke Tritton (1886-1965) I'll contact Gerry |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:35 PM Pete Seeger talks with Duke Tritton 1963 |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Aug 20 - 07:14 PM Western Australian Herald - 23 October 1869: Preparation for the New Pearling Season ...take the first of the ebb and glide away out of the creek ... then comes the most important part, the picking up of niggers ... for pearling after all would never pay white labour. LEWIS ISLAND LUGGER (M.Murray & L.Silvester) The lugger is painted already She is painted in red and in green She is painted so gaily we smile at her She is painted in red and in green The lugger is rigged out already She's rigged out with tackles and ropes She's rigged out to take us a-pearling She's rigged out with tackles and ropes And the lugger is charted already She's charted out from Nichol Bay She's charted to go for the pearling She's charted out from Nichol Bay O father why are we waiting Away from our home far away Why do we wait on Lewis Island For the lugger to take us away And the lugger is loaded already She's loaded with beer and with wine Loaded with blackbirds from the Gascoyne Loaded with beer and with wine The lugger is waiting already She's sailing away from the land She's taken away my family She's sailing away from the land O father why are we waiting Away from our home far away Why do we wait on Lewis Island For the lugger to take us away And the lugger is stranded already She's stranded between surf and reef Now gone are my sister and brother Stranded between surf and reef And their headstone is written already Written in pearl shells and blood A headstone to stand among many Written in pearl shells and blood O father why are we waiting Away from our home far away Why do we wait on Lewis Island For the lugger to take us away And the lugger is saiing already The song may be found on Mike Murray and Lesley Silvester 'Strangers on the Shore' TimeTrackers TT0101 2001. It is an album of true stories of ships, the sea and first contact with Western Australia. Mike and Lesley noted: Blackbirding flourished in the pearling industry in NW Australia. Kidnapped Aborigines from the Gascoyne region were held captive on islands such as Lewis Island, and the luggers would call in from time to time to replace those who had perished either from the bends, ill-treatment or shipwreck. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Aug 20 - 07:57 PM Here's another one from the NT. Dave Oakes is a fine singer/songwriter from Alice Springs. [He's not the one you get if you put the name in Youtube search], BENEATH ULURU (Dave Oakes) Looking forward to seeing you You're just a week away And like so many times before I'd want that time to stay for more And yet before we know it We'll be saying our goodbyes Time will have come and gone To be seen through memory's eyes Time has no time, time's passing through No one can hold it, it's always anew That was a time, the memory of you Under the starlight beneath Uluru Nothing comes from yearnin' Just an achin' for the heart And time is just like learnin' With no endin' and no start Got no time for worryin' 'Bout tomorrow or yesterday Stop the clock and turn the tide It's on the wings of change time flies Time has no time, time's passing through No one can hold it, it's always anew That was a time, the memory of you Under the starlight beneath Uluru That was a time, the memory of you Under the starlight beneath Uluru Youtube clip Perhaps R-J could check my above transcription. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 30 Aug 20 - 10:36 PM SHIP REPAIRING MEN (Harry Robertson) To the workshop off we go, toolkits heavy in our hands To a big ship that’s come in, from a trip to foreign lands Salty streaks of rust have marked her, but her moorings hold her tight And we’ll work to fix her engines, all today and half the night CHORUS: Don’t wait up for me this evening — I’ll be out all night again Working on the Brisbane River with the ship repairing men. Oil-fired boilers throb with power, drinking up the furnace heat Water turns to driving steam to make the engines beat But the feed pump’s sighing wail to us cuts through all other sound As it sings a song of triumph, for the valves that we have ground Engine bearings that knocked and hammered through the wild and stormy seas Will be machined and fitted till they run with silent ease And that winch that rattles every time the piston turns the shaft Will hum along and sing its song to men skilled in their craft When you see an ocean liner glide between the river banks And the Captain in his gold braid orders men of lesser ranks Have you thought perhaps this stately craft might never sail again If it wasn’t for the toil and sweat of ship repairing men The National Sound and Screen Archive released a CD of Robertson: 'Whale Chasing Men' SSA/WC0022. This song is not on it. I first heard it on a Declan Affley LP. You can find it on Evan Mathieson 'Harry's Legacy' Mamaia 0701. Evan Mathieson has a second CD devoted to Robertson: 'Tribute to Harry Robertson' Mamaia 0902. Here is a rendition by John Thompson. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Aug 20 - 11:14 PM Bugger, I did it again - all the nameless GHESTS in this thread are yours truly. Here's another Robertson favourite that I first heard on Declan Affley's 'Rake and a Rambling Man' LP. HOMELESS MAN (Harry Robertson) I've travelled hard these last ten weary years And my youthful dreams have slowly turned to fears If you think I am complaining I can tell you that I'm not For I know that this is just the drifter's lot Many years my home has been the wayside camp And I've starved and sweated on the river banks And I've fought with fists and feet, rough-neck drifters that I meet Broken dreams and bottles pave my lonely street As a homeless boy I thought when I'm a man I'll change this world and right what wrongs I can Since then I have met defeat, it's a bitter bread to eat And the homeless boy is now a homeless man Happiness has not been mine upon this earth Both my parents left me when they met their death And I'll drink before I eat with the drifters that I meet But the sorrow here is mine and mine alone So my friends I think that I should move along And I'm glad that you have listened to my song For the road is all I know and I'll wander it alone As an outcast homeless drifter, and unknown The text above is copied from the booklet to Mathieson's 'Harry's Legacy'. Evidently, the tune is traditional Norwegian. The only clip I could find on the Net is by Warren Fahey: Youtube clip Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Aug 20 - 11:43 PM Perhaps the best-known of Robertson's songs is 'Wee Pot Stove'. I've copied this text from the booklet to Mathieson's 'Harry's Legacy': WEE POT STOVE (Harry Robertson) How the winter blizzards blow when the Whaling Fleet's at rest Tucked in Leither Harbour's sheltered bay, safely anchored ten abreast The whalers at their stations, as from ship to ship they go, Carry little bags of coal with them, and a little iron stove. Chorus: In that wee dark engine room, where the chill seeps in your soul How we huddled roon' that wee pot stove, that burned oily rags and coal Fireman Paddy worked with me, on the engines stiff and could A stranger to the truth was he, there's not a lie he hasn't told He boasted of his gold mines, and the hearts that he had won And his bonny sense of humour shone, just like a ray of sun. Chorus We laboured seven days a week, with could hands and frozen feet Bitter days and lonely nights making grog and having fights Salt fish and whalemeat sausage, fresh penguin eggs a treat And we trudged along to work each day through icy winds and sleet Chorus Then one day we saw the sun, and the factory ship's return, Meet your old friends, sing a song, hope the season won't be long Then homeward bound when it's over, we'll leave this icy cove But I always will remember that little iron stove Perhaps the best-known cover is the one by Nic Jones who recorded it under the title 'The Little Pot Stove' and used a phrase in the song as the title of his album. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 31 Aug 20 - 12:27 AM Speaking of Henry Lawson, I'd like to put in a vote for Reedy River. http://folkstream.com/073.html Cheers, Andrez |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 31 Aug 20 - 05:00 AM good one, Andrez Stewie - Chloe & Jason Roweth present Saturday Streaming 8th August, 7-8.30pm (Aus Eastern Standard time), The Songs & Tunes of Bob Rummery, live on facebook, donations welcome (To be posted on youtube a week later) Over the years our repertoire has greatly benefited from the addition of songs from Bob Rummery, and we are thrilled to have the chance to focus on his work in this special presentation. Bob has been performing and championing West Australian songs and music both as a solo performer and with West Australian band Loaded Dog for many years. He is a fine tune writer and sets Australian poetry to music as though it was always meant to be sung that way. It occurs to me that many folks who loves Bob Rummery’s work, might not be Facebook users. If you know anyone who might be interested, please pass it on... As usual for our Saturday Streaming shows, it will be on YouTube early next week. Likewise - it’d be great to have mates of Bob’s join in the craic on Saturday night. It’ll be a real pleasure to focus on his great work - all in one show! We’d appreciate any folks sharing this one - hoping to reach all Bob’s friends and fan... |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Andrez Date: 31 Aug 20 - 07:37 AM Another one of my all time favourites, Weevils in the Flour by Dorothy Hewitt in 1962. Somewhere on one of my old cassettes I've got a version of the late Hugh McDonald singing this and I also have fond memories of Dave Brannigan singing it around the traps and or folk festivals too. The link belowis a video with her son (I think) singing a version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgp7zWdZtoM Cheers, Andrez |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 31 Aug 20 - 07:57 AM Joe is her son & one of her literary executors from Bush Music Club Blog - Weevils in the Flour, October 2012. A preliminary history of a song; the early songwriters - Dorothy Hewett (1923-2002) & Merv Lilley (1919-2016) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 31 Aug 20 - 10:02 AM Thanks, Sandra. I'm not on facebook, but I'll watch it on Youtube. Bob is a fine composer and performer and a thoroughly good bloke. He composed a tune after a bbq and music session with Darwin folkies. We would occasionally gather on the cliffs above the Nightcliff foreshore for such sessions. He simply titled it 'Nightcliff' and it is the final track on his solo album 'The Man with the Concertina'. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 31 Aug 20 - 10:08 AM I'm not on facebook either, but I do look at a few sites. I used to have Bob's CD but gave most of my Oz CDS to a radio program that promotes Australian music, otherwise I could listen again. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 31 Aug 20 - 07:29 PM Gerry Hallom put a tune to Paterson's 'Song of the wheat'. Once again, he makes omissions and minor changes to the poem. Here is what he sings: SONG OF THE WHEAT (Paterson/Hallom) We have sung the song of the droving days Of the march of the travelling sheep How in silent stages and lonely ways The drovers’ herds did creep But the man who now by the land would thrive Must keep to a plough-share beat And the singer changing his tune may strive To sing the song of the wheat Silver gum and box and pine ’Twas axe and fire for all We scarce could tarry to blaze the line Or wait for the trees to fall But the land was cleared both far and wide As the dust from the horses feet Rose up like a pillar of smoke to guide The wonderful march of wheat Furrow by furrow, and fold by fold The soil is turned on the plain It’s better than silver, it’s better than gold The precious mine of the grain Better than cattle and better than sheep In the fight with drought and heat For a stubborn streak both wide and deep Lies hid in a grain of wheat Green and amber and gold it grows As the sun sinks late in the west And the breeze sweeps over the rippling rows Where the quail and the skylark nest Mountain or river or shining star There’s never a sight can beat Away to the skyline stretching far A sea of the ripening wheat When the burning harvest sun sinks low And the shadows stretch on the plain The roaring harvesters come and go Like ships on a sea of grain And the lurching, groaning wagons bear Their tale of the load complete Of the world’s great work he has done his share The man who has gathered wheat Princes, kings and queens and czars Travel in royal states But old King Wheat has a thousand cars For his trip to the water-gate; And his thousand steamships breast the tide And sail through the winds and sleet To the lands where the teeming millions lie And say, ‘Thank God for wheat!’ Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Sep 20 - 07:08 PM Another themed concert that Phil Beck and I presented was entitled 'A Sense of Place'. It included several songs that may be of interest in this context. This one, relating to the red centre, is by a Scot. SINGING LAND (Dougie Maclean) Your burning skies are never ending across your red brush plains Out where the dingo still is king and eternity remains There between the old and ancient desert oasis bright Your gentle children who have gone are close to me tonight Chorus: In your singing land In your singing land Shine on, oh shine on over me There's a feeling still and eerie, there's a feeling strong The path humanity has come and the path that he has gone Me I am, I am just passing, three score years and ten And I'm just a stranger who may never come this way again Chorus Under the spell of caterpillar dreaming a new light shapes its form Along the river's naked banks which are straining from the storm On secret rock in thunder ocean the tree of man grows clear The woodlarks sing, the woodlarks dance and the dawn is slipping near Chorus Youtube clip Phi's intro: 'The Singing Land' is set in the MacDonnell Ranges out of the Alice Springs. The red centre of Australia is a place of quiet almost mystical vastness where, as yet, man has made little impact. It’s magnificent ancient country, a vision splendid in any and every direction. The song captures perfectly the timelessness of this place of Aboriginal dreaming. The three score years and ten conventionally allotted to we mortals is as nothing to the ancient Country that is just there and has been so forever, seeming to mock the utter insignificance of man. The melody too fits perfectly with the tranquillity of the red centre: it’s in sync with the rhythm of the land which is slow, and natural change will take its own good time. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Sep 20 - 07:21 PM My friend, Terry Piper, was at one time a ranger at Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory - he now lives in Cairns. He wrote this song decades ago, but its theme is still very relevant. Just recently, a mining company blew up sacred sites in the Kimberley. BAW BAW BIG BILL (Terry Piper) It’s been ten long years now Since they first found uranium Did you know what it meant Did you see through the lies When they hounded your people Did you know it was no good Did you give up the fighting Just for some peace and quiet Chorus: And it’s baw baw Big Bill Will the brolgas keep dancing Will the bones rest safe In the caves where they lie Though the people keep coming And the mines keep on growing Who’ll look after the land One day when you die In come the people With machines and their buildings And they take what they want Do they ever give back And they stay only long enough To earn what they can They just couldn’t give a damn They’ll never return Chorus You’re a rich man now But will that really save you Where will you spend it And what will you buy And your culture will change When it’s all you’ve to cling to And they’ll use all the money As a cheap alibi Chorus You’re watching the old people The once proud and bold people They get fewer each day Its hard to survive When the drink takes its hold It soon takes its toll When there’s so much to run from Is it easier to hide Chorus It’s been ten long years now Since they first found uranium And you land has changed more Than in ten thousand years And the scars will live on Once the tears have long gone Will they poison the world While your people disappear Chorus (x2) My intro: Big Bill Neidjie was a traditional owner of the northern Kakadu National Park area. Fearing that he might take his language and traditional secrets to the grave, he shared many of his stories with anthropologists despite the taboo against revealing them to the uninitiated. The English language has a word that closely links human distress to a sense of place. The root meaning of ‘nostalgia’ – nostos, return to home or native land and algia, pain or sickness – was a concept related to a medically diagnosable illness. It is well-documented that dispossessed indigenous peoples worldwide have been likely to experience such a pathology. They have experienced physical and mental illness at rates far beyond those of other groups. Their social problems – unemployment, alcoholism, substance abuse, disproportionate rates of suicide, incarceration etc – have led to community dysfunction and crisis. Yi-Fu Tuan, the eminent pioneering researcher of sense of place, points out that such serious distress of nostalgia can also be produced by a feeling of changes occurring too rapidly and without one’s control. --Stewie |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Sep 20 - 07:54 PM This is by a Queensland singer/songwriter: HANGING ON FOR THE RAIN (Anne Infante) Well Christmas is coming across this dry land I’m hanging on, I’m hanging on I’ve drawn the line, I’m making a stand Hanging on for the rain The shepherds who watched o’er my flocks have all gone I’m hanging on I’m hanging on The few sheep I’ve left I can watch on my own I’m hanging on for the rain Chorus I’m hanging, on I’m hanging on, this drought can’t last for ever And I’m searching the skies blinking sweat from my eyes While I wait for a break in the weather The wise men flew in to this land scorched and parched They said the drought won’t break til maybe next March Well I’ve sold all the cattle that I can afford And now I’m hand rearing the best of my herd And the kids they’re excited that Christmas is near They’ll think Santa’s a mean old bugger this year For Jill wants a raggy doll, Jack wants a train But my Christmas wish is for good summer rain When they close the long paddock, you know times are hard There’s no use going droving with no grass to be had And I’ve thought about walking off hundreds of times But I’m tied to the land with invisible chains. This song was recorded by Danny Spooner's for his final album 'Home'. Danny's note: Australia is a country of extreme weather patterns: flood and fire, wind and drought are part of the rural weather cycle. In Anne Infante's song, we hear a farmer enduring these devastating extremes to restock when conditions improve. Phil's intro: This song was written about 10 or 15 years ago and, taking away references to toy trains for example, could easily describe the Australia of the 1800s. The fact that it would have been as relevant then as it is now demonstrates how little has changed in the bush. This ancient land changes slowly. Anne Infante --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Andrez Date: 01 Sep 20 - 08:03 PM Great one Stewie. I'd completeley forgotten about BB big Bill but the tune came right back to me as soon as I read the words. It resonates especially as I spent a long time working in the NT and the Kimberley. One special moment that comes back to me was the time I visited Kalkaringi and took the chance to stand at Wattie Creek and reflect on time past a few years earlier when Gough met Vincent Lingiari. Cheers, Andrez |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Sep 20 - 08:59 PM Thanks for your comments, Andrez. You remind me that this one should be posted: FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW (Paul Kelly/Kev Carmody) Gather round people I’ll tell you a story An eight-year-long story of power and pride ’Bout British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiari They were opposite men on opposite sides Vestey was fat with money and muscle Beef was his business, broad was his door Vincent was lean and spoke very little He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor From little things big things grow From little things big things grow Gurindji were working for nothing but rations Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land Daily the oppression got tighter and tighter Gurindji decided they must make a stand They picked up their swags and started off walking At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down Now it don’t sound like much but it sure got tongues talking Back at the homestead and then in the town From little things big things grow From little things big things grow Vestey man said, 'I’ll double your wages Seven quid a week you’ll have in your hand' Vincent said, 'Uhuh we’re not talking about wages We’re sitting right here till we get our land' Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered 'You don’t stand the chance of a cinder in snow' Vince said, 'If we fall others are rising' From little things big things grow From little things big things grow Then Vincent Lingiari boarded an aeroplane Landed in Sydney, big city of lights And daily he went round softly speaking his story To all kinds of men from all walks of life And Vincent sat down with big politicians This affair they told him it's a matter of state 'Let us sort it out, your people are hungry' Vincent said, 'No thanks, we know how to wait' From little things big things grow From little things big things grow Then Vincent Lingiari returned in an aeroplane Back to his country once more to sit down And he told his people let the stars keep on turning We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony And through Vincent’s fingers poured a handful of sand From little things big things grow From little things big things grow That was the story of Vincent Lingiari But this is the story of something much more How power and privilege cannot move a people Who know where they stand and stand in their law From little things big things grow From little things big things grow From little things big things grow From little things big things grow Youtube clip Wave Hill story --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Sep 20 - 09:22 PM Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) was the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a volume of verse. NO MORE BOOMERANG (Kath Walker) No more boomerang, no more spear Now all civilised, colour bar and beer No more corroboree, gay dance and din Now we got movies and pay to go in No more sharing what the hunter brings Now we work for money and pay it back for things Now we track bosses to catch a few bob Now we go walkabout on bus to the job One time naked who never knew shame Now we put clothes on to hide whatsaname No more gunya, now bungalow Paid by hire purchase in twenty years or so Lay down the stone axe, take up the steel, Work like a nigger for a white man's meal No more firesticks that made whites scoff Now all electric and no better off Bunyip he finish got now instead, Whitefella bunyip, call him Red Abstract pictures now, what they comin' at Cripes, in our caves, we did better than that Black hunted wallaby, white hunt dollar Whitefella witchdoctor wear dog collar No more message lubras and lads Got television now, mostly ads Lay down the woomera, lay down the waddy Now we got atom bomb. End everybody Gerry Hallom put a tune to the poem and recorded it on his 'Old Australian Ways' album. There are some alterations. Youtube clip Oodgeroo Noonuccal --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 02 Sep 20 - 10:18 AM Phyl Lobl's EP Dark-Eyed Daughter. audio of the EP This EP recording was made in 1968 for the Aboriginal Advancement League of Victoria. All proceeds went to the League. Director Stan Davey and Pastor Doug Nicholls were instrumental in organising the recording with W&G and for the distribution of the disc. “Dark Eyed Daughter” Lobl nee Vinnicombe “Whose hand?” Ian Hills/Margaret Kitamura “No more boomerang” Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) Will you fight, will you dare?” Lobl nee Vinnicombe |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 02 Sep 20 - 08:25 PM My apologies, Sandra. I had forgotten that you posted links re 'From little things...' It seems so long ago. Anyhow, the words are now available on this thread. From Union Songs website: THIRTY TON LINE (Don Henderson) Purpose built tugs that like line boats attended berthed bulk coal carriers in open sea. To fulfil that function, the union contended, required four deckhands. The owners said three. Three deckhands and motorman just couldn't handle sixteen inch polyprop, double dead eyes. When the tow-hook was blacked, the company gambled on a tension winched, ten inch, calm sea compromise. Chorus Broadsound. Belyando. Nebo. Sarina. The sea snaps your hawsers like thin strands of twine. Broadsound. Belyando. Nebo. Sarina. Hundred ton bollard pull thirty ton line. At two in the morning we made fast the Martha. By nine the Academy Star had been berthed. Then all tugs and line boats returned to the harbour. Their work being finished, the four crews dispersed. Five the same evening, storm warnings were sounding. Cyclone approaching, no time for delay. At their berths the big bulkies were taking a pounding. Broadsound and Belyando must get them away. To Hay Point at full speed the two tugs went dashing; got lines on the Martha at Wharf Number Two. Though twelve foot green water on our decks was crashing, the order for maximum tow had come through. With the whole hull vibrating, the tension winch slipping, then came the moment that all tugmen dread. The sudden lurch forward, the broken line whipping. The thought of old shipmates; the injured, the dead. The Martha had cleared just as our line had broken. The Academy Star was at Wharf Number One. Though the help we could offer might be but a token, in her plight that help would be better than none. Time and again, we tried to position, so the tow might commence with all possible speed. With a jury-rigged line and in such bad conditions, three deckhands and motorman could not succeed. Well, not fully laden and high in the water, the Academy Star could not be controlled. With a strong on-shore wind by her bow on the quarter, she slammed at the pylons till her hull had holed. And yet the ship owners and those who do their will, send tugs to sea, light on gear, under-manned. One million dollars will be the repair bill. They'd pay that in preference to one more deckhand. Notes Don Henderson wrote: "Arriving in Mackay for me to assess the songwriting situation for "The Flames of Discontent" album created a bit of suspicion among maritime workers. Willsie had stayed C.P.A. when E.V. Elliott had led the union to the S.P.A. and who was this ageing hippy in Chelsea Flair cowboy boots and a burgundy and gold brocade coat that understood the struggle for tug jobs anyway? A well known P&D knuckle man was delegated to ask me why I wore a coat like that. I answered that it got me into a better class of fight. He took back the verdict that I was O.K. After a week's work and no song had appeared, this verdict was being questioned. Back in Brisbane going over notes, a bit of paper appeared on which l'd written down the names of the tugs and line boats as they were tied up at the wharf. Broadsound, Belyando, Nebo, Sarina. Said quickly it seemed to sing. Getting the facts of the night right, I wrote the song and sent a cassette to Mackay. The original O.K. verdict was confirmed. I might look like an old ponce but the song was the one they wanted." Don first recorded this song on the 1979 LP "Flames Of Discontent". It is also on the MUA Centenary CD "With These Arms" The tune can be found here: Union Songs Music and chords are on p176 of Don Henderson '100 Songs & Poems: A Quiet Century' Queensland Folk Federation- Danny Spooner did a fine rendition on his 'Emerging Tradition' CD. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 02 Sep 20 - 11:31 PM I did it again. I must stop clearing my website data each evening. But, as Art Thieme would say, when your memory's shot, forget it. The tune to this one is on a Mudcat thread, but not the lyrics. It was very popular back in the early days of the revival. I first heard it on a Declan Affley LP. RAKE AND A RAMBLING MAN (Don Henderson) Chorus I am a rake and a rambling man Fortune I fall to when I can Could I be, would I be, other than A rake and rambling man I travel far, I travel wide From where winds spring to where winds blow And if I walk or if I ride Won't matter only that I go Stay with the friends that I have made I stay with the rich and the poor No welcome has been overstayed I never linger too long for I'm a rake but a rambling man With the police, I know the score Seldom we meet, but now and then I'm called to mind that there are more Police than ever were rambling men Once as I got, I quickly returned I am a man and free Long nights go by and the lesson learned That in jail no one can be A rake or a rambling man Women know men and that talk of the day Pries at the secrets silent nights hold Two thousand miles and ten towns away Names fade and fall from the story that's told Walked into wind whips at the foot fall Night breeze is soft and soon spent Who can't love one might better love all What cares the road of the farewell that went With a rake that's a rambling man I travel far, I travel wide From where winds spring to where winds blow For every hill has an unseen side Cross roads that quarrel the four ways to go I'll take by chances with fortune and fame Heads and tails fall as they will If some know my song who do not know my name It will not matter if I am still A rake and a rambling man The tune and chords may be found at page 63 of the abovemented Don Henderson songbook. Henderson noted: 'Declan Affley sang this song beautifully. He gave it a quality that can't be conveyed on this page, one that I am not sure was even there when I wrote it. Some reviewers have said that this song is autobiographical; so is the information on my driver's licence'. Youtube only gives you a Don Williams song with a similar name. The Affley recording has been reissued on the double CD 'Songs of Don Henderson' on Shoestring Productions label - well worth purchasing: CD --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 03 Sep 20 - 05:16 AM it's also on the LP Declan Affley made by Colleen Burke, Mark Gregory & Peter Parkhill in 1987, & I'm lucky enough to have a CD version of it, made by a friend some years back. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 03 Sep 20 - 08:44 PM Sandra, also thanks to a good friend, I'm fortunate enough to have 3 Affley LPs on CD and also the Australian Folk Archive vintage live recordings CD. Gary Shearston added a tune to Thomas E. Spencer's lovely 'Bonnie Jess'. Spencer is perhaps best remembered for his 'How McDougal topped the score'. BONNIE JESS (T.Spencer/G.Shearston) Now the shearing time is over, Bonnie Jess And the sheep are in the clover, Bonnie Jess By the creek the kine are lowing And the golden crops are growing While the setting sun is glowing, Bonnie Jess And a kiss to you he's blowing, Bonnie Jess To your face the crimson's rushing, Bonnie Jess Ah! I know why you are blushing, Bonnie Jess ‘Tis the memory appearing Of the promise in the clearing When you said twixt hope and fearing, Bonnie Jess You would wed him after shearing, Bonnie Jess And now the shearing time is over, Bonnie Jess And you're looking for your lover, Bonnie Jess And his horse's hooves are ringing As along the road he's swinging And a song for you he's singing, Bonnie Jess And the wedding ring he's bringing, Bonnie Jess I first heard it on the Cobbers' beaut LP 'Portaits of Australian Women' which is still available as a digital download via Bandcamp. Cobbers Shearston --Stewie |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 03 Sep 20 - 08:59 PM GIRLS IN OUR TOWN (Bob Hudson) Girls in our town, they just haven't a care You see them on Saturday floating on air Painting their toenails and washing their hair Maybe tonight it'll happen Girls in our town they leave school at fifteen Work at the counter or behind the machine And spend all their money on making the scene They plan on going to England Girls in our town go to parties in pairs Sit 'round the barbecue, give themselves airs Then they go to the bathroom with their girlfriend who cares Girls in our town are so lonely Girls in our town are too good for the pill But if you keep asking they probably will Sometimes they like you or else for the thrill And explain it away in the morning Girls in our town get no help from their men No one can let them be sixteen again Things might get better but it's hard to say when If they only had someone to talk to Girls in our town can be saucy and bold At seventeen, no one is better to hold Then they start havin' kids and they start gettin' old Girls in our town Girls in our town Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 03 Sep 20 - 09:24 PM Here is another one that I first heard on the Cobbers 'Portraits ...' LP. NED KELLY'S FAREWELL TO GRETA (Traditional) Farewell to my home in Greta, to my sister Kate farewell. It grieves my heart to leave you, but here I must not dwell They placed a price upon my head, my hands are stained with gore And I must roam the forest wild within the Australian shore But if they cross my chequered path, by all I hold on earth I'll give them cause to rue the day their mothers gave them birth I'll shoot them down like carrion crows that roam our country wide And leave their bodies bleaching upon some woodland side Oh, Edward, darling brother, surely you would not go So rashly to encounter with such a mighty foe Now don’t you know that Sydney and Melbourne are combined And for your apprehension, Ned, there are warrants duly signed To eastward lies great Bogong, towering to the sky From east to west and then you’ll find that's Gippsland lying by You know the country well, Ned, go take your comrades there And profit by your knowledge of the wombat and the bear And let no childish quarrels cause trouble in the gang Bear up with one another, Ned, and guard my brother Dan See, yonder ride four troopers; one kiss before we part Now haste and join your comrades, Dan, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart Youtube clip Cobbers note: Greta was a town in central Victoria where the Kellys made their home. The song is supposed to be a conversation between Ned Kelly, the famous bushranger, and his sister Kate. It is one of the many songs collected from the 'Kelly Country' around Benella in Victoria and, despite its dubious authenticity, it is a rather lovely song. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 03 Sep 20 - 10:39 PM This jaunty piece of nonsense has long been a favourite of mine. IRISH GIRLS (WILL STEAL YOUR HEART AWAY) (Gary Shearston) From Carlow to Tipperary and martyr Ring of Kerry Waterford, Roscommon, Dingle Bay From Sligo to Connemara, Wicklow to Wexford Harbour Irish girls will steal your heart away Now one day by Shannon water, I met a Kerry daughter Riding on a colt of dapple grey She just said her name was Ethne then rode away and left me Thinking I’d been dreaming in the day So I made a quick inquiry up at the local priory An old monk just winked at me and said ‘Ah, for sure, go down the road there, you’ll find a path that’s quite clear Leading to her home but not her bed For her heart is with a stranger whose grave is marked bush ranger They both used to live ‘round here before And together they cavorted until he got transported To Australia from Erin’s shore’ I just figured he was far gone, been on his knees for too long Heard as much as he could absolve But his words came back to haunt, to tease, perplex and daunt me Leaving me a mystery to solve So next day I went a-courting, sweet apples she was sorting Smiled at me then quickly looked away And said of the rose I brought her, ‘I suppose you think that oughta Make me wanna roll you in the hay’ I just laughed and begged and pleaded, she finally conceded Horses we might ride a little way She brought out the dapple grey, called the bay, she said ‘I might just saddle both of them without delay’ Beneath skies of stormy weather, we rode through mountain heather She said that she did not have long to stay Later, strolling by the river, I promised I would give her Anything she wanted not to stray As her fancy I was seeking, I heard a willow creaking And turned around in time to see it sway But, as it began to tumble, it made me trip and stumble Dragged her to the ground in disarray There our arms and legs entangled, and for a while we dangled Then she said goodbye and rode away And although I tried to follow, up hill, down dale and hollow I kept getting lost along the way Then a mist began a-falling, seemed bent upon forestalling Any hope of sign upon the ground Next thing I heard a fiddle, snare drum, a paradiddle I tell you I shivered at the sound So next day I took the quare path, returned again to her hearth It was just a pile of ruined stones Out the back a cross was hedged in, it bore the strangest legend ‘Here lies one of Johnny Doolan’s bones’ From Carlow to Tipperary and martyr Ring of Kerry Waterford, Roscommon, Dingle Bay From Sligo to Connemara, Wicklow to Wexford Harbour Irish girls will steal your heart away Irish girls will steal your heart away Maybe someone could check the accuracy of my above transcription. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 04 Sep 20 - 07:50 PM I posted this fine song decades ago: THE KELLY'S TURNING (Larry King) We're meeting by the riggin' For the word has passed around We'll drink our spree on Texas tea So the drills are goin' down Men roll in from everywhere From France and England too Boomers and boll weevils that make up the drillin' crew Chorus The kelly's turnin', the drill rod churnin' The metal burnin' as she breaks the hard rock floor Rough voices grumblin' The diesel's rumblin' The kelly fumblin' with the key to Satan's door There's Hank and Mac and Paddy From across the sea they've come With Czechs and Swedes, all kinds o' breeds They share a common bond It's music in the air to men Followin' the call When high upon the christmas tree They hear the driller call Chorusr Devil's getting' angry There's a rumblin' in the well For men are cruel who steal the fuel That feeds the fires of hell His heart is big and black as soot And darker is his soul And when he cries, he fills the skies With tears as black as coal Chorus Well, now the drillin's ended So we'll pack our things and go We've drawn a million barrels From a thousand feet below So it's bound for eastern cities Our hard-earned cheques to spend On girls and grog and fancy krog Till the word goes out again Chorus We're meeting by the riggin' For the word has passed around We'll drink our spree on Texas tea So the drills are goin' down Men roll in from everywhere From France and England too Boomers and boll weevils that make up the drillin' crew Chorus Larry King and Alex Hood wrote 2 songs a night for Bill Peach's 'This Day Tonight' show, one of which was telecast. The pair undertook an Arts Council-sponsored tour of Australia as The Prodigal Sons and wrote many songs together. However, 'The Kelly's Turning' is a Larry King solo effort inspired by time spent with the oil rig workers in Exmouth, Western Australia. It is set to a Dutch traditional tune 'The windmill's turning'. Scott Balfour of Alice Springs has recorded it on his excellent CD, 'Mother Land'. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 04 Sep 20 - 08:29 PM SONG OF THE SHEETMETAL WORKER (John Dengate) Oh when I was a boy in Carlingford All sixty years ago, The eucalypts grew straight and tall And the creeks did sweetly flow But times were hard when the old man died And the orchard would not pay So I left the land for the factory bench And I'm working there still today. I've earned my bread in the metal shops For forty years and more My hands are hard and acid-scarred As the boards on the workshop floor. My soul is sheathed in Kembla steel And my eyelids have turned to brass And the orchard's gone, and the apple trees Where the wind whispered through the grass. The workbench is my altar Where I come to take the host. Copper, brass and fine sheet steel Father son and holy ghost. The sacramental wine of work Grows sour upon my tongue Oh the fruit was sweet on the apple trees When my brothers and I were young Youtube clip Dengate's tribute to his father. The tune is 'Valley of Knockanure'. John's recording is on John Dengate 'Australian Son: Vollume I' Danny Spooner recorded it on his 'Emerging Tradition' CD. It is also on Declan Affley 'Vintage Recordings' CD --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 04 Sep 20 - 09:12 PM DIAMENTINA DROVER (Hugh McDonald) The faces in the photograph have faded And I can't believe he looks so much like me For it's been ten long years today Since I left for Old Cork Station Sayin' I won't be back till the drovin's done Chorus For the rain never falls on the dusty Diamantina And a drover finds it hard to change his mind For the years have surely gone Like the drays from Old Cork Station And I won't be back till the drovin's done It seems like the sun comes up each mornin' Sets me up and then takes it all away For the dreaming by the light Of the campfire at night Ends with the burning light of day Chorus Sometimes I think I'll settle back in Sydney But it's been so long and it's hard to change your mind For the cattle trail goes on and on And the fences roll forever And I won't be back when the drovin's done Chorus Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 04 Sep 20 - 09:40 PM I WAS ONLY NINETEEN (A walk in the light green) (John Schumann) Mum and dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunya It was a long march from cadets The sixth battalion was the next to tour and it was me who drew the card We did Canungra, Shoalwater before we left And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean And there's me in me slouch hat with me SLR and greens God help me I was only nineteen From Vung Tau riding Chinooks to the dust at Nui Dat I'd been in and out of choppers now for months And we made our tents a home - V.B. and pinups on the lockers And an Asian (agent?) orange sunset through the scrub And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep? And night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16? And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me I was only nineteen A four-week operation, when each step can mean your last one on two legs It was a war within yourself But you wouldn't let your mates down 'til they had you dusted off So you closed your eyes and thought about somethin' else And then someone yelled out 'Contact!', and the bloke behind me swore We hooked in there for hours, then a God almighty roar And Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon God help me He was goin' home in June And I can still see Frankie, drinkin' tinnies in the Grand Hotel On a thirty-six hour rec leave in Vung Tau And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle 'Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel God help me I was only nineteen And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep? And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet? And what's this rash that comes and goes Can you tell me what it means? God help me I was only nineteen Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 06 Sep 20 - 12:48 AM COURTING THE NET (Bob Wilson) My love is on the Internet again He says he'll come to bed soon, but he never tells me when He's out there surfin' somewhere with imaginary friends He's a little fish in a big pond, dot com.au at the end My love is on the Internet again I fear some horny geek girl is messing with his brain For the Net's an open sewer, and he's peering down the drain Printing out the porn page as I sing this sweet refrain Why won't you come to bed with me We could yahoo all night long for free Make a real connection if we try But every time I hear that modem squeal Like a lover's cry that's not quite real I put a bookmark in my paperback, think about the things I lack And dream about a real time guy My love is on the Internet again I wish he'd kept his motorbike, we'd more in common then But he's moved away from maintenance and he's given up on zen Now he follows the money markets and the fortunes of the yen Oh the information highway is an easy road to be on Kerouac could have travelled it without ever leavin' home It's like a message in a bottle, swept up on the sand But there's a million bottles on the beach, each with a unique message of its own My love is on the Internet again His cyber-infidelity indelibly ingrained He left me with the phone bill, I left him standing in the rain He even took the lap top where I wrote this sweet refrain Why won't you come to bed with me We could yahoo all night long for free Make a real connection if we try But every time I hear that modem squeal Like a lover's cry that's not quite real I put a bookmark in my paperback, think about the things I lack And dream about a real time guy Source: transcription from The Goodwills 'Courting the Net' Bob Wilson is a Kiwi who now lives in Maleny, Queensland. The Goodwills --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 06 Sep 20 - 03:53 AM I haven't heard that song for years, since they were in Sydney & did a floorspot @ The Dog. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 06 Sep 20 - 09:09 AM The Goodwills are now based in Warwick, Qld, closer to the border, but are practising Grey Nomads for much of the year! R-J :) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 06 Sep 20 - 08:20 PM Thanks, R-J. THE MAN WITH THE CONCERTINA {Stewart/Rummery/Kevans Once more I'm away on the bridle track and through the mountains steering With a horse to ride and one to pack, I'm jogging down to shearing At night I pick the driest camp and build a three-log fire And when a man is on the tramp what more could he desire I eat my tucker and drink my tea, perhaps with a piece of damper Then lie for a while upon my back and watch the possums scamper I light my pipe and puff a cloud, you'd think it was a steamer Then 'Finnegan's Wake' I finger out upon the concertina There's a place I long to be, it's on the old Monaro For ryebuck sport and company, you'd have no need to care O For the boys all get together there and we all toss in a deeper And we'll buy some grog and have some tunes upon the concertina Now, my boys, my song is done I find my throat wants clearing I've told you how to have some fun going down the river shearing You'll hear of me I have no doubt all through the Riverina You're sure to hear them talk about the man with the concertina This song is the title track of Bob Rummery's 'The man with the concertina' CD. Bob noted: A poem by Robert Stewart who travelled from the Illawarra to the Riverina for the shearing season. The third verse was sung, and written by, the late Jacko Kevans and the late 1960s Canberra band The Monaro Boys. The tune after verse 3 is 'Cosgroves Schttische'. The Chloe and Jason Roweth tribute to Bob Rummery, mentioned above by Sandra, is now on Youtube - beaut stuff. Roweths on Rummery --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 06 Sep 20 - 09:31 PM THE GLENBURGH WOOL (Jack Sorensen) The ramp outside the woolshed door Holds yet another load: So yolk the camel team once more And take the waggon road. The shafters prop, the leaders pull The wheels creak dismally, And sixty bales of Glenburgh wool Roll westward to the sea On down the winding dusty track From dawn till close of day The punchers shout, the big whips crack While straining camels sway By stony plain, by sandhills brown By wattles o'er the lea The hard-won wool goes rolling down From Glenburgh to the sea Chorus: Come spare a thought for lads outback who shear the Glenburgh wool In summer heat out on the board where the wool fleece bob and pull Our ringer's Tommy Gibson, he's a gun from northern town And he shears his tally every day when the Glenburgh wool goes down A creek to cross, a hill to climb A stretch of sandy track They'll haul it through if given time Though a straw would break each back So a morning breaks, a bright sun wanes Till a day, then a week, is gone. Yet with creaking wheels and clinking chains The Glenburgh wool rolls on Chorus Cool nights of rest while the camels swell As they munch the mulga near While the hobble chain, and the doleful bell Will lull the puncher's ear Two more long days from Rocky Pool And then Carnarvon town So sixty bales of Glenburgh wool From inland heights go down Chorus This song may be found at about 30-min mark of the Roweth concert linked in my previous post. The poem by Sorensen has been set to music by Roger Montgomery, Alan Ferguson et alia. A chorus, written by Wendy Evans, has been added to the poem. I'm not sure of the latter part of the second line - 'where the wool fleece ....' A correction is welcomed. Roger Montgomery's band 'Dingo's Breakfast' issued a CD of Sorensen: 'Jack Sorensen: Weaver of Dreams'. You can listen to it on Spotify. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 06 Sep 20 - 11:18 PM JAIL AWAY FREMANTLE (W.Evans/A.Ferguson) Chorus: Let the rope, soap and calico take me I’ll grin and I’ll hold me head high And the devil take he who can make me Bow low ‘cos I’d far rather die The landlord that fenced in our farmland Was a thief and he left us to die The judge gave 5 years transportation So I downed him and blackened his eye On the boat we fared far worse than cattle I was detailed to clean up the ship The devil take ye, says I, what a battle But I laughed when they gave me the whip Chorus At Fremantle a rat cell awaited Some others had died in that place The guard who released me weeks later Gave a curse as I spat in his face I was sentenced to work on the chain gang Lashed backs as the rocks we did crush But I struck a great blow at a weak link And made a quick dash to the bush Chorus Near starving I met up with Dugan And rode with his wild Irish band And plundered the rich idle squatters When we levelled our guns and cried stand We were caught in an ambush near Collie And most of them died in that fight I was locked up in jail for a dawn dance But I broke through the roof in the night Chorus I have rode with the rustlers at Moora And many the cattle I’ve duffed I’ve ridden the wild trails through the outback And with me swag many miles I have roughed With a new name I joined in the gold rush And was lucky and struck a rich vein For the landowner’s hirelings claim-jumped me So I swore that I’d blacken his name Chorus Now killing don’t make a man suffer It’s others that get to despair But he’s brought his young wife to the diggings So I gave the old bastard an heir And he sent out his hirelings to kill me And I laughed as the bullets did fly And I’ll laugh when I hang in the morning ‘Cos I don’t give a damn if I die Chorus Alan Ferguson put a tune to this ripper Wendy Evans poem. The Settlers, a West Australian band, recorded it on 'Bound for Western Australia' Tempo DBCD 114. Thanks to Phil Beck for checking my above transcription. Info on Wendy Evans may be found here: Wendy Evans --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Joe Offer Date: 06 Sep 20 - 11:50 PM Oh, gee, these are wonderful. Be sure to look at Australian Folk Song a Day from Cloudstreet and John Thompson. Also "Australian Folk Songs": -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 07 Sep 20 - 04:36 AM Ah, I've always loved that "Let the rope, soap, and calico take me ...." number - Alan and Sean were a great duo, way back when (and as I've said before, when they supported The Dubliners in Perth, The Settlers ran rings around the Dubliners - until the Dubs were shocked into lifting their game, LoL!!) R-J :) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 07 Sep 20 - 10:50 PM Hi Joe, irrespective of what happens re 'Rise Up Singing', I reckon it's good to have a collection of Australian songs, particularly less-well-known ones, in one place on this site. It's a pity that it is only Sandra and I doing the bulk of the posting. R-J, Sean's voice was particularly fine on those recordings. THE TOWN OF KIANDRA (THE WEE ONE) I am a young man from the town of Kiandra I married a young woman to comfort my home She goes out and she leaves me and cruelly deceives me She leaves me with a baby that's none o' me own Chorus Oh dear, I rue the day ever I married How I wish I was single again With this weeping and wailing and rocking the cradle And rocking the baby that's none o' me own While I'm at work, my wife's on the rantan On the rantan with some other young man She goes out and she leaves me and cruelly deceives me And leaves me with a baby that's none o' me own Now all you young men with a fancy to marry Be sure you leave them flash gals alone Or by the Lord Harry, if one you should marry They'll leave you with a baby that's none o' your own This is in the DT under the title 'Rocking the Cradle'. Extensive information on its provenance may be had here: Mainly Norfolk Bob Bolton posted this back in the day: The "Wee One" was collected by John Meredith from the wonderful old Australian singer Sally Sloane, late 1950s or early 1960s. A.L. Lloyd would have seen the words in the photocopies of Meredith, Ward and Stewart & Keesing's collection notes lodged with the EFDSS (by Edgar Walters?) and possibly heard the field tapes. Lloyd altered the words "I am a young man, cut down in my blossom..." to "I am a young man from the town of Kiandra..." because he had heard of someone from Kiandra to whom such things had happened. Martyn Wyndham-Read may well have sung the Lloyd version in the 1960s. The modal tune is Sally's and typical of her Irish heritage. The song words come from a long and forked line of songs/parodies/re-works that go all the way back to "The Christ Child Lullaby", in the Erse and, at least as far forward across America as "Get along Little Dogey". The details of Meredith collecting this song (and many others, along with a lot of dance tunes) would be in "Folk Songs of Australian and the men and women who sang them", Volume 1, John Meredith & Hugh Anderson, (Ure Smith ~1967 / University of New South Wales Press ~1988). The song was also published in "Singabout Magazine, the journal of Australian folksong", Vol. 5, No. 2, p5, Bush Music Club, October 1964, and so appears in my anthology "Singabout - Selected Reprints", Bush Music Club, 1985. If you are interested in looking at primary sources, these two publications are still available for the Bush Music Club at $12A and $9A plus $3A post/packaging. Sally Sloane was a wonderful singer and I am proud to have known her - and had her sing for me in concerts in the 1970s. She contributed more songs and tunes than any other single singer of Australian tradional songs. I like to remember her by her original songs, rather than the changed versions of later singers. Danny Spooner recorded it under the title 'The wee one' for his last album 'Home'. Wongawilli recorded it under the title 'The Town of Kiandra (The Wee One)'. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 07 Sep 20 - 11:44 PM HUMPING THE DRUM I've humped my drum from Kingdom Come To the back of the Milky WaY I boiled my quart on the Cape of York And I starved last Christmas Day I cast a line on the Condamine And one on the Nebine Creek I've driven through bog, so help me bob Up Mungindi's main street I crossed the Murray and drank at Cloncurry Where they charged me a bob a nip. I worked in the Gulf where the cattle they duff And the squatters they give 'em tip I've worked from morn in the fields of long corn Till the sun was out of sight I've cause to know the Great Byno And the Great Australian Bight I danced with Kit, when the lamps were lit And Doll when the dance broke up I flung my hat on the Myall Track When Bowman won the Cup I laughed aloud with the merry crowd In the city of the plains I sweated too on Omdooroo While bogged in those big bore-drains I wheeled me bike from the shearers' strike Not wanting a funeral shroud And I made the weights for the Flying Stakes And I dodged the lynchin' crowd I've carried a gun through World War One Then went to the track again From Omeo to Bendigo To Bourke and back again I lost some tears in the hungry years When jobs were short and few And I picked up me swag and me old tucker bag There was nothing else to do There are various versions of this song, but the above is what Danny Spooner sang on his final album 'Home'. Danny noted: I like the way that each verse seems to be sung by another travelling character ... these words were adapted by Graham Seal. I first heard the song on an old Larrikin LP by a group named 'Steam Shuttle' of which Graham Seal was a member - 'Steam Shuttle Larrikin LRF-018. Unfortunately, I am unable to play it to check the lyrics against Danny's version as my record player is stuffed. However, the note on the LP sleeve reads: A recitation from Stewart and Keesing's revision of Banjo Pateron's 'Old Bush Songs'. A few verses have been cut out, a couple added and the whole thing set to an Irish tune. As it now stands, the song is essentially a potted history of itinerant labour in Australia up the 1930s. 'Humping the drum' is one of the many terms for carrying a swag. --Stewie. |
