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Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 25 Sep 20 - 01:10 AM Mention of Colin Dryden reminded me of the VERY prolific songwriter and YT poster, Daniel Kelly, down in Yass. I can't keep up with all he does, but I did rather like his song "The Frederick" about which he says : "I caught a bit of this interview with Peter Grose about the book he has written called Ten Rogues, covering the story of 10 convicts that stole a ship from the camp on Sarah Island in 1834 and sailed to Chile: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/..." Listen here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7BAeyTKAM Check out his other vidclips here : https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielKellyFolkMusic/videos Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Sep 20 - 08:14 PM FAREWELL TO ANZAC (C.F Smith/M.Wyndham-Read) Oh, hump your swag and leave, me lads, the ships are in the bay We've got our marching orders now, it's time to come away And a long goodbye to Anzac Beach where blood has flowed in vain And we're leaving, leaving, leaving it and game to fight again But some there are who will not leave that bleak and bloody shore And some that marched and fought with us will fight and march no more Their blood has bought 'til judgment day the slopes they stormed so well And we're leaving, leaving, leaving them lying where they fell Australia's sons are lying there, the bravest and the best We're leaving them behind us now, their days have come to rest We've done our best with yesterday, tomorrow's still our own And we're leaving, leaving, leaving them lying all alone Oh they are gone beyond it all, the praising and the blame And many a man will win renown, but none more fair a fame; They showed the world Australia's sons knew well the way to die And we're leaving, leaving, leaving them quiet where they lie We will leave these lads behind us now lying where they died They are in our hearts and in our minds, their glory and their pride. Round them the sea and barren land, over them the sky Oh we're leaving, leaving, leaving them quiet where they lie We are leaving, leaving, leaving them quiet where they lie Martyn Wyndham-Read put a tune to this poem by English poet, Cicely Fox Smith. He made some alterations to the original text. His studio version on his album 'Back to you': Click A live rendition with lengthy, but interesting, introduction: Click Mudcatter, Charley Noble, also put a tune to the poem. You can find it here: Mudcat thread --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Sep 20 - 09:19 PM BELLS AND BULLOCKS (M.Gilmore/R.Rummery) Ben the bullocky sits by the fire On the long slow hours adrift Bowed is the back that could never could tire Whatever the hoist or lift. Ask him stories of the teams, only get him talking He will waken from his dreams, on the roads go walking. There, though the body sags to the knees His mind is out on the road Watching the play of the axle-trees Marking the swing of the load 'Bullocks, ay I knowed them then - no one knowed ‘em better Spelt them just the same as men, letter after letter' Once in a while we ask if he hears The sound of Mennecke’s bells Deep in the pits of his ancient ears Repeating their olden spells 'Mennecke’s bells', then he'll say, 'never heard none like ‘em Mennecke, he had the way, no one else could strike ‘em' Bred to the yoke, old Bullocky Ben Bullock-boy, that was his start Says with a laugh, remembering men 'Them were the days- they were smart' Written in his own queer way, bullock-whip the scriber He made history in his day – Ben the bullock driver Chloe and Jason Roweth sing this poem by Mary Gilmore on their tribute to Bob Rummery concert - go to 10:55 mark. Yutube clip Menneke bell --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 25 Sep 20 - 09:37 PM A hugely popular song for many years - and one of the earliest Australian folksongs that I loved and learnt. Springtime Brings on the Shearing EJ Overbury / trad Oh the springtime it brings on the shearing And it's then you will see them in droves To the west country stations all steering A seeking a job off the coves. Ch. With a ragged old swag on my shoulder And a billy quart pot in my hand I tell you we'll astonish the new chums To see how we travel the land. You may talk of your mighty exploring Of Landsborough McKinley and King But I feel I should only be boring On such frivolous subjects to sing. For discovering mountains and rivers There's one for a gallon I'd back Who'd beat all your Stuart's to shivers It's the men on the Wallaby Track. From Billabone Murray and Loddon To the far Tartiara and back The hills and the plains are well trodden By the men on the Wallaby Track. And after the shearing is over And the wool season's all at an end It is then that you will see those flash shearers Making johnny cakes round in the bend. This clip of Tina Lawton & Marian Henderson singing, is taken from the ABC-TV production "The Restless Years" in 1967, (which is available online…..) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcBGopVHd7g and as the YT channel says : “You can call it dated, you could possibly call it twee - but it's also a rare duo performance by two of Australia's most respected female folk singers of the 1960s. Both were also quite under recorded, and certainly film of either artist is very rare nowadays.” But the version that was dearest to my teenage heart was this one by Gary Shearston from 1965 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXpNx2bWjnI&list=OLAK5uy_nZIa73rGV7M3pNuDYzwsv37qbQS1e_jXg Consequently, I think I learnt just about every lyric from his LP “The Springtime it Brings on the Shearing” :) John Thompson, on his Oz Folksong a Day website, says : “The following notes are from the liner notes for this song from Gary Shearston's CD re-release of earlier recordings "Here and There: Now and Then". "One of the best known of all Australian folk songs, this was collected in Victoria by Dr. Percy Jones. John Meredith found a rather different version in New South Wales, and most of Dr. Jones' words turn up in some verses called The Wallaby Track, which were published by a bush poet called E.J. Overbury in 1865. Maybe some bush singer read Overbury's words and set some of them to a tune; that was a common habit with bush singers. Maybe Overbury heard a bush song, and took some of the words into one of his own poems; that was a common habit with bush poets. coves: station managers or owners. billy quart pot: an indispensable item of the bush nomads' gear; a can, here of quart capacity, in which water could be boiled and food cooked. new-chums: newly arrived immigrants. Flash shearers making johnny-cakes round in the bend: a contrast in the lot of the shearer at different seasons of the year is implied; during the shearing season he is fl ash (shows an exaggerated sense of his own importance), because he is earning good wages and respect for his skill; when the shearing season is over, and he is unemployed, he is reduced to camping out in the open by some river bend, and living on a diet consisting mainly of camp-made bread (a johnny cake is, roughly speaking, a kind of small damper). Note: from the original album notes by Edgar Waters, supplemented by Stuart Heather.” Now the springtime Down Under means I must get off the 'puter and go and werk!! Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 25 Sep 20 - 09:49 PM TIMELESS LAND (Phyl Lobl) Once she was a timeless land Where time ran on forever To the dreaming people there She was land of never-never Fish and fowl she had in plenty And her stones were given worth In their hearts they held her holy And they thought of her as earth Once she was an open land Where few would bow to bosses And the working people there Thought they called or barred the tosses Where the convict and the settler Earned their freedom by their toil In their hearts they freely thanked her And they thought of her as the soil Once she was a lucky land Where living easy came And the clever people there Learned to play the power game Soon they sold her stony hillsides Then she lost her very heart In the greed of their intentions They thought of her as dirt Now she is a changing land Upon the point of turning Where she'll go it's hard to say Are we wise or lost in learning? For the ones who are to follow She's the land we hold in trust Will she be to them the earth Will they call her only dust? Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 26 Sep 20 - 06:53 AM egads, I come back after 24 hours of no internet to 22 new songs - now we have 239, one of which was a song I wanted to post (after the writer sent me the lyrics, which he hasn't done yet) well done OzCatters! |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 26 Sep 20 - 10:18 PM I first heard this Kiwi classic on Declan Affley's LP of the same name. THE DAY THE PUB BURNED DOWN (Bob Edwards/Anon) Pull up a stump and lend an ear and a story I'll relate About a sinful waste of beer I will elucidate I'll tell of how calamity struck Wapakiwi town And caused a gruesome tragedy, the day the pub burned down The boys had gathered in the bar upon that fateful day. By horse and foot and motor-car they all had made their way While listening to Manuka Jones, New Zealand's finest liar They heard a cry that chilled the bones: ‘The flamin' pub's on fire!’ There'd been a drought for weeks and weeks, the wells and tanks were dry No water flowed along the creeks, we had no town supply The blazing sun, without relent, turned all the green to brown Imagine our predicament, the day the pub burned down Through smoke and flame, we dragged the booze to safety out the door Then thought of what we stood to lose and rushed back in for more ‘Stand by - the fire brigade is here!’ (those men of high renown) ‘Oh, fireman, fireman, save the beer and let the Pub burn down!' They bashed the tops of barrels in while strong men knelt to pray, Shoved their flippin' hoses in and shouted ‘Pumps away!’ They fought with beer and lemonade, that raging fire to drown And we fought and cursed the fire brigade, the day the pub burned down Now moreporks haunt the old pub site 'round Wapakiwi town And shikkers roam the hills at night to hunt the firemen down They curse the cash they cannot spend, their raging thirst to drown Dry horrors drove them 'round the bend, the day the pub burned down Youtube clip Neil Colquhoun included it at p53 of his 'Song of a young country'. He also included this delightful excerpt from a poem by James K. Baxter, the author of 'By the dry Cardrona'. The poem is 'Lament for Barney Flanagan: Licensee of the Hespeus Hotel'. Flanagan got up on a Saturday morning Pulled on his pants while the coffee was warming Didn't remember the doctor's warning: 'Your heart's too big, Mr Flanagan ...' Barney Flanagan ripe for the coffin Eighteen stone and brandy rotten Patted the house-maid's velvet bottom 'Oh, is it you, Mr Flanagan ...' While publicans drink their profits still While lawyers flock to be in at the kill While Aussie barmen milk the till We will remember him, Flanagan Colquhoun also references James McNeish's 'Tavern in the town' as well worth reading in respect of country pubs. There is no such town as Wapakiwi. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 26 Sep 20 - 10:43 PM THE OTHER OLDER NATION (Louisa Wise) In Australia towns have an avenue of trees Each poplar planted for a young man fallen In a whiteman's war faraway There's just such a town Near here where we stand And there's a marsh hard by the avenue of trees Where men and women and children were killed one day In a one-sided war that was very much here to stay And where are the trees for these dark-skinned fallen Do they merit a tear or a tree? If we planted a tree for each dark one fallen The wetland would give way to woodland The killings avenged a killing before A white landowner died by the spear Of a black man who had come to take back his wife Take her on back from the whiteman's service The service of flesh - if she would give it or no And for this the people died They were all chased down To the marsh by the road That would be planted with trees Some time in the next generation Trees for the boys of the nation But what of the other nation? The other older nation? And where are the trees for these dark-skinned fallen Do they merit a tear or a tree? If we planted a tree for each dark one fallen The wetland would give way to woodland I got the song from Bob Rummery's 'The Man with the Concertina'. I reproduced the line structure as printed in the booklet for that CD. I presume Bob got it directly from Louisa. As Bob points out, this one incident in WA was replicated across the country. Lest we forget. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 26 Sep 20 - 11:39 PM I first came across 'The New Road' on a limited edition CD titled 'The Guilford Tapes' given to me yonks ago by Keryn Randall, a fine singer. The recording was of its author, John Beavis, performing at the Guilford Folk Club in Victoria. The song has been recorded by Danny Spooner on his 'Emerging Tradition' CD and by Martyn Wyndham-Read on his 'Oceans in the Sky' CD. Martyn calls it a 'gypsy hymn' and reflects that it is about 'the redemptive pattern of human nature'. Even us non-believers can recognise it as a good'un. THE NEW ROAD (John Beavis) You who puzzle on the saviour’s deeds Won't you stop and listen where the new road leads First born child of the refugees He was raised in Nazareth, schooled in charity And found salvation on His knees. Manhood brought him to the Jordan shore Where the baptist shivered in the rags he wore Plunged his cousin in the pilgrim stream And the dove descended and the old oad ended And the new road wakened from a dream Red sun sinking over Galilee Saw the stranger walking by an inland sea Four young fishermen around entwine For the new road heading to a Canaan wedding Where he turned the water into wine Thousands listened on the mountain slope As they dined on miracles and breathed in hope Blind men followed with the light restored As the sightless Pharisees condemned as heresies The wide-eyed workings of the lord Alleluja, how the people cheer The palm leaves rustle as the king draws near Woe, Jerusalem, the truth you shun And your sins ensuing are your own undoing Till your stones lie broken in the sun Thirteen gathered in an upstairs room As the high priest plotted for the saviour’s doom Blood and body in the wine and bread Then he kissed his enemy in sweet Gethsemane Twelve hours later he was dead. Mary wondered at the stone flung wide And the tomb rang hollow as she stepped inside Angels seated where the christ had lain Bid her quit the prison for the son had risen And would speak in Galilee again Show by living what the lord had done In the selfless giving of his only son Chart this passage to the last amen For the climb is steady if the pilgrim’s ready The new road reaches out again Here's a live recording of Martyn Wyndham-Read. He omits the final stanza. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 27 Sep 20 - 06:24 AM Among The Refugees by Pat Drummond dateline: Port Headland, W.A. 16/01/02 Matthew, 1 - 28 The angel came to Joseph late one night And said, "You must be gone gather up your wife and infant son for you must leave this place Herod seeks you, death awaits through Israel's dark and bloodstained gates to Egypt you must flee" Jesus was a child when he became a refugee Chorus: At The Mercy of the stranger Seeking shelter from the fates Fleeing certain death and danger uncertainty awaits Speak to me, my country Tell me what you see Underneath the razor wire In those same dark and frightened eyes Tell me do you recognize Who is that refugee? The Bible tells us Herod slew each child below the age of two years old to save his dynasty political expediency really isn't something new politicians always do what their ambitions tell them to and truth is sacrificed but shame is all a nation buys when children pay the price Bridge: They didn't speak the language but they prayed God would provide through the kindness of the stranger until the day the tyrant king had died Perhaps sold all they that owned to pay for their escape look at your children, And if you love them tell me then which of you would hesitate? 600 children, heaven sent living in imprisonment for years for the crime of being poor fleeing famine, poverty and war I hear you say to me "It's not our responsibility They came unasked across the sea" Yes, and so did we. And if you lived back in Egypt when that family fled from Herod's men Would we have imprisoned them among the refugees? Chorus: At The Mercy of the stranger Seeking shelter from the fates Fleeing certain death and danger uncertainty awaits Speak to me, my country Tell me what you see Underneath the razor wire In those same dark and frightened eyes Tell me do you recognize Who is that refugee? |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 27 Sep 20 - 08:54 PM Here is Martyn Wyndham-Read's version of Sally Sloane's 'The banks of Claudy'. There are minor changes to the text as printed in Meredith & Anderson 'Folk Songs of Australia'. THE BANKS OF CLAUDY It was on a summer's morning all in the month of May Down by the banks of Claudy I carelessly did stray I overheard a fair maid in sorrow did complain All for her absent lover who ploughed the raging main I stepped up unto her and gave her a big surprise I hoped she would not know me, I being in such disguise I said, ‘My pretty fair maid, my joy and heart's delight How far do you mean to wander this dark and dreary night?’ ‘It's to the banks of Claudy, if you'll be kind to show Take pity on a fair maid who knows not where to go. I'm searching for a young man, and Johnnyis his name And on the banks of Claudy I'm told he does remain’ ‘These are the banks of Claudy, fair maid, you’re standing on But don’t depend on Johnny for he's a false young man But don’t depend on Johnny for he'll not meet you here But tarry with me in yon green woods, no danger need you fear’ ‘If Johnny he was here this night, he’d keep me from all harm He's in the field of battle, all in his uniform He's in the field of battle and his foes he does destroy Like the loyal king of honour all on the walls of Troy’ ‘It's six long weeks and better since Johnny left this shore A-crossing the main ocean where thundering billows roar A-crossing the main ocean for honour and for fame, But I'm told his ship was wrecked nigh to the coast of Spain’ Now when she heard this dreadful news, she flew in deep despair A-wringing of her hands and a-tearing of her hair Saying, ‘If my Johnny’s drowned, no man alive I'll take Through lonesome shades and valleys I'll wander for his sake’ When he saw her loyalty, he could no longer stand He flew into her arms, crying, ‘Betsy, I'm your man’ Crying, ‘Betsy, I'm the young man, the cause of all your pain Now since we've met on Claudy banks, we'll never part again’ Youtube clip For a discussion of the song's provenance, see this Mudcat thread: Click --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 27 Sep 20 - 10:18 PM THE CATALPA A noble whale ship the Catalpa Set out from New Bedford one day She sailed off to Western Australia And took six poor Fenians away Chorus So come all you screw warders and jailers Remember Perth regatta day Take care of the rest of your Fenians Or the yankees will steal them away Seven long years they had served here And seven long more had to stay For defending their country old Ireland They were ta’en and transported away You kept them in Western Australia Till their hair had begun to turn grey When a brave whaling ship and commander Came out here and stole them away Now all the Perth boats were a-racing And making short tacks for the spot But the yankee tacked into Fremantle And took the best prize of the lot The Georgette she sailed out with guns ready Intending the yankee to take But they hoisted their star-spangled banner And left the Georgette in their wake So remember those six Fenians heroes Who escaped o’er to Amerikay And join in a toast the bravery of the yankees who stole them away Now they've landed safe in New York harbour And the crowd there to greet them did cry ’So we’ll hoist up the green flag and shamrock For old Ireland we’ll fight or we’ll die There are many versions of 'The Catalpa'. I reckon the above is a good'un. Youtube clip For info on publications, check out Mark Gregory's site: Click Mudcat thread --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 27 Sep 20 - 11:51 PM RED FOX (Lynne Muir) Where the red fox runs, we will hunt him down We will chase him o’er the mountains ‘till the sun goes down, Poor old fox, we mean no harm But the fire’s in our blood and so we must follow far from the lights of home Chorus For we’re men of the bush And we’re part of the land And we do not kill for pleasure That we’d have you understand. With the sun on our brow or the moonlight on our path We will follow the tracks of our fathers gone before We roam the plains and we’ll set a rout Be it fair or stormy weather, we will seek and hunt him out Where the rabbit runs, we will set our snare But you must not think us heartless men or men who do not care For we do not thrill to the blood and the kill But we live from the land and so we will eat from it when we can, We’re tired old men on a worn-out trail When the tables are turned, maybe the fox will be hunting for the man Danny Spooner recorded this on his 'Emerging Traditions' and 'The Fox, the Hare and the Poacher's Fate' CDs. There is also a live recording on the 'Guilford Tapes' CD that I referred to above. Danny's note: Lynne Muir wrote this great hunting song about her grandfather in 1986. Geoff Muir had spent most of his life in the shadow of Hanging Rock in Victoria and like most country-bred men he knew the best places in the area to fish, shoot and trap. These skills often helped keep families fed, especially during times of Depression. Lynne's song is her tribute to her grandfather and his values. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Sep 20 - 12:26 AM SIXTEEN MILLION PEOPLE (Don Henderson) Have you ever had the feeling, being introduced to someone You think that you’ve already met But you really can’t be certain, 'cause the names aren't familiar But there’s something about the face you can’t forget And it turns out that really, after quite a bit of talking You went to kindergarten and such And the people that surround you, there’s only sixteen million And sixteen million people isn’t much Well you walk into a bar and a bloke says, 'G’day Charlie' And you tell him that Charlie’s not yer name And he says that he is sorry but he thought yer name was Charlie But he reckons that he knows yer just the same And it turns out that his sister’s married to your uncle’s second cousin Yes, of course now he remembers you You were seated four rows