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Subject: LYR Add - The Country Knows The Rest -Graham Seal From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 08 Sep 20 - 03:51 AM Back of the Milky Way (Humping the Drum) - lyrics & audio Lyrics to Graham's songs, all with audio. Graham Seal writes good songs (he also writes good books) & was Australia's first (& maybe only) Professor of Folklore. interview with Graham The Country Knows The Rest by Graham Seal with audio link. Norman Brown was an innocent bystander, he was not one one the strikers. He was JennieG's mother's cousin The year was nineteen-twenty-nine, the place was Rothbury town, The miners were all locked out and our wage had been knocked down, From March until December we lived on bread and dole, Until the Rothbury mine re-opened, with scabs to dig the coal - And the country knows the rest … So the miners’ dole was cut and our strike pay couldn’t last, But the men and women of Rothbury determined to stand fast. All across the coalfields miners heard the call, On a warm night in December they met at Rothbury, one and all - And the country knows the rest … It was early in the morning upon that fateful day, Many hundred miners gathered there to send the scabs away, A piper played before us in the breaking blood-red dawn, But when we reached the Rothbury mine gates a bloodier day was born - And the country knows the rest … The police were in the bushes with pistols in their hands, There were more of them on horseback to break the miners’ stand, Just how it started I swear I'll never know, But the guns began firing and the blood began to flow - And the country knows the rest … When the firing was all over and the police had broken through, Many miners badly beaten - bullet-wounded, too, Beneath the Rothbury mine gate Norman Brown was lying dead, And the lifeblood from his veins stained the coaldust red - And the country knows the rest … Notes Many thanks to Graham Seal for permission to add this song to the Union Songs website. Graham writes 'The Country Knows the Rest was written in the 1970s while I was researching popular protest in Australia. One of the Kelly ballads used the line the country knows the rest and I was also struck by a few phrases from the oral accounts of miners who had been at Rothbury. The music and lyrics came together from these sources. I recorded the song on my Barbed Wire Ballads in 2005 and Andy Saunders and Tim Glover recorded it as The Symbolics, back around the late 70s/early 80s.' When the depression hit at the end of the 1920s miners everywhere were in trouble. In February 1929 the coalowners of the Hunter Valley NSW demanded a 12.5% wage cut. When the workers refused, the bosses, supported by a conservative State Government, locked them out of the mines for 15 months. Towards the end of 1929 the coalowners tried to open some pits with scab labour. Miners decided to take them on. Around 4000 of them made there way to Rothbury on December 16th and the police opened fire killing the young miner Norman Brown and wounding many others. Veteran miner Jim Comerford, now in his nineties, was at Rothbury when he was just 16 years old, he tells his story in his book The Great Lockout |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Richard Mellish Date: 08 Sep 20 - 12:51 PM > Lloyd altered the words "I am a young man, cut down in my blossom..." to "I am a young man from the town of Kiandra..." I had heard or read before now that the "town of Kiandra" words were due to Bert, and I had wondered whether we should encourage singers to revert to the version as collected. However "cut down in my blossom" clearly belongs in a different song, not this one. The man is justifiably lamenting having to rock the baby that is not his, but he is not the Unfortunate Rake who really has been cut down. Not for the only time, I think we have to count Bert's work on this song as an improvement. On another matter entirely: it has struck me that a lot of the songs being put forward in this thread are of fairly recent origin. Nothing wrong with that in itself but there are lots of older ones that I think are equally deserving. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 08 Sep 20 - 08:18 PM Thank you, Sandra! On a completely differnt note, I quite like Enda Kenny's Earl Grey Tea song - although I never drink tea, I'm a coffee girl. EARL GREY Is it perfume? Is it tea? Whatever it is, it does nothing for me Should I drink it? Or dab it on? Can I swap it for a coffee or has all the water gone. It is hot, it is wet, It is eau de toilette Is it from the House of Lipton or Chanel? I only want a cup of tea, not this stuff you've given me, If you think I'm going to drink it go to..... Help me someone...... Call a doctor or a nurse, Call an ambulance I'm poisoned, And I think it's getting worse. I only wanted a cup of tea But I fear that my last mouthful will be the death of me It is hot, it is wet, It is eau de toilette To my mind it is more toilette than eau. If you want to spoil your day Add the oil of Earl Grey, I'm reliably informed it's bergamot. What a mouthful! Is it perfume? Is it wee? Whatever it's supposed to be it doesn't taste like tea. Should I drink it, or dab it on? Can I swap it for a coffee or has all the water gone. It is hot, it is wet, It is eau de toilette Is it Twinings? is it Tetley? let me see. Go ahead and make my day But please don't make me drink Earl Grey. All I want is a proper cup of tea. Enda Kenny (1995) Earl Grey Tea |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 08 Sep 20 - 08:46 PM Richard M, well why don't you 'put forward' a few? My impetus has been to post, mainly but not exclusively, worthy songs that have not been posted or have been buried deep in the forum database - songs that are less well known and not as easily accessed as the warhorses. Sandra, thanks to the link to Seal's lyrics. Apart from some reordering, Danny's version is much the same. Two stanzas from the Stewart/Keesing printing, as collected by Bill Bowyang, have been dropped: I courted Flo in Jericho And Jane at old Blackall I said farewell to the Sydney belle At the doors of the Eulo hall And the final one: I've seen and heard upon my word Some strange things on my way But spare my days, I was knocked sideways When I landed here today --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 08 Sep 20 - 09:28 PM For those who have not heard Steam Shuttle, there are 2 recordings available on Youtube. The better one imo is their rendition of Duke Tritton's 'Sandy Hollow Line'. They noted that they put it to a traditional tune that Tritton had used for another of his songs, 'The Great Northern Line', 'in preference to the usual dreary melody'. Amen to that! THE SANDY HOLLOW LINE (Duke Tritton) The sun was blazing in the sky and waves of shimmering heat Glared down on the railway cutting, we were half dead on our feet And the ganger stood on the bank of the cut and he snarled at the men below "You'd better keep them shovels full or all you cows 'll go." "I never saw such a useless mob, you'd make a feller sick As shovel men you're hopeless, and you're no good with the pick" There were men in the gang who could belt him with a hand tied at the back But he had power behind him and we dare not risk the sack. So we took his insults in silence, for this was the period when We lived in the great depression and nothing was cheaper than men And we drove the shovels and swung the picks and cursed the choking dust We'd wives and hungry kids to feed so toil in the heat we must And as the sun rose higher and the heat grew more intense The flies were in their millions, the air was thick and dense We found it very hard to breathe, our lungs were hot and tight With the stink of sweating horses and the fumes of gelignite But still the ganger drove us on, we couldn't take much more We prayed for the day we'd get the chance to even up the score A man collapsed in the heat and dust, he was carried away to the side It didn't seem to matter if the poor chap lived or died "He's only a loafer," the ganger said. "A lazy, useless cow I was going to sack him anyway, he's saved me the trouble now" He had no thoughts of the hungry kids, no thought of a woman's tears, As she struggled and fought to feed her brood all down the weary years But one of the government horses fell and died there in the dray They hitched two horses to him and they dragged the corpse away The ganger was a worried man and he said with a heavy sigh "It is a bloody terrible thing to see a good horse die" "You chaps get back now to your work and don't stand loafing ther Get in and trim the batter down, I'll get the engineer" Well the engineer he looked around and he said as he scratched his head "No horse could work in this dreadful heat or all of them will be dead" "They're much too valuable to lose, they cost us quite a lot And I think it is a wicked shame to work them while it's hot So we will take them to the creek and spell them in the shade You men must all knock off at once - of course you'll not be paid" And so we plodded to our camps and it seemed to our weary brains We were no better than convicts, though we didn't wear the chains And in those drear depression days, we were unwanted men But we knew that when a war broke out, we'd all be heroes then And we'd be handed a rifle and forced to fight for the swine Who tortured us and starved us, on the Sandy Hollow Line Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 08 Sep 20 - 09:49 PM The other Youtube video of Steam Shuttle is one of those warhorses. They noted that their version was based on one collected by John Meredith from Mrs Ewell late of Bathurst NSW. THE STREETS OF FORBES (THE DEATH OF BEN HALL) Come all you Lachlan men and a sorrowful tale I'll tell Concerning of a hero bold who through misfortune fell His name it was Ben Hall, a man of good renown Who was hunted from his station and like a dog shot down Three years he roamed the roads and he showed the traps some fun One thousand pounds was on his head, with Gilbert and John Dunn Ben parted from his comrades, the outlaws did agree To give away bushranging and cross the briny sea Ben went to Goobang Creek and that was his downfall For riddled like a sieve was the valiant Ben Hall 'Twas early in the morning upon the fifth of May When the seven police surrounded him as fast asleep they lay Bill Dargin he was chosen to shoot the outlaw dead The troopers all fired madly and they filled him full of lead They rolled him in his blanket and strapped him to his prad And they led him through the streets of Forbes to show the prize they had Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 08 Sep 20 - 10:39 PM Here's a delightful little ditty that has been buried deep in the forum database. It was posted and collected by Joybell, a lady who used to post prolifically to Mudcat. She explained: I believe it deserves its own thread and a place in the DT. It's a Melbourne song probably from around the early 1900s. I learned it from an elderly man, in about 1984, in a pub in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He called it an old Melbourne song. He used the title "Push on the Corner". A friend, Jack Johnson, recorded an almost identical version from an elderly man in a Melbourne nursing home. My informant told me he wanted me to have the song because I was "a Collingwood Lassie". He added that he meant not of the type described in the song. These two appearances of the song are the only ones I've come across. It sounds like somebody's music-hall turn. THE PUSH ON THE CORNER Last night I was driven near crazy By one I both love and adore Now she's packed up her boxes and left me And I ain't gonna see her no more I've written her hundreds of letters, To beg her my faults to forget But now she's found one she loves better And this is the answer I get Oh, wait till the push on the corner Refuses to drink a long beer Wait till the thieves and pickpockets From the streets of Fitzroy disappear When the dear little Collingwood lassies rom powder and paint they are free When the Chinese are coppers on Bourke Street My darling I'll come back to thee The tune may be found on a beaut CD O'Leary & Hildebrand 'Together Again, Again' --Stewie |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 08 Sep 20 - 11:26 PM Here's another forgotten gem, also on the Hildebrand and O'Leary CD. It is in the style of CJ Dennis. Below is how Hildebrand sings it. You can find the original and info here: Info BOURKE STREET ON SATURDAY NIGHT (P.C. Cole & Fred Hall) Them ragtime songs got me fair pippy All Hawaii or old dixie land And the same kind of tarts always in ‘em Starry eye, golden hair, china hands Now tell me what’s wrong with Australia And the cliner on which I am shook I don’t need no cotton fields shady And I don’t need no soft purlin’ brook So give me old Melbourne and give me a tart And then I am simply all right Can any bloke point to a better old joint Than Bourke Street on a Saturday night When me and me Maudie goes out for a stroll Me cobbers all try to be smart ‘Get out of their way, here comes Billo’, they say Walkin’ out with his fair dinkum tart On Princes Bridge once we were standin’ And gazed down at the water below In the lamplight we feels sentimental Holdin’ hands, all that rot, don’t you know Says Maud, ‘Prove you’re fond of me really So I looked to see no one was near I gives her a kiss, then she murmurs ’Now you loves me, I know, Billo dear’ Repeat stanzas 2 and 3. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 09 Sep 20 - 12:54 AM Here is another Ogilvie poem to which Gerry Hallom put a tune. As usual, his version has alterations and omissions - good but! NORTHWARDS TO THE SHEDS (W.Ogilvie/G.Hallom There's a whisper from the regions out beyond the Barwon banks There's a gathering of the legions there's a forming of the ranks There's a murmur coming nearer with the signs that never fail And it's time for every shearer to be out upon the trail (Chorus) For the Western creeks are calling And the idle days are done With the snowy fleeces falling And the Queensland sheds begun There is shortening of the bridle, there's a tightening of the girth There is a grooming of the horse that they love the best on earth Northward from the Lachlan River and the sun-dried Castlereagh Outward to the Never-Never ride the shearers on their way Chorus They will leave their girls behind them and their empty glasses too For there's plenty left to mind them when they cross the dry Barcoo There'll be kissing, there'll be sorrow such as only sweethearts know But before the noon tomorrow, they'll be singing as they go Chorus They will camp below the station, they'll be cutting peg and pole Raising tents for occupation till the boss he calls the roll And it's time the colts were driven, it's time to strap the pack For there's never licence given to the laggards on the track Chorus John Thompson has a version on his site that is close to the original poem. His source is the excellent CD by Alan Musgrave (with Bob McInnes & friends) 'Songs They Used to Sing: A panorama of Australian folksong'.. Hallom Thompson I found this on the Net, but I can't verify its authenticity: As Will wrote in 'My life in the open (Short stories)' (1908): On a big sheep station everything dates from shearing-time. “It was just before last shearing,” they say, or “I will attend to it after shearing,” or “So-and-so was here two shearings ago.” Through the greater part of the year a large station of 50,000 to 80,000 sheep is worked by a staff of ten to fifteen men; but at shearing-time the shed and surrounding buildings contain from fifty to a hundred men, with here and there a white tent starring the plain, and the stir and hum of the work turn this quiet corner into the semblance of a thriving settlement. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 09 Sep 20 - 01:13 AM Words and music to "Bourke Street on Saturday night" can be found in "A treasury of favourite Australian songs, with complete words and music" compiled by Therese Radic. Published by Currey O'Neil, Melbourne, 1983. Music by Fred Hall, words by P.C. Cole, 1918. I wonder if this was one of the Cole faimly of "Cole's funny picture books" fame? Whether it is or isn't, this book is a great addition to my book shelf. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 09 Sep 20 - 02:08 AM Gurindji Blues Poor bugger me, Gurindji Me bin sit down this country Long time before the Lord Vestey Allabout land belongin' to we Oh poor bugger me, Gurindji. Poor bugger blackfeller; Gurindji Long time work no wages, we, Work for the good old Lord Vestey Little bit flour; sugar and tea For the Gurindji, from Lord Vestey Oh poor bugger me. Poor bugger me, Gurindji, Man called Vincent Lingiari Talk long allabout Gurindji 'Daguragu place for we, Home for we, Gurindji: But poor bugger blackfeller, Gurindji Government boss him talk long we 'We'll build you house with electricity But at Wave Hill, for can't you see Wattie Creek belong to Lord Vestey' Oh poor bugger me. Poor bugger me, Gurindji Up come Mr: Frank Hardy ABSCHOL too and talk long we Givit hand long Gurindji Buildim house and plantim tree Longa Wattie Creek for Gurindji But poor bugger blackfeller Gurindji Government Law him talk long we 'Can't givit land long blackfeller, see Only spoilim Gurindji' Oh poor bugger me. Poor bugger me, Gurindji Peter Nixon talk long we: 'Buy you own land, Gurindji Buyim back from the Lord Vestey' Oh poor bugger me, Gurindji. Poor bugger blackfeller Gurindji Suppose we buyim back country What you reckon proper fee? Might be flour, sugar and tea From the Gurindji to Lord Vestey? Oh poor bugger me. Oh ngaiyu luyurr ngura-u Sorry my country, Gurindji. © Ted Egan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8LcF0kwbjE&t=2s Here is a later version by Galurrwuy Yunupingu with Vincent Lingiari : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdLIlyhLewI The importance of Ted's song and this piece of NT history, cannot IMHO, be overestimated. It was also often played on Perth's ABC radio, back in the day. See also the previous post of "From Little Things, Big Things Grow". Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 09 Sep 20 - 02:38 AM the bush girl (henry lawson) So you rode from the range where your brothers “select” Through the ghostly grey bush in the dawn You rode slowly at first, lest her heart should suspect That you were [so] glad to be gone. You had scarcely the courage to glance back at her By the homestead receding from view And you breathed with relief as you rounded the spur For the world was a wide world to you. Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rain Fond heart that is ever more true Firm faith that grows firmer for watching in vain She’ll wait by the sliprails for you. Ah! The world is a new and a wide one to you But the world to your sweetheart is shut For a change never comes to the lonely Bush Girl From the stockyard, the bush, and the hut. And the only relief from the [its] dullness she feels Is when ridges grow softened and dim And away in the dusk to the sliprails she steals To dream of past meetings [evenings] with him. Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rain Fond heart that is ever more true Firm faith that grows firmer for watching in vain She’ll wait by the sliprails for you. Do you think, where in place of bare fences, dry creeks Clear streams and green hedges are seen Where the girls have the lily and rose in their cheeks And the grass in midsummer is green. Do you think now and then, now or then, in the whirl Of the city, while London is new Of the hut in the bush, and the freckled-faced girl Who is eating her heart out for you? Grey eyes that are sadder than sunset or rain Bruised heart that is ever more true Fond faith [heart] that is firmer for trusting in vain She waits by the sliprails for you. Sung here by the late Gary Shearston (tune by Con Caston) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ9vgyb2S2Y Seeing “Bonnie Jess” posted above, reminded me of this one – a very singable favourite in my teenage years and often heard in Perth’s folkclubs of the 60s-70s! Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 09 Sep 20 - 03:16 AM Richard - I've posted a lot of old songs on Bush Music Club blog, but I'd have to type up the words & that is putting me off - unless I post the URLs of the song image. I've posted 43 articles which include the subject "songs" This article Compilation - Early Song Sheets1950s/60s has links to 14 of them. There are over 600 articles so the blog is heard to search - best way to search is to open a google page & do a site search -(subject) site:blog.bushmusic.org.au & skim down the offerings. Not every song is traditional - The Bush Music Club was founded in 1954 to collect, publish and popularise Australia's traditional songs, dances, music, yarns, recitations and folklore and to encourage the composition of a new kind of song - one that was traditional in style but contemporary in theme. Australian Song Index by Hugh Anderson Being a list of 375 Bush Ballads that have been published between the days of transportation & 1956. The Black Bull Chapbooks No.7, 1957. Here's another good source of early & contemporary Australian songs 2020 Joy Durst Memorial Song Collection download - FREE - Victorian Folk Music Club (est 1959 as Victorian Bush Music Club) 1st ed, 1970, 2nd ed. 1980. It includes audio files sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 09 Sep 20 - 03:21 AM YIL LULL ~ Joe Geia I sing, for the black, and the people of this Land I sing, for the red, and the blood that’s been shed Now I’m singing for the gold, of a new year young and old. Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay I sing, unto Him, of the most high I sing, so much praises, it makes me want to cry Now I’m singing, just for you, so all can recognise. Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Sing for the black (Singout!) Sing for the red (Singout!) Sing for the black (Singout!) Sing for the red (Singout!) Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Sing for the black! Sing for the red! And the gold! Stories told, for young and old. Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay, Yil Lull ay. “Yil Lull means Sing!” in Kuku Yalanji language of FNQ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9BvEa9xxvQ The YT clip is from 1988 when Joe first wrote and released the song (now regarded as an anthem!), but he is still going strong and I was lucky to be part of the choir performing with him at Qld's Maleny Festival in 2019! Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 09 Sep 20 - 04:19 AM OK, the subject of this song may not be commonly regarded as Aussie or Kiwi, or even Southern Hemisphere, BUT, I prefer to think that - just like the ubiquitous Chickenman - "He's EVERYWHERE, He's EVERYWHERE"!! So, this is a session favourite from Qld's CLOUDSTREET. THE GREEN MAN ~ John Thompson Ch. The Green Man’s a traveller, a reveller, unraveller Of dreams and of fancies from first to the last Older than all men, living in all things Son, father and sage, long live The Green Man. First light of first morning saw The Green Man there waiting He saw the creation and joined in the dance All creatures grew round him He grew with them singing The first song of all, sing of The Green Man. Quietly watching and waiting and learning The storms are his fury, the lightning his laugh The first leaf of spring is his beauty and glory His stillness, his power, in the trees in his path. There are fewer trees now, but The Man is not sleeping ‘Though our ruin brings sorrow to Time’s oldest heart In our soul we may find him and remember his wisdom And rekindle the flames, once again make a start. There are a couple of Cloudstreet versions on YT - This is from "Swallow the Concertina" in 2000 (and the second is from 2010's "Circus of Desires") : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIRK0uQs760 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS32e1qWhIM Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 09 Sep 20 - 05:36 AM DAVEY LOWSTON Oh me name is Davey Lowston, I did seal, I did seal Oh me name is Davey Lowston, I did seal Though my men and I were lost and our very lives it cost I did seal, I did seal, I did seal. We were set down in Open Bay, were set down, were set down We set down in Open Bay, we set down We were left, we gallant men, never more to sail again For to sail, for to sail, for to sail. Our captain, John Bedar, he set sail, he set sail Yes, all for Port Jackson, he set sail “I’ll return men, without fail”, but, he foundered in the gale And went down, and went down, and went down. We cured ten thousand skins for the fur, for the fur We cured ten thousand skins for the fur Brackish water, putrid seal, we did all of us fall ill For to die, for to die, for to die. Come all you lads who sail upon the sea, sail the sea Come all you jacks who sail upon the sea Though the schooner “Governor Bligh”, took on some who did not die Never seal, never seal, never seal. Oh me name is Davey Lowston, I did seal, I did seal Oh me name is Davey Lowston, I did seal Where the icebergs tower high, it’s a pitiful place to die Never seal, never seal, (never) seal. Regarded as a traditional New Zealand song, though many scholars believe it originated on the Sydney docks - and it was collected on t’other side of the world. No matter. It’s a goodun! Here is a version by Qld harmony group “Work in Progress” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvDn3tQ7cTI Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 09 Sep 20 - 06:06 AM COONAWARRA [HAS] THREE SHADOWS ~ Judith Crossley T’was the ninth of October, in Echuca way she lay A new boat on the river, while the steamers passed away Laid up, forgotten, rotting, just a few were left to trade Of those roaring river steamers, that saw the outback made. Ch. Excelsior keep turning Murrumbidgee, you’ll never die J L Roberts on the water, see the paddles fly Shadow ships go softly with her, drift on all her days Coonawarra, lovely black swan, takes the River Ways. She was built in 1950, for the Murray tourist trade Murray Valley Coaches, lost a boat in ’48 Brave old Murrumbidgee burned, that sad heroic day There was not a soul there perished, but that fine ship passed away. Last barge to work the Murrumbidgee, J L Roberts stood alone For sixty years she had ploughed the rivers, her story was well-known On her hull they have built a lovely boat, to take the ‘Bidgee’s place And they named her for the black swan, Coonawarra, full of grace. For ninety years that redgum hull, has left the river sand For thirty years the Coonawarra, beat across the land Three ghosts they travel with her, from the elder time And three shadows has the Coonawarra, they carry on the line. Lyn and Denis Tracy used to do a really beautiful version of this, but luckily there is a version on YT by Irene Petrie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJhLeRTyqoU Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 09 Sep 20 - 06:32 AM Davy Lowston is one of my favourite songs, thanks for posting it. |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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! |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 :( |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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/ |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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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!) |
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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. |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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? |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Subject: RE: Steamshuttle From: GUEST Date: 15 Sep 20 - 12:46 AM Hi Mudcatters Sandra Nixon alerted me to this thread and suggested I post on Steamshuttle and my songs. The easiest way to access all this is from my music blog at https://sealsongs.blogspot.com/ I have a selection there, arranged by song title (lyric, link to an audio recording). Just click on the button and it takes you to the recording on my Soundcloud site. There is also a button for Steamshuttle, which takes you to a selection of tracks from the LP, a bit of info about the band, as well as some unreleased tracks intended for a follow-up that didn’t happen. Happy to answer any questions (g.seal@curtin.edu.au) and keep up the good work on a great project. GS |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 15 Sep 20 - 01:53 AM Seal Songs - Songs by Graham Seal Seal Songs - Stream Shuttle bio & tracks Steam Shuttle at Sydney Opera House, 2nd Bush Music Festival 1979 Review of Steam Shuttle LP, 1977 |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 15 Sep 20 - 03:55 AM Excellent! I look forward, Graham, to working my way through listening to your tracks. R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 15 Sep 20 - 03:59 AM WARRANDYTE MORNING ~ Mark Leehy (PARADIDDLE) Dragonfly morning in the summer heat You bring no warning anytime you feel, And we’ll drift through the air with a tumbling motion And we’ll sift through the sands of an endless ocean. Warrandyte morning in the summer haze If you catch me yawning, wake me up today, And we’ll drift through the air with a tumbling motion And we’ll sift through the sands of an endless ocean. I’ve had the days of dreaming, but today they’ve all gone home I’ve never really had to ramble, but I feel I’m coming home. Dragonfly morning in the summer haze You bring the dawning of my summer days, And we’ll drift through the air with a tumbling motion And we’ll sift through the sands of an endless ocean. I’m coming home But I’ve felt times when I was far beyond my mind……. In a Warrandyte morning in the summer haze If you catch me yawning, wake me up today. From their “Wait Till the Word Gets Around” - 1st of 3 LPs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db0v2nnUSgY Warrandyte is an old town in a beautiful area about 25kms NE of Melbourne’s CBD . Dunno if it is now possibly a little suburban?? - but the pics still show it as lovely! (if a little bushfire-prone…..) Mark Leehy was a member of Paradiddle folk band from 1978 and he and some other members are part of Bushfire Press. Plus, I believe Mark is still connected with Music in Schools programs and bush dances. Cheers, R-J (this song was a great favourite of my late partner, Paul Lawler)……. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 15 Sep 20 - 04:04 AM Bring Out The Banners ©1997 John Warner In faded photo, like a dream, A locomotive under steam Rolls with the ranks of marching feet And union banners on the street. Ch. Bring out the banners once again, You union women, union men, That all around may plainly see The power of our unity. I've seen those banners richly made With symbols fair of craft and trade, The union's names in red and gold, Their aspirations printed bold. Boilermakers, smiths and cooks, Stevedores with cargo hooks, Declare their union strong and proud, Rank on rank before the crowd. They won the eight-hour working day, They won our right to honest pay, Victorious their banners shone, How dare we lose what they have won? Today, when those who rule divide, We must be standing side by side, Our rights were bought with tears and pain, Bring out the banners once again. (Tune: Oxford or See Amid The Winter's Snow by John Goss. 1800-1880) As a good lefty folkie :) My Paul loved to sing "BOTB" in Maleny; this is how they honour John’s song and its sentiments in Minneapolis, MN : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9EqdD7_toA |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 15 Sep 20 - 04:08 AM The Miner’s Way ~ Sally Harris (Gone Molly) Cold tunnels, black as night That’s The Miner’s Way Toiling by the candlelight Half a shilling in my pay. Pick and hammer, wedge and wheel That’s The Miner’s Way Blackened lungs that never heal. Half a shilling in my pay. Born to the yoke of misery Not enough to feed our families, While the rich are counting out their pounds We must send our children underground. Working for the rich man’s purse That’s The Miner’s Way Poverty, the worker’s curse Half a shilling in my pay. 12 long hours in the deep That’s The Miner’s Way Still we face a famished sleep Half a shilling in my pay. Born to the yoke of misery Not enough to feed our families, While the rich are counting out their pounds We must send our children underground. When the land no wealth reveals That’s The Miner’s Way Parting wages bankers steal Half a shilling in my pay. Cast out like a deadly blight That’s The Miner’s Way Lords and Ladies dance tonight That’s the bloody miner’s way, That’s the bloody miner’s way, That’s ….. The Miner’s Way. Gone Molly were a delightful duo (singer-songwriter Sally Harris and Rebecca Wright on cello and vocals) and are now a delightful trio with the addition of Lachlan Baldwin on vocals and multi instruments. Sally’s songs often have that quality of making you wonder if it’s traditional :) and are also often great for singing along with! Listen here : https://gonemolly.bandcamp.com/track/the-miners-way They have a CD and an EP so far. Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 15 Sep 20 - 06:04 AM Since 16th August we have posted 144 songs, well done, us! ----------- 1. Date: 16 Aug 20 - 11:00 AM ANDERSON'S COAST © John Warner 8/5/93 2. Date: 18 Aug 20 - 10:41 AM "Now I'm easy" (no words) 3. Date: 18 Aug 20 - 08:11 PM Battler's ballad 4. Date: 18 Aug 20 - 08:53 PM Do You Think That I Do Not Know? 5. Date: 18 Aug 20 - 10:00 PM SERVICE SONG lyrics and Music: Harry Robertson Arranged by Evan Mathieson 6 & 7 - Date: 19 Aug 20 - 02:12 AM One of the has-beens by Don Henderson & One of the has-beens (trad) 8 + 9 Date: 19 Aug 20 - 02:44 PM Where the Brumbies Come to Water + Reedy Lagoon 10. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:04 PM He fades away Alistair Hulett 11. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:21 PM Suicide town Alistair Hulett 12. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:37 PM Rabbit Trapper 13. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 08:48 PM WHERE THE CANE FIRES BURN (Bill Scott) 14. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 09:02 PM HEY RAIN (Bill Scott) 15. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 09:33 PM Brown skin baby 16. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 09:59 PM Phyl Lobl has written so many great songs lyrics 17. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:00 PM Dorothy Hewett's SAILOR HOME FROM THE SEA 18. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:11 PM Dorothy Hewett's Weevils in the flour + original poem 19. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:16 PM BARE LEGGED KATE words: John Dengate 20. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 10:48 PM My apologies, the transcription that I posted above of 'Sailor home from the sea' needs severe correction. I copied and pasted it from a Mudcat thread. Martyn's version varies a little from Hewett's original, but this is what he sings: SAILOR HOME FROM THE SEA 21. Date: 19 Aug 20 - 11:35 PM THE BROKEN-DOWN SQUATTER (Charles Flower) 22. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 07:36 AM MY DEAR DARWIN © Paul Lawler, 1983 23. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 09:40 AM Australian version of Stephen Foster's 'Gentle Annie'. 24. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 10:17 AM JOHNNY STEWART DROVER (Chris Buch) 25. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 10:45 AM Will Ogilvie, WHEN THE BRUMBIES COME TO WATER 26. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 11:02 AM Waltzing Matilda 27. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 11:04 AM I've just made a quick list of traditional songs, collected & re-popularised in the revival of the 50s/60s. They were all published by the Bush Music Club in Singabout (1956-67) Maggie May, Nine Miles from Gundagai, The Neumerella Shore, The Wild Colonial Boy, The Black Velvet Band & The Old Bark Hut, The Drover's Dream, Wild Rover, Old Black Billy (written in 1938 but thought to be trad. when it was collected), and a couple of other classics which strangely enough were not published in Singabout! - Moreton Bay & Reedy River lyrics & video of Chris Kempster singing 28. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 11:46 AM Gerry Hallom The Outside Track 29. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 08:48 PM AND WHEN THEY DANCE (Roy Abbott) 30. Date: 20 Aug 20 - 09:19 PM WATCHERS OF THE WATER (Paul Hemphill) 31. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 07:56 AM very famous songs in copyright Redgum - I was only 19 lyrics I was only 19 video Paul Kelly & Kev Carmody - From little things big things grow 32. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:22 PM TIME IS A TEMPEST John Broomhall / John Thompson 33. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:30 PM John Dengate The Answer's Ireland (Tune Rody McCorley) 34. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:59 PM AFTER ALL (Henry Lawson/Garnet Rogers) 35. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 09:42 PM THE SLIPRAIL AND THE SPUR (Henry Lawson) 35. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 10:08 PM THE SWAGGIES HAVE ALL WALTZED MATILDA AWAY (Alistair Hulett) 36. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 10:22 PM PAST CARIN’ (Henry Lawson) 37. Date: 21 Aug 20 - 11:52 PM THE REEDY LAGOON (post 50) ====================== 39. Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:23 PM Ted Egan's 'Sayonara Nakamura' 40. Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:44 PM Back to Broome - Ted Egan 41. Date: 23 Aug 20 - 10:17 PM NORTHWARD TO THE SHEDS (Will Ogilvie) 42. Date: 24 Aug 20 - 10:02 PM LAST COAL TRAIN (Paul Wookey) 43. Date: 24 Aug 20 - 10:24 PM SERGEANT SMALL 44. Date: 24 Aug 20 - 11:21 PM DUSTY GRAVEL ROAD (Alan Mann) 45. Date: 24 Aug 20 - 11:37 PM THE POISON TRAIN (Michael O'Rourke) 46. Date: 25 Aug 20 - 12:19 AM PADDY'S BACK (Alan Ralph) 47. Date: 25 Aug 20 - 09:08 PM CALL OF THE NORTH (J.Sorensen/R.Rummery) 48. Date: 25 Aug 20 - 09:25 PM THE WINDMILL RUN (Alan Mann) 49. Date: 25 Aug 20 - 10:07 PM DOWN THE RIVER (H. Lawson/I. MacDougall) 50. Date: 25 Aug 20 - 10:41 PM KITTY KANE (John Warner) 51. Date: 25 Aug 20 - 11:15 PM ON THE DEATH OF MR HOLT (John Manifold/Paul Lawler) 52. Date: 26 Aug 20 - 10:57 PM THE SHAME OF GOING BACK (Henry Lawson) 53. Date: 27 Aug 20 - 12:37 AM THE PEOPLE HAVE SONGS (Miguel Heatwole) 54. Date: 27 Aug 20 - 01:25 AM THE SIEGE OF UNION STREET (words & music by Alistair Hulett) 55. Date: 27 Aug 20 - 10:50 PM WINNIPEG IN WINTER (Alan Mann) 56. Date: 27 Aug 20 - 11:41 PM AWAY TO TINTINARA (Mike O'Connor) 57. Date: 28 Aug 20 - 09:04 PM WHEN YOU'RE FLUSH (T.Brittain/R.Rummery) 58. Date: 28 Aug 20 - 09:53 PM MENZIES' SHOUT (HAVE A DRINK ON ME) (Alan Mann) 59. Date: 28 Aug 20 - 11:20 PM SONG OF ARTESIAN WATER (Paterson/O'Sullivan) 60. Date: 29 Aug 20 - 01:35 AM WITH THE CATTLE (Paterson/Hallom) 61. Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:04 AM Kevin Baker - Snowy River Men - video 62. Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:52 AM Kevin Baker - Superstar 63. Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:08 AM THE RABBITER Words and music: Stan Wakefield 64. Date: 29 Aug 20 - 10:37 PM BRUNSWICK ROAD (Steve Groves & Danny Bourke) 65. Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:03 PM SHEARING IN A BAR (Duke Tritton) 66. Date: 30 Aug 20 - 07:14 PM LEWIS ISLAND LUGGER (M.Murray & L.Silvester) 67. Date: 30 Aug 20 - 07:57 PM BENEATH ULURU (Dave Oakes) 68. Date: 30 Aug 20 - 10:36 PM SHIP REPAIRING MEN (Harry Robertson) 69. Date: 30 Aug 20 - 11:14 PM HOMELESS MAN (Harry Robertson) 70. Date: 30 Aug 20 - 11:43 PM WEE POT STOVE (Harry Robertson) 71. Date: 31 Aug 20 - 12:27 AM Reedy River. 72. Date: 31 Aug 20 - 07:37 AM Weevils in the Flour by Dorothy Hewitt in 1962 (post 100) ===================== 73. Date: 31 Aug 20 - 07:29 PM SONG OF THE WHEAT (Paterson/Hallom) 74. Date: 01 Sep 20 - 07:08 PM This one, relating to the red centre, is by a Scot. SINGING LAND (Dougie Maclean) 75. Date: 01 Sep 20 - 07:21 PM BAW BAW BIG BILL (Terry Piper) 76. Date: 01 Sep 20 - 07:54 PM HANGING ON FOR THE RAIN (Anne Infante) 77. Date: 01 Sep 20 - 08:59 PM FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW (Paul Kelly/Kev Carmody) 78. Date: 01 Sep 20 - 09:22 PM NO MORE BOOMERANG (Kath Walker) Oodgeroo Noonuccal 79. Date: 02 Sep 20 - 08:25 PM THIRTY TON LINE (Don Henderson) 80. Date: 02 Sep 20 - 11:31 PM RAKE AND A RAMBLING MAN (Don Henderson) 81. Date: 03 Sep 20 - 08:44 PM BONNIE JESS (T.Spencer/G.Shearston) 82. Date: 03 Sep 20 - 08:59 PM GIRLS IN OUR TOWN (Bob Hudson) 83. Date: 03 Sep 20 - 09:24 PM NED KELLY'S FAREWELL TO GRETA (Traditional) 84. Date: 03 Sep 20 - 10:39 PM IRISH GIRLS (WILL STEAL YOUR HEART AWAY) (Gary Shearston) 85. Date: 04 Sep 20 - 07:50 PM THE KELLY'S TURNING (Larry King) 86. Date: 04 Sep 20 - 08:29 PM SONG OF THE SHEETMETAL WORKER (John Dengate) 87. Date: 04 Sep 20 - 09:12 PM DIAMENTINA DROVER (Hugh McDonald) 88. Date: 04 Sep 20 - 09:40 PM I WAS ONLY NINETEEN (A walk in the light green) (John Schumann) 89. Date: 06 Sep 20 - 12:48 AM COURTING THE NET (Bob Wilson) 90. Date: 06 Sep 20 - 08:20 PM THE MAN WITH THE CONCERTINA {Stewart/Rummery/Kevans) 91. Date: 06 Sep 20 - 09:31 PM THE GLENBURGH WOOL (Jack Sorensen) 92. Date: 06 Sep 20 - 11:18 PM JAIL AWAY FREMANTLE (W.Evans/A.Ferguson) 93. Date: 07 Sep 20 - 10:50 PM THE TOWN OF KIANDRA (THE WEE ONE) 94. Date: 07 Sep 20 - 11:44 PM HUMPING THE DRUM (Steam Shuttle) 95 & 96. Date: 08 Sep 20 - 03:51 AM Back of the Milky Way (Humping the Drum) - lyrics & audio Lyrics to Graham's songs, all with audio. The Country Knows The Rest by Graham Seal with audio link. 97. Date: 08 Sep 20 - 08:18 PM Enda Kenny's Earl Grey 98. Date: 08 Sep 20 - 09:28 PM THE SANDY HOLLOW LINE (Duke Tritton) 99. Date: 08 Sep 20 - 09:49 PM THE STREETS OF FORBES (THE DEATH OF BEN HALL) 100. Date: 08 Sep 20 - 10:39 PM THE PUSH ON THE CORNER 101. Date: 08 Sep 20 - 11:26 PM BOURKE STREET ON SATURDAY NIGHT (P.C. Cole & Fred Hall) 102. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 12:54 AM NORTHWARDS TO THE SHEDS (W.Ogilvie/G.Hallom 103. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 02:08 AM Gurindji Blues Ted Egan 104. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 02:38 AM the bush girl (henry lawson) 105. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 03:21 AM YIL LULL ~ Joe Geia 106. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 04:19 AM THE GREEN MAN ~ John Thompson 107. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 05:36 AM DAVEY LOWSTON 108. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 06:06 AM COONAWARRA [HAS] THREE SHADOWS ~ Judith Crossley (post 200) ============= 109. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 07:36 AM FANNIE BAY ~ Doug & Andy Tainsh / and possibly David Charles 110. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:00 AM Miner’s Washing ~ John Warner 111. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:26 AM THE STATION COOK ~ trad Oz 112. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 09:03 AM NZ - PACKING MY THINGS ~ Phil Colquhoun 113. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:53 PM THE FREE SELECTOR'S DAUGHTER (Lawson/Hallom) 114. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 09:58 PM THE FIZZER (Gerry Hallom) 115. Date: 09 Sep 20 - 10:13 PM BOSS LADY (Bob Sharp) 116. Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:14 PM THE BALLAD OF 1891 (H.Palmer/D.Jacobs) 117. Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:45 PM WALTJIM BAT MATILDA (Ali Mills) 118. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 12:27 AM Little England by late Kiwi-Quoinslander, Mark Gillet. 119. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 02:49 AM THE DROVER'S BOY ~ Ted Egan 120. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 03:05 AM THE RUSTY FORD CORTINA ~ Mark Gillett 121. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 03:23 AM BILL AND THE BEAR - John Thompson 122. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 04:23 AM SUN ARISE ~ Rolf Harris & Harry Butler 123. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:12 PM Turning Steel (The Factory Lad) © Colin Dryden 1969 124. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:26 PM OCEAN LINER (Barry Skipsey) 125. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 10:45 PM YUENDUMU FLAGON WAGON (Wendy Baarda/Bloodwood) 126. Date: 11 Sep 20 - 11:21 PM "The Year of the Drum" ~ Wendy Joseph 127. Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:12 PM Pass the Song Along ~ Bernard Carney. 128. Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:19 PM KALGOORLIE PIPELINE ~ Alan Ferguson / trad Irish tune 129. Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:31 PM THE DEATH OF BEN HALL 130. Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:49 PM MATT SAVAGE: BOSS DROVER (Ted Egan) 131. Date: 12 Sep 20 - 09:52 PM WARATAH AND WATTLE ~ Frances Patterson (& Henry Lawson) 132. Date: 12 Sep 20 - 11:35 PM ADELAIDE RIVER (V.McGinness/J.McGinness) 133. Date: 13 Sep 20 - 02:49 AM RANGITIKI [© BOB WILSON 2014] 134. Date: 13 Sep 20 - 05:14 AM GREEN AMONG THE GOLD ~ Steve Barnes 135. Date: 13 Sep 20 - 07:37 AM ORE TRAIN BLUES © BOB WILSON 2013 136. Date: 13 Sep 20 - 08:52 PM PIONEERS (F.Ophel/R.Rummery) 137. Date: 13 Sep 20 - 09:50 PM THUNDERBOLT'S DREAM (Trad/Anon) 138. Date: 13 Sep 20 - 10:07 PM NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN (Mudie/Rummery) 139. Date: 14 Sep 20 - 08:52 PM As sung by Martyn Wyndham- Read. TOMAHAWKING FRED 140. Date: 14 Sep 20 - 09:43 PM FREEDOM ON THE WALLABY (Henry Lawson) 141. Date: 14 Sep 20 - 10:16 PM THE SHEARERS (H.Lawson/R.Rummery) (post 200) =============== 142. Date: 15 Sep 20 - 03:59 AM WARRANDYTE MORNING ~ Mark Leehy (PARADIDDLE) 143. Date: 15 Sep 20 - 04:04 AM Bring Out The Banners ©1997 John Warner 144. Date: 15 Sep 20 - 04:08 AM The Miner’s Way ~ Sally Harris (Gone Molly) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 15 Sep 20 - 06:18 AM Oh, I'm so glad you've done that, Sandra!! I kept thinking I should "make a list" soon, but couldn't quite summon the energy to start!! Excellent Post. Thanks, R-J :) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 15 Sep 20 - 06:51 AM it took me 2 days! I've emailed it to you as a doc - easy to search sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 15 Sep 20 - 09:24 PM Well done, Sandra. Despite queries from Mysha and R-J, we still haven't had an answer as to whether this thread's focus could be expanded to include songs from our Kiwi brothers/sisters in arms. I reckon it would be a good idea. It would be good to hear in this regard from our thread mediator or Joe. R-J has already posted 'Packing my things'. it should be noted, however, that the attribution to 'Phil Colquhoun' is incorrect. The author of the song is unknown. It was collected by NEIL Colquhoun who reconstructed the music from material collected. His informant was Alistair Swan. In respect of corrections, I had a yarn with Phil Gray of Loaded Dog about 'Glenburgh Wool' by Jack Sorensen the lyrics of which I posted on 6 September. He rejects the addition of the Wendy Evans chorus. He argue that it is inappropriate to the subject of the song. The song is about transportation of wool by camel trains, not about shearers. I agree. Chuck out the chorus! --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 15 Sep 20 - 09:32 PM Bernard Carney, a West Australian singer/songwriter, has written a delightful song for his grand-children - Tian, Joe and Dan. R-J has already posted one of his songs. THE FEATHER FOOT FAIRY (Bernard Carney) Now gather ‘round folks, I’ll sing you a song Of a feather foot fairy named Tian Chorus: She never grew old and she never grew young She knew every song that had ever been sung And she played in the moon and the stars and sun And she was there when the world began The feather foot fairy named Tian The feathers on her feet were oh so fine She could fly through the mists of time She’d fly ten zillion years or more And she often had lunch with a dinosaur And the dinosaur’s house had the strangest things There were butterfly bats with rainbow wings And the hills were covered in purple trees Where the starfish bird sang delicussly Now ‘delicussly’ is not a real word But it’s often used by the starfish bird And if you’re wondering how I know Well the feather foot fairy told me so And she should know - ‘cos Chorus Now the feather foot fairy named Tian She was there when the world began And she watched all the oceans come and go And her only friend was a fossil named Joe. Now Joe was asleep for a million years ’til she woke him up with her feather foot tears And they played in the sands of time so free And they slept upstairs in the fossilott tree Now the fossilot tree in quite absurd, But it’s often used by the starfish bird And if you’re wondering how I know Well the featherf oot fairy told me so And she should know - ‘cos Chorus Now Tian took Joe on the trout sea trail In a plastic boat with a polythene sail And they dived to the bottom in an old tin can And met with a big seahorse called Dan Now Dan had a pancake stuck to his bum And he brewed his tea in a kettle drum And he knew every horse that lived in the sea And he talked to them equifishously Now ‘equifishously’ is not a real word But it’s often used by the starfish bird And if you’re wondering how I know Well the feather foot fairy told me so And she should know - ‘cos Chorus Now the feather foot fairy and seahorse Dan Took fossil Joe to the big trout dam And they all held hands and disappeared And travelled ahead 10 thousand years. The future all looked a little bit blurred But the first thing they saw was the starfish bird And if you’re wondering how I know Well the feather foot fairy told me so And she should know - ‘cos Chorus Yutube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:32 PM Cathie O'Sullivan put a tune to this lovely poem by John Shaw Neilson. STONY TOWN (J.S.Neilson/C.O’Sullivan) If ever I go to Stony Town, I’ll go as to a fair With bells and men and a dance-girl with a heat-wave in her hair I’ll ask the birds that live on the road; for I dream (though it may not be) That the eldest song was a forest thought and the singer was a tree Oh, Stony Town is a hard town! It buys and sells and buys It will not pity the plights of youth or any love in the eyes No curve they follow in Stony Town, but the straight line and the square And the girl shall dance them a royal dance, like a blue wren at his prayer Oh, Stony Town is a hard town! It sells and buys and sells Merry men three I will take with me, and seven and twenty bells The bells will laugh and the men will laugh, and the girl shall shine so fair With the scent of love and cinnamon dust shaken out of her hair Her skirts shall be of the gossamer, full thirty inches high And her lips shall move as the flowers move to see the winds go by The men will laugh, and the bells will laugh, to find the world so young And the girl shall go as a velvet bird, with a quick step on her tongue She shall cry aloud that a million moons for a lover is not long And her mouth shall be as the green honey in the honey-eater’s song If ever I go to Stony Town, I’ll go as to a fair, And the girl shall shake with the cinnamon and the heat-wave in her hair Youtube clip John Shaw Neilson --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:56 PM Jeez, I finally realised that again I hadn't signed in. And Neilson's best-loved poem. THE ORANGE TREE (Neilson/O'Sullivan The young girl stood beside me. I Saw not what her young eyes could see: A light, she said, not of the sky Lives somewhere in the orange tree. Is it, I said, of east or west? The heartbeat of a luminous boy Who with his faltering flute confessed Only the edges of his joy? Was he, I said, borne to the blue In a mad escapade of Spring Ere he could make a fond adieu To his love in the blossoming? Listen! the young girl said. There calls no voice, no music beats on me But it is almost sound: it falls This evening on the orange tree Does he, I said, so fear the spring Ere the white sap too far can climb? See in the full gold evening All happenings of the olden time? Is he so goaded by the green? Does the compulsion of the dew Make him unknowable but keen Asking with beauty of the blue? Listen! the young girl said. For all Your hapless talk you fail to see There is a light, a step, a call This evening on the orange tree Is it, 1 said, a waste of love Imperishably old in pain Moving as an affrighted dove Under the sunlight or the rain? Is it a fluttering heart that gave Too willingly and was reviled? Is it the stammering at a grave, The last word of a little child? Silence! the young girl said. Oh, why Why will you talk to weary me? Plague me no longer now, for I Am listening like the orange tree Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:58 PM STORYTIME: Back in 87, I was performing with the Darwin mob at the 21st National Folk Festival in Alice Springs, NT. It was only the 2nd time The Nash had happened outside of a capital city and the 1st was also in The Alice, in 1980. (BtW, it only happened twice more : 1989 was Maleny, Qld and 1990 was Kuranda, Qld, and both of which were financially very successful, somewhat unusual for NFFs up til then). Our lad from The Top End, Paul Lawler, entered into the Declan Affley Songwriting Award competition, his semi-autobiographical song “Son of Rome”***. We all had high hopes for Lawls’ excellent entry. Imagine our chagrin, when a bloody ‘Quoinslander’ walked away with the prize!!! One “Noel Gardner” had come west, to sing his mate’s song in the comp. His mate was Mark Gillett, a Kiwi-born-and-raised Queenslander, and the song was “Watching The Obi Flow”. Many years later, with Paul and I living together in Maleny, Qld and running the ABOFOTS folkclub (where the afore-mentioned Mark Gillett was often welcomed!), well, my sister Alex (who was also at that Alice National), took up with a Sunshine Coast bloke who was a singer-songwriter ..... and now, Noel Gardner is my Brother-in-Law!! The winning song is below. Oh, and Paul’s ‘pipped’ song*** will be posted soon :) WATCHING THE OBI FLOW ~ Mark Gillett (Hinterland Band) The city no longer gave me thrills, so I thought I’d move up to the hills Draw the dole to pay my scratch, sing my songs and tend my patch and Watch The Obi Flow, I’d Watch The Obi Flow Sing my songs and tend my patch and Watch The Obi Flow. Well this countryside had eased my mind, I thought I’d left my cares behind But I have found what many knew : the city will catch up with you No matter how far you go, it doesn’t matter how far you go The city will catch up with you no matter how far you go. Coz down in the gorge where the trees were tall, they’ve gone and built a mighty wall And from a lake that’s dark and still, turned The Obi through the hills To the Sunshine Coast below, to the Sunshine Coast below They’ve turned The Obi through the hills to the Sunshine Coast below. Well, Maleny’s sewage flows right through, and the cow sheds drain to The Obi – POOH!! The water looks a trifle rough, you wouldn’t want to drink the stuff But my, the lawn should grow, my my, the lawns will grow You wouldn’t want to drink this stuff, but my, the lawns will grow. Now down in the gorge where the waters flow, or on the slopes where the bunyas grow Once they bulldoze, burn, and wreck, no earthly power will bring it back And the kids will never know, you can tell’em but they won’t know No earthly power will bring it back and the kids’ll never know. Well, my little house was high and dry, till the Shire Inspector he dropped by Said this house should never have been, tear it down and start again Before the next big blow, it’ll fall down in the next big blow Tear it down and start again, before the next big blow. So I’ll move to Maroochy by the sea, get me a job in a factory And when I come home to my flat, I’ll just turn on my kitchen tap And Watch The Obi Flow, I’ll Watch The Obi Flow I’ll just turn on my kitchen tap and Watch The Obi Flow. I’ll Watch The Obi Flow, I’ll Watch The Obi Flow Just turn on my kitchen tap and Watch The Obi Flow. And Watch The Obi Flow, I’ll be Watching The Obi Flow Just turn on my kitchen tap and ..... (spoken) : Watch The Obi Obi Flow : drip - drip - drip First track of 4 from The Hinterland Band’s EP “Against the Flow” c.1985 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFoIDwyZ0XA with Mark Gillett (also on banjo), Noel Gardner, Jim Maloney, Paul Vella. This song is still in Noel Gardner’s repertoire, but doesn’t seem to be recorded elsewhere. The posthumous CD of Mark’s recordings (Mark Gillett, 1953 – 2007) proposed by friends at his Wake, is apparently still a work-in-progress ..... PS The Obi Obi Creek [which drops around 435m over its 53.2km length], was named after a noted warrior of the local Aboriginal ‘Kabi Kabi’ people. Cheers, R-J (and yes, OK, it's a top little number!!! Thanks to Noel for correcting my lyrics :) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 15 Sep 20 - 11:40 PM THE DECLARATION (Neilson/Wyndham-Read) Now I shall love you till the birds Have lost the way to sing Until there be no tenderness Upon the face of spring And I shall love you till a babe Shall neither laugh nor cry When men no more are wanderers And women’s tears are dry And I shall love you till the trees Know neither sun nor rain When morning brings no mystery And love can leave no pain And I shall love you till there be No grace in hearts of men When a girl’s eyes will glow no love I’ll love you until then Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 16 Sep 20 - 12:49 AM Ah, that's a noice one, Stew; never heard it before. R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 16 Sep 20 - 01:23 AM Noel Gardner won the Dale & John Dengate Parody competition at Illawarra Folk Festival in 2018 & also appeared at the 2020 Memorial zoom get-together Speaking of excellent Australian songs - the winners of the Illawarra (2014-20) & Gulgong (2017-20) Parody competitions are available to download here |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 16 Sep 20 - 01:25 AM I tried to correct the date of Gulgong FF competition but it wouldn't take. The winners of the Illawarra (2014-20) & Gulgong (2017-19) Parody competitions are available to download sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 16 Sep 20 - 09:12 PM Impressions of the outback in the late 19th century don't come better than this. ACROSS THE WARREGO (Jim Grahame) I dreamt some dreams of dried up streams Streams that never flow Of men and things misfortune brings Across the Warrego And I could see old faces there Old faces grim and sad Old mates of mine that tramped with me And some are tramping yet And I dreamt then of other men All trudging to and fro With empty bags and cruel swags Across the Warrego And most of them looked straight ahead A few were looking back The bush had claimed their souls and left Their bodies on the track And in my sleep I saw the sheep Heard them bleating low The ringing flocks, the stringing flocks Across the Warrego The young and strong were in the lead The old and weak behind With lagging feet and dragging feet And some of them were blind And in my dreams I saw the teams The teams I used to know The long long teams, the strong strong teams Across the Warrego And lurching wool bales strained the ropes That lashed them fore and aft And every ounce of horse flesh pulled From leader to the shaft I dreamt of nights by campfire lights The flicker and the glow The great white moon, the black gin’s croon Beyond the Warrego And I could hear the bullock bells A-ringing on the plains And thirsty kangaroos loped in And bounded out again And in the scrub I saw a pub A name I do not know But it was there to cash the cheques Across the Warrego A graveyard stood right out in front Two pepper trees were near The goats were camping underneath A skillion at the rear And in my dreams a camel team Was winding in and out Its swaying packs and blistered backs The messengers of drought And as they crossed the sandy ridge The sun went down below I saw them on the skyline then Beyond the Warrego And in the night I woke in fright My pulse was far from slow I thought that I was on the road Beyond the Warrego I thought a mirage danced ahead A dry plain at my back And I was trudging trudging on Alone along the track Youtube clip In 1890, Lawson went to work in Brisbane for 'The Boomerang'. When that collapsed in the depression of 1890-91, he decided to go up country in search of work. With a mate, Jim Grahame, he swagged it to Bourke and out to Hungerford. They worked as house painters and around the sheds as pickers-up, pressers or scourers when shearing was on. Although it was not a long trip, Lawson drew extensive copy from it. Jim Grahame (spelled with and without an 'e'), whose real name was James Gordon, came from Creswick in Victoria and is said to have been born 'under the flap of a tilted cart'. He had intended to become a jockey, with the help of Adam Lindsay Gordon, but went jackarooing instead. The outback certainly made a deep impression on him. Grahame on Lawson --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 16 Sep 20 - 10:12 PM I can't believe I did it again. Anyhow, despite no answer re Kiwi songs, if R-J can post one, so can I. Here is my favourite - it has an Australian connection with Cobb & Co. Phil Garland put a tune to Peter Cape's lovely poem. THE STABLE LAD (Cape/Garland) When Cobb & Co ran coaches from the Buller to the Grey I went for a livery-stable lad in a halt up Westport way And I gave my heart to a red-haired girl, and left it where she lay By the winding Westland highway from the Buller to the Grey There's Neatsfoot on my fingers, and lamp-black on my face And I've saddle-soaped the harness and hung each piece in place But my heart's not in the stable, it's in Charleston far away Where Cobb & Co goes rolling by from Buller to the Grey There's a red-haired girl in Charleston, and she's dancing in the bar But I know she's not like other girls who dance where miners are And I can't forget her eyes and everything they seemed to say The day I rode with Cobb & Co from Buller to the Grey There's a schooner down from Murchison, I can hear it in the gorge So I'll have to pump the bellows now and redden up the forge And I'll strike that iron so very hard she'll hear it far away In the roaring European that the road runs by from Grey Some day I'll be a teamster with the ribbons in my fist And I'll drive that Cobb & Co Express through rain and snow and mist Drive a four-in-hand to Charleston, and no matter what they say I'll take my girl up on the box and marry her in Grey There's a graveyard down in Charleston where the moss trails from the trees And the Westland wind comes moaning in from off the Tasman seas And it's there they laid my red-haired girl, in a pit of yellow clay As Cobb & Co went rolling by from Buller to the Grey Youtube clip Back in the day, I once introduced with the following - I can't remember where I got the info. This tragic love story of a stable hand and saloon girl is set against the colourful background of Cobb & Co coach travel. Freeman Cobb, an American, began Cobb & Co in Australia in 1853. From small beginnings, it became the biggest and best transport system in the world with branches in all Australian states (except Tasmania) and in NZ, South Africa and Japan. The red-haired girl in the poem is obviously Catholic. There are 2 graveyards in Charleston, one on a hill to the north and the Catholic one by the roadside where camper-vans of Japanese tourists go rolling from the Buller to the Grey River Valley. The 2-storey, corrugated-iron European Hotel eventually collapsed in the 1970s. Cobb & Co passengers all travelled one class, but travellers often paid big money to sit on the 'box seat' next to the driver to listen to his yarns, poetry and songs. Sometimes the box seat was auctioned to the higher bidder. You can find more information here: Click --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 16 Sep 20 - 11:19 PM This one was a favourite in the Darwin folk scene. Martyn Wydham-Read put a tune to Matt O'Connors' poem. THE SHEARER'S LAMENT (O'Connor/Wyndham-Read) We finished shearing sheep Out west of the Paroo But now it's rained three inches We don't know what to do. A week ago the sand was loose And dust blew every day But now the mud is three feet deep And we can't get away I've just been talking to the boss You all know Hector Cole He says the Bulloo's two miles wide To cross it there's no hope. You hear a lot of people swear About the dough we make But they forget the price of beer And all the combs we break Well, why I took this job on I just can't understand, If the bloody sheep ain't waterlogged The cows are full of sand A man is doubled up all day Half-blinded by his swea; And when the darkness comes around Cooped up in a mozzie net It might have been a good job once Those old hands had their breaks They pushed a bike from shed to shed And lived on johnny cakes They had more time to do the job They worked nine hours a day And after paying for their grub One pound a hundred paid I think I'll give this job away I'm sick of being a greasy I've heard about a fencing job They tell me it's dead easy Youtube clip Martyn noted: 'Some bush poems definitely invite a tune. "A shearer's lament" came from Matt O'Connor who contributed the odd ballad to the "Singabout" magazine in the 60s. This was his last contribution prior to his death in 1965.' --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 17 Sep 20 - 02:24 AM DECLAN AFFLEY SONGWRITING AWARD : After mentioning the NFF’s 1987 winner, Mark Gillett, a few posts ago, I thought : “Now there’s a go! Probably many other winners of this competition should have their entry in Mudcat’s Aussie thread!” Well, that was another idea and much time, lost down the rabbithole. When I googled, many artists are proudly claiming to have been a winner (or a runner up) - and rightly so. However, where are the details of this award? Where is the List of previous winners and entries? How does one enter? Is it even still being awarded??? I could find no information on the current National Folk Festival (Australia) website about awards/comps – until, that is, I opened the 2019 Program Book, where a half page was devoted to the idea. It seems that ‘The Declan’ is no more and that the current thing is the Alistair Hulett Memorial Award for the best ‘social justice’ song, which follows on from the original British award. (but where now, do the writers of worthy non-social justice material go?!) OK, there now appears to be a number of other awards (as well as the post-1994 Lis Johnston Awards, for vocal excellence) – but who would know that you have to add “/festival-awards/” up to the main URL, to be able to locate any info on the NFF website?? (and that’s just for 2019!) Surely there should at least be some easily accessible, permanent page of The Nash’s website which acknowledges and celebrates past award winners, and their great music? Because if not there, where is that info? At present it appears that it’s purely up to the actual artist to inform or remind us - IF they still have an online presence, that is – and IF we happen to come across their web data!! So, can any regular Nash attenders (Sandra, Gerry, Graham et al), shed any light on this situation??!! Cheers, R-J :) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 17 Sep 20 - 02:40 AM BOONAROO Don Henderson, 1968 Ch. Oh, who will man the Boonaroo? Who will sail her, be the crew, sailing on the Boonaroo? Is there food and is there store to feed the hungry, clothe the poor? In this world their number isn't few. In her cargo would you find any way for one mankind, sailing on the Boonaroo. Is there bandage by the reel? Is there medicine to heal? Christ knows, there's healing work to do. In her cargo would you find any way for one mankind, sailing on the Boonaroo? Would the hull be filled with material to build, perhaps a bridge for a world that's split in two? In her cargo would you find any way for one mankind, sailing on the Boonaroo? Or jam packed in the hold, is there grief and death untold and asked "Why?" have to answer true. In her cargo would you find any way for one mankind, sailing on the Boonaroo? Thanks to Mark Gregory's Union Songs site : http://unionsong.com/u260.html Don Henderson wrote: "Australian seamen have manned the Australian National Line M.V.s Boonaroo and Jeparit sailing to Vietnam 'under strong protest'. In the case of the Boonaroo, which has already completed one round trip, the crew's continued hostility to the U.S. aggression in Vietnam, and the friendly contacts they established with Australian troops engaged in the war, are already a small part of Australian working-class history." Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 17 Sep 20 - 02:58 AM Another song from the pen of Hendo (I remember this played regularly on the radio) : Put a Light in Ev'ry Country Window" DON HENDERSON Ch. Put a light in every country window High-speed pumps where now the windmills stand Get in and lay the cable so that one day we’ll be able To have electricity all over this wide land. Miners tunnel to feed the fires at Wangi While others scrape the brown coal at Yallourn Turbine blades are yielding to the tumbling tons of Eildon And the Snowy will be finished before long. The little farms and giant outback stations They all are mechanised today For milking cows and shearing sheep to do it fast and do it cheap Electrically is the modern way. The old Coolgardie and the red-hot woodstove They all have seen their day at last For now the ice and fire that is coming on the wire Has made them all relics of the past. Ch. Put a light in every country window High-speed pumps where now the windmills stand Get in and lay the cable so that one day we’ll be able To have electricity all over this wide land. Here is Gary Shearston's version : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6NScBO_JWU Who knows if in another 50 years, Electricity will still be "the modern way"?! Coolgardie Safe : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolgardie_safe Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 03:31 AM Alistair Hulett winners https://www.alistairhulett.com/alistair-hulett-memorial-fund/songs-for-social-justice-award-aus/ (2019 & 2020 winners are not yet on the website, so I contacted one of the organisers) Winner of the 2020 Songs for Social Justice Award: Karen Law for Wildflower Woman. (Qld newspaper) Winner of the 2019 Songs for Social Justice Award: Penelope Swales for Cambridge Analytica (NFF website) Winner of the 2018 Songs for Social Justice Award: Teri Young for ‘Fishing at Okehampton Bay’ Winner of the 2017 Songs for Social Justice Award: Miguel Heatwole for ‘Better Times’ Winner of the 2016 Songs for Social Justice Award: Tony Eardley for ‘Sally Cross the Water’ Winner of the 2015 Songs for Social Justice Award: Paddy McHugh for ‘The Snowmen’ Winner of the 2014 Songs for Social Justice Award: Miriam Jones for ‘Post Post Feminist Revolution’ Winner of the 2013 Songs for Social Justice Award: The Lurkers for ‘Mining Man’ Winner of the 2012 Songs for Social Justice Award: Steph Miller for ‘The Riverside’ |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 03:39 AM Greg Hastings - lyrics Greg began his musical career as a founding member of the Mucky Duck Bush Band in 1973, 3 years after he migrated to Australia from Wales. In 1976 the band turned professional and rose to great heights of success in Western Australia. At the beginning of 1979 Greg launched his solo career, travelling to New Zealand, America, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe. He then returned to Australia for a year before setting off once more around the world in 1982. On his return to Australia in 1983, he began touring the continent extensively. For 25 years he has toured almost continually playing Festivals, Clubs, Tourist Resorts, Schools etc. GGreg has traversed over 400,000 kilometres of this vast continent amassing a unique knowledge of Australia and Australians, including some of the most respected elders of the Aboriginal people. Learning to play the didgeridoo from them on his first tour of the Kimberley Aboriginal communities in 1988. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After seeing many a night 'ruined' by mismanaged sound systems, Greg penned this song. TESTING 1, 2, 3 by Greg Hastings For many years I've sung in places all around the world No sweeter than the human voice in chorus can be heard But now with our technology all reason has been lost Sometimes I wonder if the end defeats the cost. CHORUS Cos it's testing, testing 1, 2, 3 We don't need electricity Don't need a microphone to sing a song So nice to hear the music back where we belong. Once not long ago if you had a mind to sing Friends would gather round you and make the rafters ring But now with these amps they run in mortal fear With the booming of a microphone ringing in their ear CHORUS Now the local musos gather round With their ultra quado phonic sound The crowd was stunning nearly yelled for more When one he counted up to four ! His quiet little voice was made to sound Just like Michael Jackson in the London underground With digital delays, effects by the score Just one check blew his audience through the door CHORUS I stayed at that club till just a few were there Speakers the size of tea chests standing on a chair I checked, it buzzed, everything went wrong When I finally got to singing, the audience had gone. Saying why can't you just sing to me Without this testing 1, 2, 3 We long for the day you can do without Because it's far too loud and it hides your mouth. CHORUS Yes, I feel acoustic music is music of the soul Sharing it in harmony should always be our goal The way things are going it's very plain to see Before we can speak we'll have to test 1, 2, 3 But they'll flick a switch and they won't say when Before you know we'll have to sing again But I can sing to you and you can sing to me There'll be no more testing 1, 2, 3 Copyright Greg Hastings © https://www.greghastings.com/asongs.html#top m |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 03:40 AM Greg Hastings - lyrics Greg began his musical career as a founding member of the Mucky Duck Bush Band in 1973, 3 years after he migrated to Australia from Wales. In 1976 the band turned professional and rose to great heights of success in Western Australia. At the beginning of 1979 Greg launched his solo career, travelling to New Zealand, America, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe. He then returned to Australia for a year before setting off once more around the world in 1982. On his return to Australia in 1983, he began touring the continent extensively. For 25 years he has toured almost continually playing Festivals, Clubs, Tourist Resorts, Schools etc. GGreg has traversed over 400,000 kilometres of this vast continent amassing a unique knowledge of Australia and Australians, including some of the most respected elders of the Aboriginal people. Learning to play the didgeridoo from them on his first tour of the Kimberley Aboriginal communities in 1988. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ reg's humorous, environmental protest song COCA COLA CAN T'was on the Canning Stock Route, by the Kannanagi Well I parks the four wheel in the shade, the sun was hot as hell I thought that I would have a leak where no man had before But as I strolled off in the bush, imagine what I saw; There were kangaroos, all sweat and flies, playing football in the sand And the ball they were using was a Coca cola can. CHORUS: Why must I always be second (Mate) It can't be part of the plan Why must I always be second To a Coca Cola Can While Climbing up Ben Nevis on a cold and freezing day The sun was falling lightly, so I took an easy way And as I trudged up to the top, the sky began to clear Just my footprints in the snow, no-one else was there. Then I stood in silence, the horizon to scan I spotted below me, a Coca Cola can. CHORUS (Jimmy) Now in the great Grand Canyon, on an early summer's morn I thought if I climbed the side, I could watch the dawn I struggled through the cactus, it must have been 5 miles Thought that when I reached the top, I'd sit there for a while. But as I reached that one last time, I felt beneath my hand Yep, you guessed it, a Coca Cola can. CHORUS (Yee Ha) I thought I'd found an island where no man had ever been No footprints in the sand, the water was so clean So I went in for a swim, to wash the dust away And as I swam down to the rocks to watch the fishes play There, right below me, half buried in the sand Was that red and white monstrosity, a Coca Cola can CHORUS (By Jingo) So if you're walking or you're riding or sailing on the sea Don't throw your empties overboard and leave them there for me I wouldn't come to your place, chuck me rubbish on the lawn And if I did I'm sure you'd be the one to moan But, if you didn't you wouldn't understand Why I don't like coming second to a Coca Cola can If we looked into the future, I wonder what we'd see In a thousand years from now, I wonder where we'll be For since the world begun, many places man has trod Some believe in Einstein, some believe in God But if whoever started it could reveal the plan I am sure it would not include a Coca Cola can Copyright Greg Hastings © 1980 |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 03:52 AM Greg Hasstings on didgeridoo traveling down Highway 1 (no words!) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 17 Sep 20 - 04:05 AM Greg Hastings! OMG Sandra, I rem'ber when his family first arrived - in Perth - with their Welsh accents and great songs - his shy young sister Val, in particular, had a lovely voice : COCKY BELL is a good song, which I think she wrote ..... But I have to add this one for Stewie! THE GIN AND RASPBERRY Written by Martin Curtis, c.1980 While hunting for fox we first came this way From Lake Pembroke township took many long days We cut through the bush and we found a new rush With a mine called the Gin and Raspberry Ch. Oh, but it's hard, cruel and cold Searching Cardrona for nuggets of gold An ounce to the bucket and we'll all sell our soul For a taste of the gin and raspberry The rumors went out and the thousands poured in A handful grew rich but many grew thin They all hoped to find their own patch of tin As rich as the Gin and Raspberry At first it was summer and we all thought it grand No shirts on our back as we sluiced and we panned But then came the snow and the southern wind's blow And there's ice down the Gin and Raspberry Now Billy McGraw he worked hard and worked long Ready to smile and to give us a song But then he struck gold and was found dead and cold Down in the Gin and Raspberry So I'll work at the mine and I'll stay out of strife I'll save all me gold to send home to me wife And when the gold’s won I’ll leave at the run And to hell with the Gin and Raspberry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwN5A1zeROk Martin Curtis singing his own song. My GGGrandfather left Lancashire in 1857 for a new life in Victoria, but by the early 1860s he was in Sth Isle EnZed in these very same goldfields. He found enough to buy a couple of pubs! Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 04:08 AM another NZ song that used to be heard around the Sydney sessions years ago Folksong NZ site The chocolate Song by Marcus Turner (sound) bite of Chocolate When you're tired and depressed, and feeling lonely, When your chequebook's in the red, and you are blue, When you've left the freezer open, or your rubber band is broken, Or you've dropped the toilet paper down the loo, If you feel a sudden urge to wash the bread-knife, Or to sniff at the exhaust-pipe of your car, Or to farewell those you love 'n' take a nap inside the oven, STOP!... Salvation's just a sup from where you are! Chorus: When you're feeling down, the best way up is chocolate: It's the answer that will get you through the day. Let me get my teeth around something small and square and brown, And I'll masticate until I feel O.K. Now, when God had finished making all the heavens, And the valleys and the mountains and the seas, And the weather, and the weasels, and the squid, and German Measles, And the gherkins, and Hong Kong, and all the fleas, On the seventh day, as he was sitting resting, He was feeling in a very chipper mood. There came one more inspiration for one last divine Creation: Something fit to please a God, that could be chewed! Ch. When I see a bar of chocolate lying idle, It always seems to find its way inside my jaws. It's a shame to mess about, 'cos it tastes better in than out, And it's going to a very worthy cause. And although it won't endear me to my dentist, And my doctor will be worried for my health, And it's given me a skinful of enormous oily pimples, I'm still feeling very good about myself! Ch. Just remember, if it's chocolate, you can eat it: Chocolate eggs and chocolate fish and chocolate chips, Chocolate steak and mousse and frogs, chocolate beans and mice and logs, Let a chocolate bomb explode across your lips! Some is crunchy, and is filled with Hokey-pokey, Some is thrown about by cowboys, and is white. There's a whole world out there waiting: don't just sit there salivating, Pull your socks up, brace yourself and Bite! Bite! Bite! Ch. You will never have a bad trip eating chocolate. And it's tastier than sex, and much more fun. Keep your pills and dope and glue, and your gin and whiskey too, 'Cos there's no buzz like a chocolate Buzz - Bar none! If you really, really love me, give me chocolate, Give me chocolate 'till it's coming out my ears. All I crave is just enough so I can indolently stuff myself for years and years and years and years and years! Ch. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 04:12 AM Both Sides Now (known as The Toast Song) (Chris Clarke) - former Mudcatter Canberra Chris In morning time when I arise My breakfast fare is no surprise, I pour the cornflakes, make the tea And then reach for the bread. I turn the gas on, light the grill, And think this time I really will Stay wide awake, make perfect toast and start the day well-fed - I'll lightly toast it both sides now, Both up and down To golden brown, The toasting time I will recall, I really can make toast After all. But then I read, to pass the time, The cornflakes advertising rhyme, I hear the news, but don't take in A single item read. And then an old, familiar smell Invades the dreamworld where I dwell, and fills the room with flames and smoke and fumes of burning bread - I've burnt the toast on both sides now, Both front and back To charcoal black, The toasting time I don't recall, I really can't make toast After all. And so I scrape it in the bin Which makes the slices rather thin, Then wipe the knife upon the cloth Back in my dream-like state. I butter it with marmalade, Then to correct the mess I've made Spread butter on the other side And stick it to the plate - My toast is buttered both sides now, Both left and right, I'm none too bright, The buttering I don't recall, I really can't make toast At all. Written in Perth, Western Australia, early 80s. Chris Clarke |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 04:16 AM Randwick Races John Dengate (Tune: "The Galway Races") (D) We arrived at Randwick races, by (Em) taxi from Clovelly. I had (C) money in my trousers, boys, and (G) schooners (D) in my (G) belly. (G) Well the bookies (d) saw us (D) coming and they (Em) panicked in a crisis; They (G) tinkered with the odds and they (Em) shortened (D) all their (G) prices. Chorus: With my (D) whack, fol the do, fol the (Em) diddley idle (Em) day Well the hunger it was gnawing and the thirst was in us rising While the crowd's excited roaring reached a level quite surprising. Oh, we swallowed several middies and demolished pies and sauces And we set to work comparing prices, jockey's weights and horses. Chorus: With my whack, fol the do, fol the diddley idle day Denis Kevans said, "I reckon we will finish rich as Pharaoh If we back the chestnut filly from the district of Monaro. She's a trier, she's a flier, never knock her or decry her - She's sixty-six to one; when she wins we']] all retire." Chorus: With my whack, fol the do, fol the diddley idle day There was every kind of punter from illiterates to scholars; I struggled throuah the betting ring and wagered twenty dollars - Then the horses were away; from the barrier they thundered And we hoped that very day to collect the thirteen hundred. Chorus: With my whack, fol the do, fol the diddley idle day We shouted in despair; Denis Kevans tore his hair, O'Dea began to swear at the filly from Monaro. She was struggling in the pack and our very hearts were bleeding; She was falling further back and the favourite was leading. Chorus: With my whack, fol the do, fol the diddley idle day |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 04:28 AM 2 songs from the Shiny Bum Singers (Canberra Chris was a founding member) I am Speaking [C] – Tune: Frere Jacques I am speaking I am speaking And I’m right And I’m right You shut up and listen You Shut up and listen Or we’ll fight Or we’ll fight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There’s No Paper Here (tune: A Pub With No Beer) (words ©ShinyBumSingers 2020) It's lonesome away, from your kindred and co. In the throne-room at night, where we all have to go But there's nothing so lonesome, so morbid or drear Than to stand in an aisle, when there’s no paper here Now the public is anxious, for the quota to come There may not be paper, for a-wiping their bum The Mums are all cranky, and the staff’s acting queer What a terrible place, when there’s no paper here Then the stock man rolls up, with his pallet shrink-wrapped Overtaken by hoarders, he screams “Holy Crap!” A mad glint in their eyes, as the rolls disappear As with locusts to Egypt, there’s no paper here There's a Dad on the dunny, for his shopper he’ll wait But she’s a non-starter, having left it too late She searches forlornly, despair ever near There’s no place for a shopper, when there’s no paper here Old Gilly the Greenie, first time in his life Has run out of paper, and now he’s in strife He’d settle for NewsCorp, but the irony’s clear It’s a “digital” world, when there’s no paper here (NewsCorp, Rupert Murdock's papers in Australia) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 04:59 AM I'm going thru my folder of songs - did you know there are 828 species of birds in Australia, one in 10 of the world's 10,000 or so living bird species. BIRD SONG Words and Music John Broomhall Adelaide Hills, it's early mornin', through the window see them yawnin', Lonesome travellers wind their way back home; Misty valleys, lofty ranges, signposts mock our weary strangers: Pack a road map mate next time you roam! There's a Kookaburra, Cuckoo, Bronzewing, Budgerigar, Lorikeet, Cat Bird, Currawong, an old Galah; Frog Mouth, Magpie, Miner, and a White-Winged Chough, A Babbler, a Warbler, and even a bird called Rough. Somewhere up in Northern Queensland, sunshine bright, golden sea sand, We're lyin' on the beach the way that dreamers do. Paradise Lost, ah poor John Milton, he didn't get to stay at the Douglas Hilton, I guess he missed Mossman, Kuranda, and Cooktown too. Seagull, Plover, Petrel, and Ocean Tern, Albatross, Grebe, Shearwater and Frigate Bird; Cormorant, Pelican, Gannet and Cockatoo, Cassowary, Egret, Heron and Jabiru. Life's a breeze in the centre of Australia, corroboree's the only regalia, Wide brown land, and a sky that's big and blue; Camel Drivers wearin' turbans, nothin' here you'd call suburban, They're all dinkum Aussies through and through. Curlew, Drongo, Falcon, Emu, Wren, Brolga, Spoonbill, Duck and Native Hen; Spinebill, Thrush and Lark up in the sky, Swallow, Butcher, Robin, Silver-eye. Soldier, Shoe Maker, Coot and Sooty Owl, Buzzard, Booby, Bell and Mallee Fowl; Rainbow, Sparrow, Crow and Whistling Kite, A Wedge-tailed Eagle and a Boobook late at night. (c) Copyright J. Broomhall 1991 |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Sep 20 - 05:41 AM THE WHALE (Terry Fielding and Fred Dyer) - Fred used to post on Mudcat youtube (Am) (G) (Am) Di Di Di Di DA Di DE Di Di (Am) They sailed from port one morning the (G) weather it was (Am) fair A gentle breeze it pushed them and (G) no one gave a (Am) care They sang and danced and (Am7) laughed that night and D opened up a (E) keg They're (Am) out to catch the monster whale that (G) took the captain's leg (Am) Di Di Di Di Da (G) Di DE Di (Am)Di (Am)The Captain said "a piece of gold for (G)him who sees me (Am)whale" So bend your backs and row me boys I(G) know that we won't (Am)fail Chorus (chords as Verse1) So bend your backs and row me lads and take me to me whale. Tonight we'll sing and dance and tomorrow night we'll sail. We'll sail into the harbour no prouder man there'll be; We'll show them all we captured the monster from the sea Di Di Di Di Di Da Di Di They saw the whale one morning the weather it was fair the men were white as ghosts, the Captain didn't care I'll take this whale meself he cried the weak can stay behind The strong can share my glory and tonight they'll share my wine Di Di Di Di Di Da Di Di The whale it came so close it was bigger than the sky they lowered down the longboat and they heard the captain cry Chorus Bend your backs and row me lads and take me to me whale. Tonight we'll sing and dance and tomorrow night we'll sail. We'll sail into the harbour no prouder man there'll be; We'll show them all we captured the monster from the sea Di Di Di Di Di Da Di Di Chorus The whale it came so close it almost tipped the boat The captain took his spear and he rammed it down it's throat the whale it gave a mournfull cry and lifted it's great tail and brought it down a crushing their small boat like a gale (spoken) Now 100 years have passed since the Captain and his men went below to spend their days in Davy Joneses' den The whale it goes on living but inside it bears a scar And if your ever near that place a voice calls from afar Chorus twice, last line: We'll show them all we captured the monster from the sea |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 17 Sep 20 - 07:58 PM I AM A TOLERANT MAN anon (from WA Goldfields) I don't mind blokes who digs or stokes, Who fettle or work on derricks; I can even stand a German band, But I draw the line at clerics. Ch. Why strike me pink, I'd sooner drink With a cove sent up for arson, Than a rain-beseeching, preaching, teaching, Blanky, cranky, parson. I snort and jibe at the whole of the tribe, Whatever their sect of class is - From lawn-sleeved ranters to kerbstone canters, From bishops to Army lasses. Give me the blaspheming, scheming, screaming, Barracking football garcons - In preference, to the reverent gents, The blithering, blathering parsons! I couldn't get John Thompson's recording to play on his Oz Folksong a Day website, so here is one from "Les Wayfarers" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTm8_8MvRtc "Words from John Lahey's Great Australian Folk Songs (1965) via Mudcat, where Bob Bolton notes that it is from the Western Australian goldfields." Apparently an early poem in the "Kalgoorlie Sun" newspaper; music by John Lahey. Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 17 Sep 20 - 08:03 PM R-J, I remember Martin Curtis from his days in Tennant Creek back when the world was young. Sandra has also now posted a song by a Kiwi. Let's go for it - our conspicuously absent moderator can always chuck 'em out! Sandra, thanks for the Marcus Turner song. I posted the lyrics of his magnum opus, 'When the boys are on parade', over a decade ago. It is one of finest songs ever about armed forces. Andy Irvine's made it known outside NZ, but my favourite rendition is by Michael Black on his wonderful self-titled CD on Compass Records. Michael Black WHEN THE BOYS ARE ON PARADE (Marcus Turner) Here they come marching past the houses, shiny boots and khaki blouses Stiff as the creases in their trousers, standing tall and straight and strong And they all keep in step together, glint of steel and flash of leather Braving every kind of weather as they boldly march along You may dismiss it as a ploy for the enlistment of the boys Who’ll be impressed to see the toys and play the games that can be played Refrain: And you may well prefer abstention but I feel compelled to mention You’d do well to pay attention when the boys are on parade Look at your sons before they’re older they’ll be stronger, they’ll be bolder Just the thing to make a soldier and we’ll turn them into men And they’ll be taught to follow orders, keep the peace and guard the borders To protect us from marauders and defend us to the end But the position they’ll be filling is to be able and be willing To be killed or do the killing when there’s a price that must be paid Refrain In the pursuit of a community of decency and unity And equal opportunity, we stand prepared to fight And if there’s a threat to our position from aggressive opposition Then, with guns and ammunition, we’ll repel with all our might. We’ll dehumanise and hate them, send in the troops to decimate them As in the name of the nation all it stands for is betrayed Refrain Merely the whim or intuition of an elected politician Makes a melee without conditions as the monster quits the cage It’s a machine that knows no quarter, dealing death and sowing slaughter Raping mothers, wives and daughters in an all-consuming rage We may well decide we need it and we’ll pay to arm and feed it Can you tell me who will lead it when a decision must be made? Refrain Instrumental break Some will wonder what’s to fear and say there is no danger here But there has never been a year when soldiers haven’t been at war And the eternal executions and the bloody revolutions And the ultimate solutions, too, have all been seen before. And there’s always someone scheming and some nights when I am dreaming In the distance, I hear screaming and in my heart I feel afraid Refrain Here they come marching past the houses, shiny boots and khaki blouses Stiff as the creases in their trousers, standing tall and straight and strong And is it any cause for pride that now the women march beside them Will they have wiser gods to guide them in discerning right from wrong? ‘Cause every step is a reminder of the threat that lies behind If we forget the ties that bind us when the decisive game is played Refrain And as the procession passes by, consider the sight before your eyes ‘Cause it’ll be you they’ll kill and die for when called to the crusade And you may love them and adore them, you may hate them and abhor them But, for God’s sake don’t ignore them, when the boys are on parade The late Marcus Turner was fine songwriter. One of his close friends wrote: ‘Multi-instumentalist, singer-songwriter, Marcus Turner, is a New Zealand folk music icon, regularly guesting at folk festivals and clubs for over 30 years … He is renowned for his astute song-writing from the dark to the endearing, from the political to the exceedingly funny’. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 17 Sep 20 - 08:25 PM The inimitable Kath Tait was also a NZ icon before fleeing to London. Here's one of her best: THE RIVER OF LIFE (Kath Tait) She was born in a middle-class town She could have gone up, she could have gone down But she just went around and around On a downward spiral One morning so fair and fine She stole away while the moon did shine Strayed on down the wayward line Southwards of survival (Chorus) She could have been a lady She could have been a wife But she fell into the river of life Swimming in a pool of trouble and strife She really loved the danger But the river of life it rolls and flows Down by the banks where the brambles grow Swimming around in trouble and strife Way down low in the river of life Over hills of thorns and valleys of scorn Rambling like she was gypsy born Travelling on through weather and storm Without a thought for danger But she was young and looking for fun And dreaming of things she'd never done So lost in sweet oblivion She welcomed in the stranger But the stranger he was a wanton rake For he took her money and he called her a fake And he shook her around like an old earthquake And left her there for plunder Now a heart gone down might never be found Might lie in the dirt and roll around But she was always on the rebound And she never would go under Chorus Now the woman of character wins in the end The river of life will be your friend Not frail of heart, but a true upstart The river of life has made her And like a flood she did surely rise High as the hills and the clear blue skies She never was a lady but she was wise And nothing much would change her Chorus Lin Van Hek and Joe Dolce did a beaut rendition for their 'Difficult Women' project. Youtube clip Kath Tait has been described as ‘the diva of the dysfunctional’. She departed New Zealand to live in London. The 'Waikato Times' noted: It was inevitable she left New Zealand, having insulted most of her family and friends in her songs. Behind the cheerful guitar and sweet voice lie lyrics of barbed wire. The ironies of modern life are her inspiration, the contrast in her disarming delivery and often explicit words, is her charm. --Stewie |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 17 Sep 20 - 08:40 PM Way back in this thread (on 19 Aug) Mysha mentioned 'By the dry Cardrona'. Here ya go: BY THE DRY CARDRONA (James K. Baxter) Oh I can tell where the cherries grow By the dry Cardrona Where I picked them long ago On a day when I was sober On a day when I was sober My father wore a parson's coat By the dry Cardrona He made a tally of the sheep and the goats But I was never sober I was never sober My mother sewed her Sunday skirt By the dry Cardrona They say she died of a broken heart For I was never sober I was never sober I loved a young girl, and only one By the dry Cardrona She up and married the banker's son For I was never sober I was never sober I courted a widow of forty-nine By the dry Cardrona She owned a stable and a scheelite mine But I was never sober I was never sober Lay my bones till the judgement crack By the wild Cardrona A blanket swag all on my back To pillow me drunk or sober Pillow me drunk or sober All rivers run to a rimless grave Even the wild Cardrona But never a one will come my way Till I am stone cold sober Till I am stone cold sober I can tell where the cherries grow By the wild Cardrona Where I picked them long ago On a day when I was sober On a day when I was sober One of New Zealand’s best-known poets, James Keir Baxter, featured his poem,'By the Dry Cardrona', in his 1958 radio play, 'Jack Winter’s Dream'. The dry Cardrona is a symbol of the spritual aridity of his early life in contrast with the life-giving? springtime snowmelt waters of the wild Cardrona that nourish the cherry trees along its banks. Scheelite, which is mentioned in the poem, is an important source of tungsten, a very hard metal. English folkie, Steve Turner, always did it justice: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 17 Sep 20 - 09:23 PM Here's a tour around NZ. R-J, I think you sent me a copy of the album by 'When the cat's been spayed". TEA AT TE KUITI (Ken Avery) I'm havin' tea at Te Kuiti with my sweetie Then a row at Rotorua on the waves Do a tour of Turangi When the Maoris have a hangi Then I'll wind up in the old Waitomo caves I'm gonna tread the narrow path at Ngar'awahia And dash to Dannevirke before the beer is cut I'm going to town at Taum'runui Wander down the Wangernewy Then I'm go'ng'ta live it up at Upper Hutt I'm gonna chat about the Chateau Tongariro I'm gonna talk about the Tokomaru Bay And when I tell a man or two About the Manawatu They'll wonder why I ever went away I'm gonna crow about the good old Coromandel And tell them where I'd like to see Waiwera shore Although it sounds like Taranaki When I'm shooting at Wairakei I can always hit a geothermal bore I'm gonna have a cuppa tea on Kapati Island And a cup of coffee in Kawhia town Drink a handle or a schooner When I tack at Takapuna Where the Waitamata never lets me down I want to eat a pie at old Paekakariki See the wishing well in Wellington and then When we pull in to Kaiwhara There's a fiver I can borrow So I'll turn around and do it all again Interlude Been there … etc I'm gonna travel in by car to Invercargill Then I’ll meet a man at Manapouri Lake Though I'm not the one to boast I've been toasted on the coast And washed ashore at Taylor's Big Mistake I've eaten oysters in the stew at Stewart Island And met a mutton-birder down at Foveaux Strait I've tried to bluff them at the Bluff Each time I said I'd had enough They put another dozen osters on my plate. I'm gonna canter on the plains at Canterbury I'm gonna rue the day I leave ol' Oamaru I'll spend the winter on the inter - Island ferry, makin' merry An' wait for North and South to come in view Now you can see a lot that's new in ol' New Zealand You c'n keep your Port of Spain an' Mexico But if if you plan to go away Down A-o-tee-a-ro-a way A Kiwi always tells you where to go - "Look out for Trentham" - A Kiwi always tells you where to go My source for this little ditty is an all-female Kiwi group entitled ‘When the cat’s been spayed’. It is from the pen of Ken Avery from Dunedin who was known for his novelty songs featuring wordplay and exotic names – classics such as 'The dog dosing strip', 'When the scrum is on the ball' and 'The way she handled the clutch'. NZ Sheilas --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 17 Sep 20 - 09:45 PM STRONG WINDS FOR AUTUMN (Bob McNeill) Strong winds for Autumn Better bring those engines up No sail can carry my love No words will guide her The calling voice is silent And I watched them make turns for ten knots I went each day to the end of the dock Till the day my Annie sailed On the last boat down the weeping loch When the sickness came I suffered with my friends One day I thought the world would end In the dark I called her name The others there heard nothing And I watched them make turns for ten knots I felt her wake with my feet in the surf Till even that was calm And the last boat had gone Sail away my Annan love No breeze can catch you now It's all clear There's only memories here This year will know no winter [Instrumental break] And I watched them make turns for ten knots The cries of the gulls filled the air as I watched The day my Annie sailed On the last boat down the weeping loch Chorus (X2) Strong winds for Autumn Better bring those engines up Bob McNeill moved from Glasgow to New Zealand in 1998 and established himself as one the country’s foremost singer-songwriters. He has twice won the Recording Industry of New Zealand’s award for ‘Best Folk Album’. In relation to his best-known song, 'Strong Winds for Autumn' about a community off the coast of Scotland, he noted: In small coastal communities, there was sometimes a delicate balance between the number of people in the community and the amount of work needed to feed them. If many people died from illness at one time, often this left too few people to get enough food in to enable the community to survive the winter. In the song, a village is evacuated for this reason. The story is told from the perspective of a man who died from the sickness. You can hear Bob introducing and singing this song at about the 5-minute mark of this set: Youtube Emily Smith did a fine cover: Emily --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 17 Sep 20 - 10:14 PM This one was always a great favourite at the gun turret in Darwin back in the day. GUTBOARD BLUES (Dave Jordan) Well I'm off down the road every mornin' 'bout eight Down on the job, and it's a job (that) I hate, Hackin', cuttin' mutton gut on a contract basis I climb into my overalls and take my place as The boss comes along and he tells me that I’ve got to strip and clip a stomach every second flat So I bust a gut just to get the job all done Hackin', cuttin' mutton gut until the cows come home Sling 'em here, sling 'em there Them guts keep a-comin' in from ev'rywhere I’ve got more trouble than I’m able to use I've got hackin', cuttin', bust-a-guttin' gutboard blues Now down through the 'chute with a slosh and a slop Them sheep guts drop and never seem to stop So I grab me a stomach and I split it wide Then I trim it and I scrape it till it's clean inside Then I turn on the hose and let the water run Chuck it on the pile, and that's another one done The pace is hot, I stop a spot and mop my brow, And my face has all been covered up with digested grass by now Sling 'em here, sling 'em there Them guts keep a-comin' in from everywhere I need the money and a beggar can't choose I got the sloshin', sloppin', never-stoppin' gutboard blues Now there's hydrochloric acid eatin' into my head My hair's turnin' green and I’ll smell like I'm dead There's jokers all around me sloshin' juice on my knees And the temperature's a-hittin' 'bout a hundred degrees I've had a gutsful of guts, I'm tellin' you true I don't think that I could stomach one more ewe It's a way of makin' money and a living, but -- Sheep, I hate your guts! Sling 'em here, sling 'em there Them guts keep a-comin' in from everywhere How else can I afford to live the life that I choose Without them acid-burnin', stomach-churnin' Money-earnin' gutboard blues Go drop dead! The gutboards referred to in Dave Jordan’s 'Gutboard Blues' are now called ‘viscera tables’. At the time, sheep guts earned New Zealand $50 million a year exported as sausage skins. As one freezer said, ‘It’s sometimes what you have to handle that is the guts of the matter’. Dave explained: I worked at Fielding Freezing works in the summer holidays of ’65 and ’66, but as a point-switcher on the mutton/lamb grading lines. My best mate at the time, Graeme Cowley, was on the gutboard. I wrote the song out of sympathy for him after asking him one time why the skin was coming off his hands and his toes appeared to be rotting off, and why he smelled like vomit all the time. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 17 Sep 20 - 11:44 PM Ah yes! Fond memories of Batey singing 'Gutboard Blues' at the Turret!! My experience of EnZed songs is sadly not much more than Phil Garland and Martin Curtis concerts at the Turret, back in the 80s. Though I recall liking Paul Metser's Farewell to the Gold plus : Hills of Coromandel / Bright Fine Gold / Farewell to Geraldine / Wind Among the Tussocks? / Tuapeka Gold / Long and Friendly Road / Packing My Things, of course as posted ...... and there's always Peter Cape's She'll Be Right Mate! I have to get back to werk now, I'll check in in a few days! Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 18 Sep 20 - 02:14 AM An Ozzie favourite for you - "Christmas has been cancelled" by Paul Mortimer (nowadays found in the Gaelic Club & at Irish sessions, wot a loss to the folk world!) (Tune: Lili Marlene) K-Tel records were around in the 60s & 70s & Toltoys distributed (original) Star Wars toys. Christmas has been cancelled, Santa Claus is dead. When the scandal broke He put a bullet through his head. Pinned to his chest they found a note Admitting what - the papers wrote: That he was on the payroll Of Toltoys and K-tel. It was bigger still than Lockheed Worse than Watergate. Kids throughout the world Called for his head upon a plate The myth was destroyed and in its wake, Old Santy stood there a callous fake. And evidence is mounting That he was C.I.A. The Church it tried to brand him A charlatan and worse. The Pope said 'Keep off Christmas, mate, We used that number first, As a time when all good Christians sing Of Jesus Christ and cribs and things. Of course it's only bulldust To get the faithful in.' Further allegations Have made the papers wail, That Santa's love for children Was way beyond the pale, He always liked to give out toys To little girls and little boys. It seems that he was harmless But some don't understand. Well we can still be jolly And celebrate New Year, And we'll be nice to other folks More than once a year. With no tinsel trees or plastic snow Or jingle bells or yo ho ho's. And no more f***ing reindeer Or little drummer boys. Repeat first verse. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 18 Sep 20 - 02:17 AM another of Kevin Baker's great songs Aunty Rooney's on a Sunday Getting up on Sunday morning I can hear my parents talking Saying how it's been a long time and it doesn't look like rain And I know it's Aunty Rooney's where my feet will soon be walking First to mass at Kogarah then to Banksia by train And I think Mass will never end, O'Farrell's in the pulpit And I wonder how my father felt to find his mother gone But Aunty Rooney raised him when his mother went to Heaven With the help of Aunty Mary and Uncle Pat and John Soon the Mass is over and to Kogarah we will amble Waiting on the platform looking down the track for trains We spot it in the distance and soon on it we will scramble My sister grabs the window-seat and off we go again We get off at Banksia station with it's many beds of flowers The Station-Master tells us he's won a prize or three We find our way to Short Street but it seems to take us hours As we watch out for the wooden house with it's Frangipani tree Chorus - And they're formerly of Redfern and late of County Galway They tend the Celtic home-fires with a kind of loving hand With each new generation they extend the celebration And keep the green of Ireland growing in this golden land Aunty Rooney tends the oven; Aunty Mary sets the places They take their turns in scolding John who hit the grog last night Uncle Pat returns the book he reads to one of his book-cases And greetings break upon us as we step into the light And after we've had our dinner comes the time that's most exciting All the chairs go in a circle; Uncle Kev is asked to sing He gives us Kevin Barry then my father's up reciting Today I'll play the mouth organ my mother let me bring Chorus Well everyone did something with sometimes some harmonising Though Colleen blushed and giggled and her sister wasn't keen "No politics" calls Mary but just hear the voices rising John has started something with "The Wearing of the Green" So it's "Children to the backyard. Go! Come on now, use your nouses" We'd rather stay inside but still the yard is parent-free We roll and run for hours until Aunty Rooney rouses "Now who has knocked that branch down from my frangipani tree?" Chorus Soon five-o'clock comes round and now the winter sun's declining Grown-ups are startled by the time start straining to get home John says: "Why not stop for tea?" but mum says she's got ironing And things to do before her tribe is fit next week to roam And home in bed before I sleep I catch my memories to me And all those lovely moments get entangled in my dreams And I hope I never get too old to go to Aunty Rooney's To eat and laugh and sing with friends and raise the old roof-beams chorus Recording by Penny Davies and Roger Ilott. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 18 Sep 20 - 09:21 AM PERILOUS GATE (cut down from a 35-verse poem published in 1877) The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld. : 1858 - 1880) Sat 29th Dec 1877 refers to the Christmas issue of "The Queenslander" which has a supplement that includes a poem by the author of 'Craddock Head,' entitled 'The Perilous Gate;' (Craddock Head is a 4-part story!) PERILOUS GATE Words & Music: Phyl Lobl audio A tale I tell of a narrow gate upon the eastern coast Of many wrecks and ruins this narrow gate can boast, Beneath Newcastle Harbour waves lie rotting hulls and sailor's graves, Heroes tombs are hidden caves below the Nobby's post. It is a pretty entrance but when you're homebound sail, I'd rather stand far out to sea when it blows a stiffish gale. Blowing from the South or East each huge wave a crest of yeast Comes roaring like a wounded beast and mounts the rolling rail. The sixth day of November round eighteen fifty eight, The Eleanor Lancaster was caught entering the Perilous Gate, We watched those huddled at the top with nothing but a slender prop Which at each blow we thought would drop and all her timbers fail. An awful sea was running and not in all that crew Was one who thought boats could be brought those boiling breakers through But then a little fair haired man pushed and panted as he ran And urged us all the waves to scan and to our mates be true. 'Now lads', he shouted shrill and clear 'Who'll venture it with me? Each minute lost a life might cost in such a tumbling sea. With four good men I’ll wager I'll bring them all to shore Come who will try?' ,three answered 'Aye' and I sir made up four. It was a roughish kind of trip but Chatfield steered us well I see him there with sea drenched hair facing what befell, And when we'd brought them all to shore he shook us by the hand once more. 'I've met no braver men before, the truth to you I tell.' For ten good years the Oyster Bank was beaconed by a spar That stood in witness of the storm that sank the Lancaster Five fathoms deep that rotting shell up reared the slender spar to tell Of brave deed done so nobly well upon that very bar. Then t'ward the close of winter, hard blowin' all the night The great seahorses tearing high raced madly past the bight Many a man came down to see if inbound craft there chanced to be And sailor's wives watched anxiously out on the surging flood. The 'Carrwarra' was coming in, I knew her bow so well We watched her as she struggled on and battled with the swell We stood there watching through the blast and hoped that once the Nobby's past The Harbour she might make at last, none but the god's could tell. She tried to turn again to sea but a snow white whiff of steam Told us that her fires were spent, she drifted on her beam, The engines by the waves were quenched, the men by those same waves were drenched, Watcher's hearts were sorely wrenched with hope a fading gleam. No boat stood out to rescue those still clinging to the deck Though one was there with sea drenched hair who now stood on the deck The beacon pointing to the sky urged us not to let him die But his same noble feat to try no man would risk his neck. Many's the time at midnight I've heard the tempest roar I've lain awake and wished that I could have the chance once more, To be the one to leave the crowd and call his name out clear and loud And free from Neptune's salty shroud bring him back to shore. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 18 Sep 20 - 09:23 AM When the Wind Blows (Eric Bogle) video The evening air lies heavy and sleep it still escapes me A night where hope and courage are still-born Outside the lurking shadows they press against my windows And wait for the coming of the storm They dance, those shadows When the wind blows The shadows are advancing over all the earth they're dancing And everywhere they dance they shall bring death All the priced and even pages that we've written through the ages Shall vanish in the shadow's poisoned breath The story book will close When the wind blows Suddenly I'm frightened, I wish this room were lightened Can no-one light a candle in the dark For I hear the sullen murmour of far-off threatening thunder I feel its menace chill me to the heart Where can I hide, where can I go When the wind blows There is no-one that can save you and nowhere you can run to No shelter in a world that's gone insane In this world that we created in our arrogance and hatred Stand naked 'neath the gentle deadly rain There will be no rainbows When the wind blows In the darkness I am trembling, this night seems never ending It seems the morning sun will never rise And the crashing of the thunder it split my head asunder And lighting burs and heats into my eyes And oh how the darkness grows When the wind blows In a thousand searing flashes the world shall turn to ashes Whirling like a burning coal in endless space This good earth we did inherit we shall leave a smoking desert A headstone for the heedless human race To mark our final flows When the wind blows Oh I must be dreaming for I thought I heard a screaming Like a billion lost souls falling into hell In a thousand tongues bewailing at indifferent fate a-railing Each one calling on the saviour as they fell Shall we reap what we did sow When the wind blows You can call upon your saviour it you think that is the answer But you've called on him so many times before Call on Allah, Buddah, Jesus, I doubt if they can hear us For we let the devil loose, now hear his roar Hell shall overflow When the wind blows ---------------------------------------------------------------------- recorded by Eric Bogle. Copyright Larrikin Music) "This song was inspired by the book of the same name by Raymond Briggs. It's a chilling little book. I'd like to lend a copy to the world leaders, it might frighten them. It certainly frightened me, and this song is the result" - Eric Bogle (The book was also made into an equally chilling animated movie) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 18 Sep 20 - 09:27 AM that makes 195 songs. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 18 Sep 20 - 07:49 PM New spin on an old favourite by pommie pair: Aldridge and Goldsmith At a more familiar pace: The Bushwackers From the forum database: TRAVELLING DOWN THE CASTLEREAGH I'm travellin' down the Castlereagh, and I'm a station-hand I'm handy with the ropin' pole, I'm handy with the brand And I can ride a rowdy colt, or swing an axe all day But there's no demand for a station-hand along the Castlereagh So it's shift, boys, shift, for there isn't the slightest doubt That we've got to make a shift for the stations further out With the pack-horse runnin' after, for he follows me like a dog We must strike across the country at the old jig-jog This old black horse I'm riding, if you notice what's his brand He wears the crooked R, you see, none better in the land He takes a lot of beatin', and the other day we tried For a bit of a joke, with a racing bloke, for twenty pounds a side It was shift, boys, shift, for there wasn't the slightest doubt That I had to make him shift, for the money was nearly out But he cantered home a winner, with the other one at the flog He's a red-hot sort to pick up with his old jig-jog I asked a cove for shearin' once along the Marthaguy "We shear non-union here," says he. "I call it scab," says I I looked along the shearin' floor before I turned to go There were eight or ten non-union men a-shearin' in a row It was shift, boys, shift, for there wasn't the slightest doubt It was time to make a shift with the leprosy about So I saddled up my horses, and I whistled to my dog And I left his scabby station at the old jig-jog I went to Illawarra, where my brother's got a farm He has to ask the landlord's leave before he lifts an arm The landlord owns the countryside - man, woman, dog and cat They haven't the cheek to dare to speak without they touch their hat It was shift, boys, shift, for there wasn't the slightest doubt Their little landlord god and I would soon have fallen out Was I to touch my hat to him? was I his bloomin' dog? So I makes for up the country at the old jig-jog But it's time that I was movin', I've a mighty way to go Till I drink artesian water from a thousand feet below Till I meet the overlanders with the cattle comin' down And I'll work a while till I make a pile, then have a spree in town So it's shift, boys, shift, for there isn't the slightest doubt We've got to make a shift for the stations further out The pack-horse runs behind us, for he follows like a dog And we cross a lot of country at the old jig-jog Notes First published in the Bulletin in 1892 This poem of Banjo Paterson's ('The Bushman's Song') has grown a number of tunes in its time in the bush. Meredith collected three tunes in NSW, and two tunes are given in the Queensland Centenary Pocket Songbook while in his Big Book of Australian Folk Song Ron Edwards gives another two. The most commonly sung tune was collected separately by Geoff Wills and John Manifold. Manifold got it from Mr Hines of Donald, Victoria, and it is in his Penguin Australian Song Book. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 18 Sep 20 - 08:37 PM This is another old favourite that Danny Spooner recorded on his final CD. I first heard it sung by a good mate, Ian White, who recorded it on his LP 'Songs from a Busker's Bag'. Here are the lyrics as printed in the booklet to Danny's 'Home' CD. ANOTHER FALL OF RAIN The weather has been sultry for a fortnight now or more And the shearers have been driving might and main, For some have got the century who ne'er got it before But now we all are waiting for the rain. Chorus (after each verse): For the boss is getting rusty and the ringer's caving in, His bandaged wrist is aching with the pain, And the second man I fear will make it hot for him Unless we have another fall of rain. Now some had taken quarters and were keeping well in bunk, When we shore the six-tooth wethers from the plain. And if the sheep get any harder some other blokes'll flunk Unless we have another fall of rain. But the sky is clouding over and the thunder's muttering loud And the clouds are driving eastward o'er the plain. And I see the lightning flashing round the edge of yon black cloud And I hear the gentle patter of the rain. So, lads, put on your stoppers and let us to the hut And we'll gather round and have a friendly game, While some are playing music and some play ante up And some just a-gazing at the rain. Some cockies come here shearing, they would fill a little book About this sad dry weather for the grain. But here is lunch a-coming, make way for Dick the cook, Old Dick is nigh as welcome as the rain. But now the rain is over let the pressers spin the screw, Let the teamsters back their wagons in again. We'll block the classer's table by the way we push them through, For everything goes merry since the rain. So it's, “Boss bring out the bottle” and let us wet the final flock, For the shearers here may never meet again. While some may meet next season and some not even then, And some they will just vanish like the rain. Final Chorus: And the boss he won't be rusty when his sheep they all are shore, And the ringer's wrist won't ache much with the pain Of pocketing a season's cheque for a hundred quid or more— And the second man will press him hard again. Danny's note: Also known as 'Waiting for the Rain', John Meredith collected a version from wharfie Leo Dixon, who had been a bush worker and shearer and was born at Eugowra. Meredith stated that the words were written by John Neilson of Penola, a bush worker, farmer, and balladist, and the father of John Shaw Neilson. The last verse in this version was sent me by email and comes from Dave de Hugard"s record 'Freedom on the Wallaby'. Martyn Wyndham-Read recorded it on his 'Starlit Skies' album at a more leisurely pace. Martyn's note: A song that goes back many years for me. Just recently I played it with a different rhythm and it took on a new life. The beauty of these old songs is that they will stand any interpretation and still come back to the same shape and form. The song may be based on the poem by Australian poet John Shaw Neilson to a tune of his time 'The Little Low Log Cabin in the Lane'. Wyndham-Read Was it written by John Shaw Neilson or his dad? --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 18 Sep 20 - 08:46 PM In New Zealand, loggers and forestry workers were known as bushmen. In 1976, Phil Garland collected 'The Dying Bushman' from Ken Hart of Palmerston North who first heard it from bushmen in the Otaki area during the 1930s. Apparently, it is still sung by a younger generation of bushmen. THE DYING BUSHMAN (Anon) I've knocked around the logging camps since early boyhood days I've seen the famous axemen come and go Now me chopping days are over, I shall swing that axe no more On the hillsides where the native timbers grow (Chorus) For me slasher is all rusty, and my axe handle's broke I've laid them both behind the whare door For the rata and the rimu have got so goddamn tough That I really cannot cut them any more The tramways in the valley, I shall never tread again No more I'll hear the hauler's whistle blow Well, oft times I look back as I travel down the track Please don't take me from the only home I know Chorus I'm a poor old worn-out bushman and my chopping days are done Soon this world shall know I'll be no more Down the valley of the shadow, I'll soon be on the track Where oft times I've seen bushmen go before Chorus And when I sleep that last long sleep, I pray that it may be Where the tawa and the matai and the pine And the hinau and the ngaio and the koromiko tree Grow forever by that lonely grave of mine Chorus Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 18 Sep 20 - 08:54 PM R-J, here's one of your Kiwi favourites. FAREWELL TO GERALDINE (J.Fleming/Trad/P.Garland) (Chorus) Oh, fare well to you, old Geraldine I am now upon the track I'm travellin' down that long and weary road With a swag all on me back I'm headin' towards Temuka town And if work I cannot find I'll make me way on towards Washdyke Leave Temuka far behind Chorus Perhaps I'll call in at Timaru And round there take a look But if no farmer should want me there I'll drop on down to the Hook Chorus I'll push ahead then to Oamaru Ngapara and Duntroon Where farmers often work late at night By the pale light of the moon Chorus When harvest days are over And corn is in the sack I'll shoulder bluey once again By the rattler I'll be comin' back Chorus Joe Fleming was a swagger poet who roamed through South Canterbury and North Otago. He always wintered in the town of Geraldine. His little rhymes would appear on hut doors throughout the countryside. Joe died along the track, a frozen corpse by the side of the road. He left the itinerary of his regular round which Phil Garland set to a traditional tune. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Sep 20 - 01:32 AM From Phyl - I wrote it because my father Roy Vinnicombe went to the Somme aged 18 and was injured a couple of years later. He recovered or I would not be writing this e-mail. He went to WW 2 when I was 3 and was invalided home but died when I was 8. A recording of my lyrics accompanied on Uilleann pipes played by Declan Affley is freely available on my web site website The recording was made somewhere in the 80’s I think. It was performed at a concert in the Sydney Town Hall. BATTLE OF THE SOMME, Sung by Phyl Lobl with Pipe accompaniment from Declan Affley Words: Phyl Lobl Tune: Pipe Major William Laurie adapted by Phyl Lobl. The lark in the evening she drops to the ground now Bidding farewell to the long summer day. High on a ridge hear a gun hit the silence, Flames like a flower brighten the sky. Dugouts are quiet we wait for the morning Feeling a thrill as the battle draws near. As dawn with her pale flush, silvers the grey sky Sharp tongues of shell fire call up the day. Glory, vain glory, you beckoned us onward, Kitchener’s call and your light led the way. Then just when we seem to be near You turn into darkness Splashed with the mud and the pain of the day. The lines they are formed and the orders are given While General Haig sends his prayers to the sky. As we move onward our bayonets before us We know that those prayers were no better than lies. Rising and twisting the smoke curls above us I see by the green glow there's gas in its domes. We stumble and fall through the craters and shell holes, Watching the bombs turning trenches to tombs. We're over the rise now, the line is before us, Enemy gun fire taking its toll What hope have the bayonets and the rifles we carry Against a machine gun here on the Somme. Day's nearly done now the battlefield empties, The living are hidden the dead lying still. The wounded are calling for someone to save them But no one can help them, no body will. *‘What's to be said of the life-time of man now, Shifting from sorrow to sorrow again. You button up one cause for man kind's vexation Only to find there's another undone.'* Each generation has freedom to fight for, Choose between gun fire or words for your tools. Freedom's a phantom but reason could find her. Honour and glory a haven for fools. • Words between the stars are a direct quote from the book. The rest are mine distilled from the revelations of people Guy Chapman interviewed for his book. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Sep 20 - 01:47 AM DEVLIN'S GENERAL STORE, words: © John Warner 19/10/93 tune: John Warner/Margaret Walters Where can I get a cross-cut saw? Devlin's General Store. You can get a cross-cut saw And anything else you're looking for, It's been there since '94, Has Devlin's General Store. Where can I go to collect me mail? Devlin's General Store There you can collect your mail That came from Melbourne town by rail You can get a cross-cut saw [etc] Where can I get a dozen eggs? Devlin's General Store You can get a dozen eggs A washing line, some dolly pegs There you can collect your mail [etc] [And so on until the last verse:] Where can I get some sly grog, mate? Devlin's General Store, You can get some sly grog, mate, We just sold some to the magistrate, * You can get a length of fuse Several types from which to choose You can get some gelignite, Samsonite or dynamite, * You can get some 12 gauge shot, Powder, wadding, they've got the lot You can get a liquorice strap, A tupenny bunger, a rabbit trap, You can get a carbide lamp, A miner's pick or a ha'penny stamp, You can get a set of spurs, Flannel underwear, his or hers, You can get a dozen eggs, A washing line, some dolly pegs, There you can collect your mail That came from Melbourne town by rail, You can get a cross-cut saw, And anything else you're looking for, It's been there since '94, Has Devlin's General Store. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Sep 20 - 01:48 AM now we are 200! |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Sep 20 - 07:26 PM THE DUST OF URUZGAN (Fred Smith) In the ring they called me ‘Warlord’ my mother calls me ‘Paul’ You can call me ‘Private Warren’ when you're filing your report As to how I came to be here, this is what I understand In this hospital in Germany from the dust of Uruzgan I had just turned twenty eight, just bought a new car When you joined the first Battalion of the Big 1 RAR We were next up for deployment into South Afghanistan To combat the insurgence in the dust of Uruzgan It took seven months of training just to get into the joint There were push-ups and procedures, there was death by powerpoint Then the RSO&I course in Ali Al Salaam But nothing can prepare you for the dust of Uruzgan Me and Benny sat together flying into Kandahar Sucked back on our near beers in the Camp Baker Bar Then up at 05:30 and on the Herc and out In twenty flying minutes, we were in to Tarin Kowt We shook hands as the boys ripped out from MRTF one And pretty soon were out patrolling in the Afghan summer sun Walking through the green zones with a Styer in my hand Body armour chafing through the dust of Uruzgan We started up near Chora working fourteen hours a day Mentoring a Kandak from the Afghan 4th Brigade Down through the Baluchi into eastern Dorafshan Working under open skies in the dust of Uruzgan It's a long, long way from Townsville not like any place you’ll see Suddenly you're walking through from the fourteenth century Women under burkhas, tribal warlords rule a land Full of goats and huts and jingle trucks in the dust of Uruzgan And the Education Minister can neither read nor write And the Minister for Women runs a knock shop there at night They've been fighting there forever over water, food and land Murdering each other in the dust of Uruzgan There's nothing about the province that's remotely fair or just But worse than the corruption is the endless fucking dust It's as fine as talcum powder on the ground and in the air And it gets into your eyes and it gets into your hair And it gets in to your weapon and it gets in to your boots When bureaucrats all show up there, it gets in to their suits It gets in the machinery, it foils every plan There's something quite symbolic about the dust of Uruzgan Still the people can be gracious and they’re funny and they’re smart And when the children look into your eyes, they walk into your heart They face each day with courage and each year without a plan Beyond scratching for survival in the dust of Uruzgan But the Taliban are ruthless, they keep the people terrorised With roadside bombs and hangings and leaving letters in the night And they have no useful vision for the children of this land But to keep them praying on their knees in the dust of Uruzgan It was a quiet Saturday morning when the ’2 Shop’ made a call On a compound of interest to the east of COP Mashal We had some information, they were building IEDs So we cordoned and we searched it in accord with SOPs I was on the west flank picket, propped there with Ben There to keep a watchful eye out while the other blokes went in We knew what to look for from the TTPs we'd learned But the Nationals were moving back and forth without concern We'd been standing still for hours when I took a quick step back Kicked a small AP mine and everything went black I woke up on a gurney, flat out on my back I had to ask them seven times just to get the facts I lived to tell the story through a simple twist of fate The main charge lay ten foot away from the pressure plate You see the mine was linked by det cord to a big charge laid by hand Hidden under Benny by the dust of Uruzgan I was a Queensland champ Thai Boxer now I look south on my knee And all I see is bed sheets where my right foot use to be Benny's dead and buried underneath Australian sand But his spirit's out there wandering through the dust - the dust of Uruzgan Now I'm going back to Townsville, it's the city of my birth Some go back to Ballarat and some go back to Perth I'll be living with my mother who's still trying to understand Why we're spending blood and treasure in the dust - in the dust of Uruzgan Youtube clip Fred noted: In July 2009, passing through the United Arab Emirates on my way into Afghanistan, I attended a memorial service for Ben Ranaudo, a young guy from Springvale, Victoria. This was the first of over a dozen memorial services and ramp ceremonies I went to in my 18 month stint working for Foreign Affairs in Uruzgan Province, Southern Afghanistan. You never really get used to them, but I had just arrived and was unprepared. In the months that followed, through conversations with staff in the headquarters of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force, I developed some understanding of what happened on the morning of 18 July, 2009, when Ben was killed. I read the unclassified version of the Commission of Inquiry Report into the incident when it was released in December that year, and found myself imagining an interview between the colonel who wrote the report and one of Ben’s mates, a guy called Paul. You can find explanations of acronyms in the glossary at this site which details Fred's Afghanistan experiences: Click --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Sep 20 - 09:38 PM The late John Munro lived for a time here in Darwin towards the end of his life. He was a very fine musician and singer, but I must admit that not many of his original songs sparked my clod. However, I really loved this one. SNOWDROP (John Munro) It’s minus six as Alex stands in line The grim procession that’s motionless in time He’ll wash and share some bread But there’s no warmth, there’s no bed At Sanitation Station Number 9 And he thinks about the harsh words with his son But there’s no way back, the damage has been done His thinking’s not so clear now From the vodka and the beer now And not a living soul goes where he’s gone And when all the snows have melted All the papers blown away There you are, there you are Just another snowdrop blooming in the spring A silent voice without a song to sing And this brave new world you fought for Didn’t turn out like you thought For all the lost and lonely snowdrops in the spring Now Alex knows a place where he can go A quiet stair-well where there’s shelter from the snow And as he makes a bed, does he think what lies ahead Or is lying down his head all that he knows There’s money now but Alex wouldn’t know But the news is good, the papers tell us so But for all the lies he stood for, now all the news is good for Is a blanket that won’t quite keep out the cold And when all the snows have melted All the papers blown away There you are, there you are Just another snowdrop blooming in the spring A silent voice without a song to sing And this brave new world you fought for Didn’t turn out like you thought For all the lost and lonely snowdrops in the spring Alex sleeps and sleeps and never dreams And passes out of life somewhere between The darkness and the light, the daytime and the night Unnoticed, unremarked, unloved, unseen And when all the snows have melted All the papers blown away There you are, there you are Just another snowdrop blooming in the spring A silent voice without a song to sing And this brave new world you fought for Didn’t turn out like you thought For all the lost and lonely snowdrops in the spring I transcribed the lyrics from John's singing on Eric Bogle's 2009 album 'The Dreamer'. Corrections welcomed. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Sep 20 - 10:02 PM In 1840, around two-thirds of New Zealand was still covered in forest and this provided the basis for a strong indigenous timber industry for more than 100 years. A fine timber industry song, 'The Mill', was first published in Neil Colquhoun’s excellent ‘Song of a Young Country’ in 1977. It is attributed to a C.H. Winter about whom nothing is known. THE MILL (C.H. Winter attributed) Beside a clump o’ needlewood we anchored down the mill The engine’s by the blue-clay tank and further up the hill The men are marking out the trees and the chips are on the wing So early in the morning you can hear the axes ring (Chorus) With a jigger and a jemmy and a shigger and a shammy And the sawdust in the sky I keep thinking will he gimme up all of me money Or wait till the big ‘uns lie We’ve laid the bench and trued the saw and given her one spin The benchman eyes his pet with pride and pats the packing in He chocked the engines rolling wheels and backed the watercart And heaped a stack of shortening wood in readiness to start Chorus We have no tearing vertical, we run no twin saws here No clanking winches, swinging cranes, no wealth of yankee gear No office clerk with collar white, no gangs of many men We run a simple clearing mill and number nine or ten Chorus We grease the transports, oil the trucks, the benchman gives a sign The engine starts, the big belt flaps and saw begins to whine The sun comes out a scorcher and the bullocks raise the dust The waterbags gets covered and our throats begin to rust Chorus The hill is looking strange and bare, the bigger trees are cut And through the gaps we catch a sight of some gum digger’s hut The ground is scoured by dragging logs, the grog is put to rout And now it’s just a few more days and we’ll be all cut out Chorus At first, some timber was milled near the logging site. Logs were jammed into position on a platform over a pit. They were then cut by 2 men using a crosscut saw, one standing on top of the log and one beneath. Pit-sawing, however, could not keep up with demand for timber and, after 1865, steam-driven mills were developed with steam generated by burning wood waste. The logs were hauled by bullock teams or rolled by means of timber jacks. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 19 Sep 20 - 11:16 PM FALZIBAD (Fred Smith) Falzibad, the post-modern muslim Had a thing for those modern women Started out feeling sentimental Left us feeling so existential Falzibad, Falzibad (after each stanza) Falzibad though he was Islamic Liked his vinegar pure balsamic Playing tennis like Boris Becker Kept forgetting to pray to Mecca Falzibad he went to Karachi Met a woman like Greta Scacchi Sang her the song of the mariachi All the mullah got very touchy Muslim boys should not sing in Spanish ‘Falizad’, they said, ‘you are banished To a land where there’s no falafel’ As for english, well he knew stuff all So Falzibad he went into exile Selling rugs and imported textiles Driving down to the hippy market In a porsche and there he’d park it All the women said, ‘Hey habibi You’re the one we’ve seen on tv But we find you more appetising Than the rugs you’ve been advertising’ Falzibad he went to a disco Spanish quarter of San Francisco Wound up with a Latino dancer Woke up wondering where his pants were And as he awoke from his bender There were kisses wet, warm and tender The dancer’s body was long and slender Some uncertainty as to gender Falzibad he was a chick magnet Pulled them in like he had a dragnet Plain to see he’d forgotten Allah Lying there in the massage parlour God so terrible, god so frightening Struck poor Falzibad down with lightning ’That’ll teach you’, he said, ‘for messin’ ‘Round with women without my blessin’’ One of my favourite Fred Smith songs. I reckon the best recording of it is on his album with the Spooky Men's Chorale - 'Urban Sea Shanties' - but that track is not available on YT. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Richard Mellish Date: 20 Sep 20 - 05:18 AM Sandra in Sydney 17 Sep 20 - 04:16 AM Randwick Races There are more verses. Do you have them, Sandra? I learnt the song from a recording so there will be some differences from the words in my head and those originally written, but I can post mine if you don't have them. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 20 Sep 20 - 09:33 AM Gidday, Richard I copied a post from this thread http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=79383 but it only had 5 verses, I hadn't noticed. A later post on that thread lists the entire song copied from John's first book - which I have & just used to count the verses, so I know there are 8. I'll ask Joe if he can add the extra verses to my original post so it's perfect! The Randwick Races (Words: John Dengate - Tune: "The Galway Races") We arrived at Randwick races, by taxi from Clovelly. I had money in my trousers, boys, and schooners in my belly. Well the bookies saw us coming and they panicked in a crisis; They tinkered with the odds and they shortened all their prices. CHORUS: With my whack, fol the do, fol the diddley idle day. Well the hunger it was gnawing and the thirst was in us rising While the crowd's excited roaring reached a level quite surprising. Oh, we swallowed several middies and demolished pies and sauces And we set to work comparing prices, jockey's weights and horses. CHORUS: Denis Kevans said, "I reckon we will finish rich as Pharaoh If we back the chestnut filly from the district of Monaro. She's a trier, she's a flier, never knock her or decry her - She's sixty-six to one; when she wins we'll all retire." CHORUS: There was every kind of punter from illiterates to scholars; I struggled through the betting ring and wagered twenty dollars - Then the horses were away; from the barrier they thundered And we hoped that very day to collect the thirteen hundred. CHORUS: We shouted in despair; Denis Kevans tore his hair, O'Dea began to swear at the filly from Monaro. She was struggling in the pack and our very hearts were bleeding; She was falling further back and the favourite was leading. CHORUS: It seems the filly heard us for suddenly she sprinted. She raced around the ruck with a purpose quite unstinted. At the ledger she was third, oh you should have seen her flying; I got so damned excited that I choked upon my pie, singing – CHORUS: They stormed into the straight like cavalry invading; The filly was improving and the favourite was fading: "She's won it by a nose ... but a protest has been entered; The stewards have upheld it; curse the day they were invented!' CHORUS: We walked back to Clovelly from the blasted Randwick races, With ulcers in our bellies, boys, and gloom upon our faces. We cursed the filly's jockey and we cursed the Randwick stewards Then drowned our disappointment in a flood of amber fluids. CHORUS: |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Sep 20 - 07:21 PM I posted this one to the forum almost 20 years ago. At the height of the 'revival' in Oz, the first 3 interstate guest singers we had to the Top End Folk Club in Darwin were Declan Affley, Danny Spooner and Bernard Bolan. UNCLE FRED (Bernard Bolan) My uncle Fred retired last week at the age of 82 So we thought it only proper to prepare a little do My uncle Fred's a lawyer and he works in Sydney town At the offices of Brindle, Bogle, Trimble, Cock and Brown It had always been intended I should follow in his steps And not become a parson or else one of Waltons' reps So I studied for my exams though it nearly split my head And soon I took my proper place alongside Uncle Fred Uncle Fred is 82 today Time to take his specs off and put his books away Time to say farewell to Torrens title and the courts And no more thinking complicated excise duty thoughts Mr Bogle brought the gin and Bogle brought the beer But Trimble, Cock and Brown had not been round for many years The office girls appeared in pearls and some with purple eyes And, in the usual fashion, I was sent to get the pies A wooden chiming clock was bought at very great expense And a little card with flowers on cost petty cash 10 cents At the office bar, with a pencil jar, the cashier lost his head And drank lemonade and a razor blade to the health of uncle Fred Uncle Fred is 82 today Time now for the Law Society's pension fund to pay No more hereunto, aforesaid, thee and thou But time to pay attention to the herein after now Mr Bogle had begun his speech in praise of uncle Fred When he choked upon a cherry and he turned a fearful red They beat him on the back until his teeth fell on the floor And in the pandemonium no one saw the office door But standing there as large as life was a banker known as Max For whom old Fred had once prepared a scheme for saving tax He said, 'So Fred is leaving, I am glad he hasn't gone 'Cos I just got out of jail this week and I'd like to join the fun Uncle Fred is 82 today Time to say goodbye to all his friends up in Long Bay No more telling clients that adultery is wrong And tracking correspondents down and wishing he was young After Max came Mr Phelps who lives at Wollongong He bought a flat in Wollstonecraft but Fred had got things wrong Then poor Herbert Wilkins' missus shedding floods of tears On a speeding charge he'd gone to Fred and he'd got him 14 years But then a hush fell over all as from the ground beneath Came smoke and flames and 20 names framed in a fiery wreath 'God bless you Fred from the grateful dead', Satan's chorus sang, 'For down in hell are the clientele that you managed to get hanged' Uncle Fred, you're 82 today Time to hang your wig up and to give the game away Time to leave your office in the middle of the town With the compliments of Brindle, Bogle, Trimble, Cock and Brown Youtube clip A tribute concert to the great man: Click --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Sep 20 - 08:02 PM ROSE BAY FERRY (Bernard Bolan) Every morning at 8:25 Down to the Rose Bay wharf I drive Park my Humber underneath a tree Pop along the gangplank and then I'm free Free says you, but how can that be? When you always finish up at Circular Quay So doubting Tom I shall explain When I get on board I sing this sweet refrain Where are we going today, Mr Nicholson? Where is it the going to be? Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour And out to the open sea Throw away your compass, right hand down And it's out through the heads we’ll go Yo ho! let's be merry on the Rose Bay ferry If we run out of petrol, we'll row, yo hoYo Ho! If we run out of petrol, we'll row Monday Java, Tuesday Spain Wednesday's it's Tokyo and back again The only trouble is, there isn't any Gents But what do you want for 20 cents? Off with me raincoat and me woolly vest See the naked ladies on my chest Today is Friday, so hold on tight 'Cos it’s off to Trinidad and back tonight Where are we going today, Mr Nicholson? Where is the going to be? Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour And out to the open sea Pull up your anchor, pull your finger out And wave goodbye to your home We're off to Nantucket, so give that man a bucket 'Cos it's choppy when you're out on the foam, yo ho It's choppy when you're out on the foam Now sometimes if I get up late I only reach the jetty at half past 8 But that doesn't ruin my world-wide trip 'Cos the 8:37 is a battleship Off on the dot with our guns on high Mince up Manly as we pass by We need another rocket so just pop upstairs We can get 'em from the chappy who collects the fares But now, left turn’s right today, Mr Nicholson Trouble in town, you see Let's hear three cheers, we're brave buccaneers The saviours of Circular Quay With patch on high and brollies to the sky Every pollie from his folly must flee With knuckles and chuckles, we'll swash their buckles If they bugger up Circular Quay Then we'll heave to (or three) at Circular Quay Bernard's original final chorus was: Where are we going today, Mr. Nicholson? Where is the going to be? Don't turn left, turn right down the harbour And out to the open sea For though we look like dudes and doctors At heart we are men of the sea Yo ho, let's be merry on the Rose Bay ferry Until we get to Circular Quay We finish up at Circular Quay Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Sep 20 - 08:28 PM FAREWELL TO THE GOLD (Paul Metsers) Shotover River, your gold it is waning It's weeks since the colour I've seen. But it's no use just sitting and Lady Luck blaming I'll pack up and make the break clean (Chorus) Farewell to the gold that never I found Goodbye to the nuggets that somewhere abound For it's only when dreaming that I see the gleaming Down in the dark deep underground It's nearly two years since I left my old mother For adventure and gold by the pound With Jimmy the prospector, he was another For the hills of Otago we were bound Chorus Well we worked the Cardrona's dry valleys all over Old Jimmy Williams and me. They were panning good dirt on the winding Shotover So we headed down there just to see Chorus We sluiced and we cradled for day after day Barely making enough to get by 'Til a terrible flood swept poor Jimmy away During six stormy days in July Chorus One of the best-loved New Zealand folk idiom songs. It was written by Paul Metsers, but popularised by Phil Garland, Nic Jones, Gordon Bok and others. Metsers wrote about its composition: I'm afraid there is no mystery source for the song, no distant broadside or doggerel from which it gained its inspiration. It's all out of my head as it happens. I got hold of a pictorial history of gold mining, a small but fascinating book called ‘The Goldfields of Central Otago’. When I read of the tragic flash flood of July 1863, I knew I had the basis of a story. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Sep 20 - 08:33 PM Then there's the splendid parody by the late Marcus Turner. HUNG OVER LIVER (Marcus Turner) Hungover liver. my head it is aching; It's weeks since the daylight I've seen I'm sitting here thinking "This shit I've been drinking Is rotting a hole in my spleen." Farewell to the gold that never I've seen. Goodbye to the acres of New Zealand green. I'm feeling quite plastered; my brain is half-masted. Put me down, you don't know where I've been. It's nearly two weeks since I left my old lady To have a quiet beer with the boys With Acid Head Jimmy and crazy Marie And Zelda with her rubber toys. Farewell to my house, my family and wife. I knew I was heading for all kinds of strife. We really were raving, I knew I was having The best bloody time of my life. We spent the next fortnight in acts of perversion, Old Jimmy Williams and me 'Til we heard of a party where no one had clothes on So we headed down there just to see. We drank and we chundered for night after night. Jug after jug we threw down 'Til two great big p'licemen took Jimmy away In a bust in the east end of town. Farewell lovely Zelda wherever you are. Your knickers are still in the back of my car, And thanks for the games with Marie and with James And I hope the rash doesn't spread far. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 20 Sep 20 - 08:49 PM The late great John Clarke was a national treasure on both sides of the Tasman. Before relocating to Australia in 1977 and starting anew as a political satirist, Clarke had created an enduring Kiwi icon in the imagination of New Zealanders – the hilariously laconic, black-singleted, gumbooted farmer, Fred Dagg. Billy Connelly had modified a traditional song, 'The Work of the Weavers, to create his 'Welly Boot Song'. In turn, Clarke transmogrified Connelly’s piece into 'The Gumboot Song', one of Fred Dagg’s greatest hits. THE GUMBOOT SONG (John Clarke aka Fred Dagg) [Spoken] Kick it in the guts, Trev ... Gumboots, they are wonderful, gumboots, they are swell 'Cos they keep out the water, and they keep in the smell And when you're sittin' round at home, you can always tell When one of the Trevs has taken off his gumboots (Chorus) If it weren't for your gumboots, where would ya be? You'd be in the hospital or infirmary 'Cos you would have a dose of the flu, or even pleurisy If ya didn't have yer feet in yer gumboots Now there's rugby boots and racing boots, and boots for drinkin' rum But the only boots I'm never without, are the ones that start with ‘gum’ I've got short ones and long ones, and some up to me belt I'm never dressed 'till I've got on me gumboots Chorus Whenever I sing at the opera, my gumboots are a must They help me hit the high notes, and protect me feet from dust They keep the water well away, so me voice won't get no rust You will not never see me without me gumboots Chorus Now Rob Muldoon and Rowling, they haven't made a hit They're ruining the country, more than just a bit If they keep on the way they're going, we'll all be in turd So you'd better get yer feet up yer gumboots Chorus (x2) Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 20 Sep 20 - 09:08 PM good one, Stewie I have no idea when I last heard it, but I remember the chorus, I'll probably be singing it all day. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 20 Sep 20 - 10:05 PM How about "Basingstoke" by Bernard Bolan? Poor old Basingstoke......very funny. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 21 Sep 20 - 01:19 AM here 'tis https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=105012 Date: 24 Sep 07 - 10:05 AM & here's Bernard singing Basingstoke in 1981 BASINGSTOKE © Bernard Bolan I've got a cat called Basingstoke. he's a cat you must admire. He's black and white, or he was, till the night that he jumped into the fire. What a night! The tale it must be told, So grip your seat, for you're in for a treat that will make your blood run cold. Basingstoke, he used to be so furry Till he tried to kung-fu the canary. Up he jumped, soaring ever higher, Then the soaring stopped and down he dropped in the middle of the fire. In flames and smoke my Basingstoke went roaring round the room. His fiery tum and his blackened bum appeared to spell his doom. What a cat! Whoever would have guessed He could stick his rear in a pint of beer while beating out his chest? Basingstoke, he truly is a trier. It takes guts to sing when you're on fire. What a cat! You should have seen him strain, Stuck like glue in the bottom of the loo and trying to pull the chain. Now life's no joke for Basingstoke; so runs the ugly rumour That the fiery hob did not just rob him of his sense of humour. Poor old chap! The prospect it appals. Just one jump and down with a bump and he's burnt off all his undergrowth. Basingstoke, his tale is truly tragic. Fire and smoke, they have robbed him of his magic. The former spring-pawed terror of the tiles Just sits and sighs with tears in his eyes 'cause he only raises smiles. Basingstoke, he used to be a charmer. Now ladies joke, they talk of fried banana. Poor old chap! He was too young to retire. Once he was happy, handsome and hairy, Just a red-blooded pussy with a taste for canary. Now he comes somewhere between a fritter and a fairy Since he walked the fire. Bernard & friends in the 2019 Bernard Bolan tribute concert |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Sep 20 - 08:12 PM THE WOOL COMMANDEER (George Meek w/Frank Fyfe t) The commandeer is under way, and blimey what a fuss The blinkin’ din and clatter sure would make a parson cuss There's covees tearing up the floors and blokes in overalls Slap-dapping cans of whitewash on the rafters and the walls (Chorus) Well it’s come from Haka Valley and it's come from Sunny Peak It's come from up the river and down Waitaki Creek She’s come from the back of nowhere up the wild McKenzie way And a clip from Tipperary will get here any day There's stackers swinging bale hooks and there's barrows shifting wool, There's covees humping baskets, some half empty, some half full There's classers squealing loudly for more bales of wool to class And someone yelling,’Where do you want this wool from Dansey's Pass?’ Chorus There's wool on every siding and there's wool on every street There's wool on every lorry and every bus you meet There's wool on every trailer and there's wool on every train And the stock-and-station diggers have got it on the brain Chorus There's wool on every corner and there's wool on every floor There's wool dumped in the basement and jammed behind the door There's wool in the old dairy and there's wool down at the dump There's wool in the old freezer and still more bales to hump Chorus. There's shaggy bales and baggy bales, there's fadges, sacks and bags Thank heavens Wally Nash cut out the blinkin’, stinkin’ dags There's belly wool and smelly wool and wool, well spare me days And the old jumbuck that grew it, I'll swear's seen better days. Chorus In 1940, the New Zealand government decided to commandeer all available wool bales and store them for eventual use in the war effort. George Meek of Oamaru was amused by this huge stockpiling and subsequently wrote this ballad. It was set to music by Frank Fyfe. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Sep 20 - 08:20 PM MY MAN’S GONE NOW (Anon) My man’s gone now, he had to go Couldn’t find no work around this town Not for ages, used his wages Got up this morning and he was gone Monday morning, it starts to rain Around the curve there comes a south-bound train Under a tarpaulin rides a bum called John He was a strange man, but now he’s gone Morning sunshine, the rooster crows Along the highway where, goodness knows Where’s John sleeping, how’s he keeping? When will he take the homeward road? Repeat stanza 1. A few months after the 1929 Wall Street crash, farm produce prices in New Zealand collapsed. Since the economy depended almost entirely on farm exports, the effects were disastrous. By 1931, over 50,000 New Zealand men were walking, looking for work. A sad effect of the upheaval was the break-up of family life. This little song was collected by Neil Colquhoun from May Simpson. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Sep 20 - 09:39 PM ON THE WALLABY (Henry Lawson) Now the tent poles are rotting, the camp fires are dead, And the possums may gambol in trees overhead; I am humping my bluey far out on the land, And the prints of my bluchers sink deep in the sand: I am out on the wallaby humping my drum, And I came by the tracks where the sundowners come. It is nor'-west and west o'er the ranges and far To the plains where the cattle and sheep stations are, With the sky for my roof and the grass for my bunk, And a calico bag for my damper and junk; And scarcely a comrade my memory reveals, Save the spiritless dingo in tow of my heels. But I think of the honest old light of my home When the stars hang in clusters like lamps from the dome, And I think of the hearth where the dark shadows fall, When my camp fire is built on the widest of all; But I'm following Fate, for I know she knows best, I follow, she leads, and it's nor'-west by west. When my tent is all torn and my blankets are damp, And the rising flood waters flow fast by the camp, When the cold water rises in jets from the floor, I lie in my bunk and I list to the roar, And I think how to-morrow my footsteps will lag When I tramp 'neath the weight of a rain-sodden swag. Though the way of the swagman is mostly up-hill, There are joys to be found on the wallaby still. When the day has gone by with its tramp or its toil, And your camp-fire you light, and your billy you boil, There is comfort and peace in the bowl of your clay Or the yarn of a mate who is tramping that way. But beware of the town—there is poison for years In the pleasure you find in the depths of long beers; For the bushman gets bushed in the streets of a town, Where he loses his friends when his cheque is knocked down; He is right till his pockets are empty, and then— He can hump his old bluey up country again. Above is the Lawson poem. As a song, the title is usually 'The tent poles are rotten' with a variety of changes to the text - eg the possums 'ramble' and the 'spiritless dingo' becomes 'the spirit it tingles in my toe ...'. In all the recordings that I have (de Hugard, Loaded Dog, Wyndham-Read, Spooner) the third stanza is omitted. Danny Spooner's note in booklet to his 'Ard Tack' album: This song by Henry Lawson appears in Chris Kempster's tribute to the poet, The Songs of Henry Lawson with Music (Viking O'Neil 1989). Chris cites three tunes and I probably sing a combination of the first two. The song was first collected by Stan Arthur, Bob Michell and Ken McGoldrick in the 1960s from the singing of E. and A. Nesbitt of Bundaberg, Queensland, and Dave de Hugard has adapted that tune. The words explore the toils and rewards of the itinerant life—so much a part of the Australia's nineteenth century culture and identity. Here is a live rendition by Wyndham-Read Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 21 Sep 20 - 10:29 PM This piece of nonsense was popular. FERGIE TRACTOR (Peter Pentland) Well I run a few acres, pays a few quids rent And I overcome troubles when they be sent Be they flood or drought or some other factor I takes them in stride on me fergie tractor (Chorus) Oh me beaut little fergie tractor Be dad she goes like the clappers I can plough me fields and increase me yields Even comes with a silage extractor Me beaut little fergie tractor The fergie she's a wondrous machine I love to sniff her exhaust because she always runs clean There's no other machine I e’er took a jack to As fewer times as me fergie tractor Chorus Well the missus was naggin’ at me for years Her mouth was always flapping’ around me ears She’d nag about me, me dog and me farm So I ran over her on me ferguson Chorus I once had this milk maid working for me And the material in her blouse filled me with glee I gave her a wink, but I then had to sack her For although she liked me, she hated me tractor Chorus Now some folk say that I'd be an idiot And if brains be lightbulbs that I'd burned out me filament But people like that I just turn me back to And I go in the shed and I sit on me tractor Chorus Recording of a live performance at the Dan O'Connell in Melbourne in 1979. Youtube --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 22 Sep 20 - 01:15 AM Thank you for the Fergie tractor song, Stewie, I haven't heard it for ages! A small village half an hour north of here has a "Grey Fergie Muster" every three years - would have been due next March, but due to the covid plague has been put off to 2022. Mind you, the Fergies at the Muster aren't all grey......I have seen bright pink, lurid purple...... |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Sep 20 - 07:44 PM THE BROKEN-HEARTED SHEARER I'm a broken-hearted shearer and ashamed to show my face For the way that I've been treated is a shame and a disgrace Now I’ve got me cheque together and I thought that it would do So I went down to Bendigo to spend a week or two Now I knew I wasn’t flat so resolved to cut it fat And I dressed meself from top to toe, put a pugg'ree round me hat Then I went to get a nobbier at a certain house in town Where the barmaid was a caution for to lamb a shearer down She had all the slang and flash talk that was going round the town And she'd sling it at me right and left while I was lambing down Well me money being nearly spent, I resolved to know my fate So I asked that pretty barmaid if she would be me mate “Well the fact is this, young man, on my feelings don't encroach I'm a decent married woman and my husband drives the coach" So I’ve sold me good old horse and I'll get some work, I hope I've a pipe and some tobaccy and half a bar of soap So I’m leaving Sandhurst now with me billy and jackshay And a pair of old torn leggings and a jar of Holloways That’s why I’m a broken-hearted shearer and ashamed to show me face For the way that I’ve been treated is a shame and a disgrace This is the version sung by Martyn Wyndham-Read. Martyn noted that he got it from David Lumsden who learnt it from his grandmother who spent much of her childhood in the Riverina. The tune is 'The wearing of the green'. 'Lambed down' was the term given to a luckless shearer after the barmaid had prised the last drop out of his cheque. A 'pugg'ree' is a thin muslim cloth (from the word for a turban). 'Holloways' was a family ointment sold in a earthenware jar. Youtube clip The first publication of the song in 1886 here: Click On Thompson's blog, you can find a different version collected by Meredith. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Sep 20 - 08:54 PM Another little ripper from the pen of Kath Tait. STEEL-HEARTED ANNIE (Kath Tate) Steel-hearted Annie came home from work Through the park in the dark where the rapist lurked Behind the bushes and about to attack With the cold winds whistling across his back He pounced on Annie 'cos she was slim 'Cos she looked so frail and feminine But he wouldn't have done it if he only knew That she was a master of kung fu (Chorus) Steel-hearted Annie with an iron will Looks about as frail as a daffodil But you don't take a chance on a small thin dame With a punch like a piston on a steam train Steel-hearted Annie don't like to pose Like a trembling victim in a movie show She gets mad when she's in distress Like an animal in the wilderness There's nothing that she wouldn't do to survive She's got a strong desire to stay alive And she looks cute in pink or blue But she is a master of kung fu Chorus Steel-hearted Annie lived near a jail Where a psycho killer was released on bail He crept stealthily through the night He broke into her house to give her a fright And a cold wind whistled 'round the window frames Made a sound like a ghost rattlin' chains But the psycho killer ran for his life When he saw Annie coming with a carving knife Chorus Steel-hearted Annie told all her friends, 'We've got to stand up to violence' She went to classes and learned to fight Now she's not afraid to walk around at night She's a great big shark in a little tin can A little fire-cracker with a great big bang So just be careful what you do, 'Cos she is a master of kung fu Kath Tait: 'Steel-hearted Annie' came from watching Doris Day in an Alfred Hitchcock movie behave in such a pathetic manner that it seemed out of character with the fact that she was quite a tall, well-built woman and at least as strong as the male character who was pursuing her. We should remember that a hell of a lot of people live risky, adventurous lives and don't have lots of bad things happen to them. We don't want to let stories of victimisation scare us into leading excessively safe and boring lives. Therefore I try to make the characters in my songs survivors rather than victims. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Sep 20 - 09:41 PM Phil Beck and I have been known to recite a beaut poem by Jim Haynes titled 'Dipso Dan' which we got via Campbell the Swaggie whom many Oz folkies would know. Here is another splendid bit of nonsense from Haynes. SINCE CHERYL WENT FERAL (Jim Haynes) Watching ’60 Minutes’ one night As soon as it was over we got into a fight Because Cheryl said alternative was the way to go And the very next day she bought a sarong A sheepskin jacket and a brand new bong And before I knew it we hit the road Since Cheryl went feral Everything's weird And all our friends have disappeared She shaved her head and I've grown a beard Since Cheryl went feral It took us ages to hitch our way From Pennant Hills up to Byron Bay If we’d left those kids at home, we'd have been all right Well living off the land is all very well But the mung bean diet was giving me hell And I had to put that wigwam up each night Since Cheryl went feral Everything's crook And all our food is now uncooked I'd kill for a burger or a piece of chook Since Cheryl went feral Our little girl was called Narelle And we had a little boy called Bruce as well But now she's Crystal Flower and he's Leaf But Leaf's pretty happy since we left home Because he hasn't seen a bath or a shower or a comb And it's been three months since he brushed his teeth Since Cheryl went feral Everything's changed And I'm quite sure I've become deranged And I can't remember anyone's name Since Cheryl went feral Cheryl took a vow of celibacy She said she needed no input from me She got her navel pierced and stared at it all day long So I read the tarot with Leaf and Flower And dreamed about a nice cold shower While I waited for my turn on the bong Since Cheryl went feral Everything's pierced Rings through me nose and rings through me ears I haven't been this pierced for years Since Cheryl went feral I began to change me tune As soon as we joined that big commune And everyone took their clothes off straight away Their cosmic philosophy appealed to me It's multiple serial polygamy And I think the feral lifestyle's here to stay Since Cheryl went feral There's a real traffic jam Of naked women in our wigwam And I'm pretty happy right where I am Since Cheryl went feral Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 22 Sep 20 - 10:17 PM Well done, Stewie......I haven't heard that one for ages. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 22 Sep 20 - 10:56 PM Here's one from my mate Dave Evans of Bloodwood fame. There was a YT clip of Bloodwood performing this, but it seems to have disappeared. It is always a favourite at Top End festivals. PLAY SOMETHING WE KNOW MATE (Dave Evans) I've a fan who follows me everywhere I go He's always there at the club waiting for me to show If you want to know what I mean and how the hell I tell I grab my guitar, move to the bar and this voice begins to yell (Chorus) Play something we know mate so we can sing along None of your foreign rubbish mate just give us an Aussie song Waltzing Matilda, Ryebuck Shearer, plenty of guts so we can hear yer We'll sing the chorus - play something we know mate It's Sunday night in Alice Springs, the folk club's on tonight Guitar in hand I'm feeling grand, I think I'll do all right But just as I begin to sing, a voice decides me fate From across the floor, comes a terrible roar - play something we know mate Chorus This fellar's really getting me down, he follows me all day long Waiting for that moment for me to sing me song I took my wife out to tea for a little tête-à-tête When across the room came a terrible boom - play something we know mate Chorus I summoned all my courage up late one Sunday night Left my guitar and went to the bar, spoiling for a fight But he floored me with his very first words, he left me all irate "I don't like to boast but I'm deaf as a post & I can't sing a note, mate" "No I can't sing a note, mate, or even hum along As for your foreign rubbish, mate, well I'm a bloody Pom Waltzing Matilda Ryebuck Shearer, loud as you like 'cos I can't hear yer As for the chorus, it'll probably bore us - play something we know mate" Repeat chorus --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 23 Sep 20 - 04:44 AM Some great songs here, thanks guys! The Jim Haynes song reminded me of another favourite by Jim called "Mow Ya Lawn". Used to hear it on the 'Australia All Over' radio show, but I can't find it on youtube or elsewhere. Has anyone got the lyrics? cheers, Ian |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 23 Sep 20 - 07:40 PM LEAVING THE LAND (Eric Bogle) It's time to go now, Jenny No need to close the door What if the dust gets in the house It doesn't matter any more You and the dust have been at war for far too many years Now the war is over Jenny dear (Chorus) Leaving the land Leaving the land Leaving all I’ve ever been and everything I am Leaving the land Remember when I brought you here Those long bright years ago For all that time you've been my heart But this land has been my soul The long bright days are over now though still the heart beats on But, Jenny dear, the soul is gone. And all I see around me Seems to me of the best For generations loved this land Never thought I’d be the last All that toiling, all that dreaming, birth and death and joy and pain It was all for nothing, all in vain Chorus It’s time to go now, Jenny Drive quickly down the track We'll never see what lies ahead if we keep on looking back Behind is just an empty house Old memories and ghosts And our small dreams gathering dust Chorus Going far away, far away Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 23 Sep 20 - 08:01 PM THE SHEARING’S COMING ROUND (Wright/Jessett) There's a sound of many voices in the camp and on the track And letters coming up in shoals to stations at the back And every boat that crosses from the sunny other side Is bringing waves of shearers for the swelling of the tide (Chorus) And the shearing's coming round, boys, the shearing's coming round The stations of the mountains have begun to hear the sound They'll be talking up at Laghmor of the tallies that were shore And the bloke who broke the record is remembered at Benmore And the yarns of strikes and barneys will be told till all is blue And the ringers and the bosses will be passed in long review Chorus. The great Orari muster and the drafting of the men Like a mob of ewes and wethers will be surely told again And a lot of heathen places that will rhyme with kangaroo Will be named along with ringers and the things that they can do Chorus At last the crowds have gathered for the morning of the start And the slowest of the jokers will be trying to look smart And a few will get the bullet, and high hopes will have a fall, And the bloke that talks the loudest stands a show of looking small Chorus With the arrival of Australian shearers working under contract on high country stations during the 1890s, NZ locals were exposed to Australian songs and especially the verse of Lawson and Paterson. The latter inspired Kiwi balladeers such as David McKee Wright who has been described as New Zealand’s ‘outback laureate’. His fine poem, 'The Shearing’s Coming Round,' references 3 large Canterbury stations – Laghmore, Benmore and Orari Gorge. The tune is by Michael Jessett. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 23 Sep 20 - 08:16 PM BLUE SMOKE (Ruru Karaitiana) Blue smoke goes drifting by into the deep blue sky And when I think of home, I sadly sigh Oh I can see you there, with loving tears in your eyes As we fondly said our last goodbyes And as I sailed away with a longing to stay I promised I'd be true and to love only you Blue smoke goes drifting by into the deep blue sky My memories of home will never die Spoken [Women’s part] Smoke drifts away high into the sky And the memories come flooding back. ‘Aue!’ Those overwhelming feelings, and the tears " ... You are going, you are going ... I travel with you on the wings of my love Oh Tama, my love is all for you." Smoke drifts away high into the sky I will never forget you. I will never never forget you. And as I sailed away with a longing to stay I promised I'd be true and to love only you Blue smoke goes drifting by into the deep blue sky My memories of home will never die Ruru Karaitiana served in the Middle East in WW2 with the 28th New Zealand (Maori) Battalion. He wrote 'Blue Smoke' on a troop ship in 1940 when a friend drew his attention to some passing smoke. In 1947, he formed an Hawaiian-style quintet and recorded it with singer, Pixi Williams. It was the first song written by a New Zealander to be recorded and released on a New Zealand record label. It was a massive hit locally and was later recorded by Dean Martin and other overseas luminaries. It is a tad sentimental but as G.K Chesterton wisely pointed out ‘sentimentality is simply having feelings and not troubling to invent a new way of expressing them’. This recording omits the spoken women's part: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 23 Sep 20 - 09:57 PM SON OF ROME ~ © Paul Lawler, 1984 Born and bred, reared and rutted The Parish Priest, over me he muttered Water on the head, salt on the tongue For ensuing pain, this song is sung. Five years old, can’t understand schism Catechism, cataclysm Peter, Judas, rise up Zach Days of religion, minutes of math ... Seven years of age, church seasoned Can you beat the Jesuits’ reason Hymns and bells, indoctrina |