down at the table in a grey suit At the wedding in nineteen fifty-two Well, you’re at the country-dance and you’re dancin’ with a stranger To tell the truth you wouldn’t know from Eve But with faint heart and all that stuff you say, 'aven’t we met somewhere?' And she says, 'Why yes! I do believe' And it turned out that once you were on a train to Brisbane And it didn’t have a dining car, don’t cry And she was the waitress at South Grafton Station And you ordered black coffee and a pie. Well, you are in the one horse town and the horse has long since bolted There’s nothing but a hotel and a jail And a copper and a publican and a liver-coloured kelpie And the dog comes up to you and wags his tail Now it turns out that really the dog’s never met yer Just thought that he’d come over and say hi! But the copper and the publican, they reckon they both know yer But they didn’t want to say so, they were shy Another one that Danny recorded on his 'Emerging Tradition' CD. Danny's note: I remember falling about myself when I first heard Don Henderson sing this at the Troubadour in Sydney when Australia only had sixteen million population. The experience of being mistaken for someone else might be common enough, but Don's exquisite sense of humour and imagination suggests endless possibilities. This is the only rendition I could find on the Net: Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Sep 20 - 06:36 AM When Stewie posted “The Catalpa”, it reminded me that I’d never seen or heard a song about Sam Isaacs and Grace Bussell’s gallant rescues via horseback, in December 1876 (think West Aussie’s own “Grace Darling”). So I was pleased to come across this recent piece by WA’s current 11-man Shanty group, “The Lost Quays”. Their song, “The Georgette”, was apparently a product of The Great Covid Scare of 2020, as can be seen here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPXYvmpQzs4 “Heave Away, Haul away, the Georgette’s going down, me boys Heave Away, Haul away, the Georgette’s going down” It tells of Aboriginal stockman, Sam Isaacs, sighting the distressed SS Georgette (built 1872, 211 tons, steam/sail), from the clifftops around Calgardup Bay (her cargo of mainly jarrah timber had shifted and holed the vessel and the incoming water stuffed the boilers). Sam ran the 20 Kms to Wallcliffe House where 16 year old Grace Bussell then joined him and together they rode their horses back and forth from ship to shore for around 4 hours (and remember, West Aussie does rather a good line in sharks!), and rescued many of the 50 or so remaining passengers (some had drowned, but some had already made it to shore). I sure hope the horses were okay. Grace was naturally and rightly claimed a heroine (Australia’s youngest) and plaques and citations followed. As can be expected, recognition for Sam, took somewhat longer………….. WA’s generally inhospitable coastline, with its tricky winds, strong surf and currents, chilling water and unusual underwater topography, is (literally) littered with shipwrecks and “lost vessels” that will probably never be found. However, the Georgette’s final resting place is at Redgate Beach, near Margaret River, in about 5metres of water. https://www.tracesmagazine.com.au/2013/11/saving-grace-western-australias-shipwreck-rescuer-grace-bussell/ The Lost Quays, formed in 2015, can currently be found here, on Shore Leave : https://www.facebook.com/TheLostQuays/ http://www.thelostquays.com/ Also, they have been known to perform, on occasion, with those ballsy Ladies of the Sea : SHE SHANTS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZaHkorfvK0 The LQ’s also have a (more country-sounding) song which commemorates Dutchman, Dirk Hartog, in the Eendracht, and his visit to West Aussie over 400 years ago, in 1616; the second recorded European landing on the continent, but the first on the Western coastline (he left an inscribed pewter plaque as proof - the Hartog Plate - in the Shark Bay region). He also mapped much of the northern WA coastline : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN4_82y1lzA&t=116s The Lost Quays have written too, of the grisly Batavia shipwreck story (if and when I find the Batavia number, I’ll post the links), and the City of York, wrecked off Rottnest : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAoARak1IjA&list=PLIogTlAtxC8F2h-mqxJGS0yL4VqYylUqA&index=6 Here is their 2017 song “Holes in the Nets” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojiNjXvoXWQ and about which they say : “Our new song "Holes in the Nets" is a whimsical take on the seriously scary subject of ocean fish depletion. It makes reference to the classic dystopian film "Soylent Green" (1973) in which the population subsist on an allegedly algae-based protein ... which is of course made from people!” I also found reference amongst Lost Quays, to another West Aussie duo Tingley Turner (Jennifer Tingley & Nick Turner) and in particular his song “Shackleton” about the explorer Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic expeditions : https://www.reverbnation.com/tingleyturner They had a 2012 CD called “Heroes & Dreamers”, but I’m yet to locate more info on that. Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 28 Sep 20 - 06:47 AM THE WITCHES AND THE WHALES, John Warner © 18/10/2010 A friend loaned John a Scottish heritage magazine in which he read a story of bay whalers being outwitted by a trio of women who mysteriously disappeared … The whaleboat came when the mist was thin, And drifted up the bay. Upon the tide she ghosted in, Where the whales all feeding lay x 2 They’ll trap the whales on the falling tide, Upon the shingle beach, And slay each one for the oil and bone, When the sea is out of reach x 2 So softly then they drove the whales, Up from the heaving sea, But down the wind came a small, small craft, And aboard were women three, One was a fair and shapely maid, The older nursed a child, oh, The oldest grinned a gap-toothed grin, And they all sang drunken wild, oh. Swift did she go, though none did row, Her gaps and splits gaped wide, And as she rolled such a music came, A drifting up the tide x 2 For those on board sang drunken songs, That echoed round the bay, And no man nigh dared raise a cry, For fear he start the prey x 2 The angry whalers waved their hands, To bid the three be still, But louder yet they clashed their cups And aye they sang more shrill x 2 One was a fair and shapely maid, The older nursed a child, oh, The oldest grinned a gap-toothed grin, And they all sang drunken wild, oh. The youngest seized on an iron pot, And beat it without rest, The older chanted ribaldry, As the child nursed at her breast x 2 The oldest blew on a great bagpipe, A reel to rouse the dead, And at that sound, the boat turned round, And towards the whales it sped x 2 The frightened whales turned up their tails, And dived beneath the swell, And from the three in the reeling tub, Came a fierce triumphant yell, One was a fair and shapely maid, The older nursed a child oh, The oldest grinned a gap-toothed grin, And they all sang drunken wild oh. And in that moment a burst of spray, Hid all the three from sight, But aye what mocking laughter rose, To fade in the gathering night x 2 The whaling men cried out in rage, And brandished stave and fist, But the night was still, for the boat and all, Had vanished like the mist x 2 And down that steep and rocky coast, They say, who hear such tales, The threefold Goddess rides that boat, And thus she guards the whales. One was a fair and shapely maid, The older nursed a child oh, The oldest grinned a gap-toothed grin, And they all sang drunken wild oh |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Sep 20 - 07:24 AM WESTERN AUSTRALIA FOR ME Composed by an Irish Australian Lawyer in 1831 NB all info taken from the WASONG website : https://wasong.com.au/wasong/ The song ‘Western Australia for me’ was written by the Irish Lawyer George Fletcher Moore. It was first sung by George Fletcher Moore at the first Ball at the governor’s house in 1831 enjoyed by 180 ladies and gentlemen to the wee hours of 6 a.m. ”Swans were so abundant on the river when first discovered as to give the name Swan River Settlement. I dare not say that I christened the colony, but certainly after the above song, the name of Western Australia was adopted.” George Fletcher Moore graduated in law in Ireland in1820. Seeing little prospect of advancement he decided to pursue a legal career in the English colonies. He sailed from Dublin to Western Australia on board the Cleopatra, arriving at the Swan River Colony on 30 October 1830. In February 1832, he was appointed a Commissioner of the Civil Court. Rewarded with land and a regular salary, Moore purchased stock and by 1833 he had one of the largest flocks of sheep in the colony. Moore was unusual amongst his contemporaries in a number of ways. He was vocal about the colonies economic problems being brought about by mismanagement. His criticisms made him unpopular with many of the colonies establishment. Moore also developed friendly, lasting relationships with the Indigenous Australians of the area. He began to take a scholarly interest in their language and customs and in1833, Moore published in the Perth Gazette the first account of the customs of the Aborigines of the area. He later co produced a book with John Hutt called A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia. Moore was an active explorer and the Moore River (near New Norcia) was named after him. In about 1878, the editor of The West Australian, Sir Thomas Cockburn Campbell, sought and was granted permission to serialise Moore’s letters. The letters appeared in the West Australian in 1881 and 1882. On seeing them in print, Moore decided to republish them in book form. They were published in 1884 as Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia. Graphics and text from Wikipedia. ".....We have come to explore, the wilds of this Western Australian Shore, In search of a country, we’ve ventured to roam, and now we’ve found it, let’s make it our home. And what though the Colony’s new, Sirs, And inhabitants may be few, Sirs, We see them increasing here, Sirs, So Western Australia for me. With care and experience, I’m sure ’twill be found, Two crops in the year we may get from the ground; There’s good wood and good water, good flesh and good fish, Good soil and good clime, and what more could you wish. Then let everyone earnestly strive, Sirs, Do his best, be alert and alive, Sirs, So Western Australia for me. No lions or tigers we here dread to meet, Our innocent quadrupeds hop on two feet, No tithes and no taxes we now have to pay, And our Geese are all Swans, as some witty folks say, Then we live without trouble or stealth, Sirs, Our currency’s all sterling wealth, Sirs, So here’s to our Governor’s health, Sirs, And Western Australia for me.” The song is sung on Vimeo, by St Hilda’s Choir at : https://wasong.com.au/wasong/ I note that two of my forebears preceded Mr Moore into the Swan River Colony. Sadly however, they did not have his kind of money and education. Actually, I’m not so sure they had any of either necessity – as one was an indentured servant (i.e. female white slave) on the Rockingham, and one was an emancipated East End convict, who was doing all right - until he married the Rockingham female!! C’est la Vie. Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Sep 20 - 08:12 AM COCKY (COCKIE) BELL By Val Hastings You took up your selection west of Karlowin Well. You ploughed the land and fenced it in. The seasons did you well. In '29 you were sowing wheat with a horse team of the best When a combine point came springing down and stabbed you through the chest. CH. Cocky Bell, you were a tough man, one of our pioneers. You were a wheatbelt cocky for only fourteen years. You were a cocky through and through Though it was the death of you, Cocky Bell. For two long days and freezing nights you lay out on the ground. Your faithful team of horses never moved nor made a sound; But you were getting weaker as in the dirt you lay. You prayed to God to give you strength to see another day. Well, when your neighbour found you, you couldn't even cry, For the blasted ants of our fair land had eaten out your eyes; And as he held you in his arms, he marvelled at your pluck. Then it's eighty miles to a hospital bed on the back of a Chevrolet truck. You held hard, hard to the hand of a mate and you swore for evermore, You swore an oath that if you lived you'd kill every ant you saw; But your beaten body couldn't take any more. It'd had just about enough. Cocky Bell, it got the best of you, but by Jesus, you were tough! Catter Bugsy (Peter Bugden), tracked down the lyrics in this Mudcat thread : https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=97418&messages=18#4073450 “This song was sung in memory of those farmers out on the WA wheatfields who in days gone by, used their tractor with a rope slung over to fell trees but often the tractor would flip and they would be trapped underneath -often stuck out in the isolated paddock maybe for days and if they were lucky somebody found them.........” I can relate to this not uncommon occurrence in my own Family History, where my G-Grandmother’s brother was impaled by his own harvester, in rural Victoria :( “…..Cocky / Cockie arose in the 1870s and is an abbreviation of cockatoo farmer. This was then a disparaging term for small-scale farmers, probably because of their habit of using a small area of land for a short time and then moving on, in the perceived manner of cockatoos feeding…..” A.N.U. NB Does anyone know of a copy of this song anywhere online??? Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Sep 20 - 09:00 AM BRIDAL TRAIN The Waifs A telegram arrived today, It’s time to catch the Monterey Cause the man I wed he waits for me, and a daughter that he's yet to see. The U.S. Navy beamed its message, we'll deliver brides on a one-way passage It made big news across the nation, the bridal train leaves from Perth station. All the girls around Australia, married to a yankee sailor Your fare is paid across the sea, to the home of the brave and the land of the free, From west to east the young girls came, all aboard the Bridal Train It was a farewell crossing over land, she's gone to meet her sailor man. No time for sad goodbyes, she held her mother as she cried And then waited there in the Freo rain, to climb aboard the bridal train. Well she was holding her future in her hand, yeah the faded photo of a man Catch a sailor if you can, yeah the war bride leaves her southern land. All the girls around Australia, married to a yankee sailor Your fare is paid across the sea, to the home of the brave and the land of the free, From west to east the young girls came, all aboard the Bridal Train It was a farewell crossing over land, she's gone to meet her sailor man. This is the story of the starry nights, through desert plains and city lights Through burning sun and driving rain, she left aboard the Bridal Train. All the girls around Australia, married to a yankee sailor Your fare is paid across the sea, to the home of the brave and the land of the free, From west to east the young girls came, all aboard the Bridal Train It was a farewell crossing over land, she's gone to meet her sailing man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k7OncTVHkI “It is estimated that between 12,000 and 15,000 Australian women married American servicemen during World War Two. Some made a life in the USA, while others returned to Australia with or without their husbands in the years following the war. While public perception about war brides paints a narrow picture, it is clear that there are many different reasons why Australian women married American servicemen…… https://www.sea.museum/discover/online-exhibitions/war-brides Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Sep 20 - 09:48 AM (What Will We Do With) Maud Butler by John Thompson Maud Butler had a brother in the army And so she made her way to Sydney town At 17 she knew her mind She wouldn't just be left behind And so Maud tried to join the army Chorus: Oh, what will we do with Maud Butler? She dresses as a soldier and she wants to go to war She jumped a ship to cross the foam Better than any stay-at-home The prettiest little soldier-boy the Army ever saw. A lovely farmer's daughter from old Kurri Kurri town When she tried to sign on as a nurse they turned the poor girl down. So she bought herself some soldier's gear Cut her hair and wiped her tears And she climbed up a rope to board a transport Three days in a life-raft with not a bite to eat Til bold as brass she walked the decks, the sailor-boys to meet An officer saw her walking about Her boots were wrong, they found her out. Poor Maud was put ashore in dear old Melbourne Only two months later, Maud was back on board again Another attempt to see the front, in the company of men “I'll do my bit to help the war” She told them when she was back on shore "I just want to be a soldier" This young girl's an example to all of those who shirk Where other's would have given up, Maud Butler went to work A lesser girl would have had enough But Maud was made of sterner stuff So raise a cheer and sing of Miss Maud Butler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wtxja9EX0A Notes by John Thompson : Mark Cryle was kind enough to tell me about the amazing Maud Butler, a seventeen-year-old girl who was so keen to help the war effort in 1915, that she bought up a uniform one piece at a time and then stowed away on a troop ship. Twice! Her amazing story is well worth telling. There are some especially good links online to original news stories about her exploits: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/129568967? and for her persistent offending: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/109949097? Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 28 Sep 20 - 09:54 AM THE TIMBERCUTTERS SONG W,A, Bush Orchestra at long last, here is the song link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jw_7_7wjEc The chords are online, but not the lyrics. (and I no longer have the energy! My little truckle bed is calling me :) R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Sep 20 - 08:56 PM R-J, great posts. I was unaware of the Georgette rescue story. 'Bridal Train' and the Waifs' early albums are great favourites of my wife. I recently recovered my 'West Australian Bush Bands' LP from its long-borrowed status. Alas, there is no insert or sleeve notes. However, Phil Beck has the lyrics for 'Timbercutters Song' and will send them to me. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Sep 20 - 09:18 PM NOVEMBER (Junior - Adelaide band) There’s no colour like blood, there’s no feeling like sun on your skin There’s no place like home after all the things we’ve seen One more for the road, one more you can carry me home Pour me another, I don’t want to be alone There’s nobody like you and there sure ain’t nobody like me Not a single soul can know what we feel or see When you wake at dawn, love the light you see ‘Cos if you see the light, there’s a chance for you and me Jacarandas in November All the colours I’ll remember Lined up down your street in springtime When the air tastes sweet Jacarandas in November, I’ll remember Oh, I - I’ll remember you The eleventh hour, last stand, you went down We had our plans just like every man You and me and Desie in Sydney when we’re free We made it there in nineteen fifty-three Jacarandas in November All the colours I’ll remember Lined up down your street in springtime When the air tastes sweet Jacarandas in November, I’ll remember Oh, I - I’ll remember you And your slouch hat and your photographs Only me you left behind I’ll never forget you, you’re forever young In my mind, forever young Jacarandas in November All the colours I’ll remember Lined up down your street in springtime When the air tastes sweet Jacarandas in November, I’ll remember Oh, I - I’ll remember you There’s no colour like blood, there’s no feeling like sun on your skin I reckon 'November' is a ripper little song, but I'm probably prejudiced because I was born and raised in Adelaide before moving to Darwin. It is from folk rock group Junior's 'Fibro Majestic' CD. You can listen to the CD on Spotify. The above is my transcription from YT video. I don't know which member or members of the band wrote the song. It's a beaut video of jacarandas. Youtube clip Junior bio --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Sep 20 - 10:44 PM R-J, Phil excelled himself - lyrics arrived an hour after my request. Great song. THE TIMBERCUTTERS SONG (Alan Mann) In the timber tall and green along the line You can hear the magpies call and the crickets sing These sounds the steel will join as the bush saws scrape and whine You’ll hear the echoes as our axes ring The teamster all too soon he moves on in And the logs we cleared to the line he moves away Eight horses four-be-two and the two-wheel wooden whim And that axle groans at least six times a day (Chorus) Keep those logs rolling boys, down to the mill me boys Keep those logs a-rolling down And we'll push the cross cuts through just to show what we can do And we’ll pave all the streets of London Town Well the mill train sweats and strains most all the day Down the twenty mile of track that feeds the mill Stoker keeps the firebox full with the off-cuts from the day So later on she’ll make the three-mile hill And at the mill first tails grip and bark the logs And then roll them to the benchman standing by And he’ll slip the mill saw through ne'er care she slips or bogs And it's then you’ll see the chips and sawdust fly Chorus And the planks to the world we’ll ship away When the weather’s fine, they'll go the Hamelin side When the nor-wester comes on in, then it’s round by Flinders Bay On that rolling surf you’ll see the good ships ride Spare a thought for those chaps who're workin' hard Next time you walk the streets of London Town In the forest, at the mill, on the line or in the yard Just keeping those logs a-rolling down Chorus |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 28 Sep 20 - 11:27 PM A BUSHMAN CAN'T SURVIVE (John Williamson) A city girl is happy with her friends and family life Appreciates a wine with him at night She tries to find the sparkle, she searches but it's gone With lots of love she hopes he'll be alright Her man has gone all quiet, he's not at ease He doesn't feel at home, he's hard to please He gets itchy feet, he's tired of noises in the street He needs to walk for hours through the trees CHORUS No a bushman can't survive on city lights Opera, rock and roll and height of heights His moon shines on the silver brigalow Shimmers down the inland river flow Out there where the yellow belly bites He's working with his hands today on a building site He can smell the cypress on the floor It takes him to a sandy ridge out amongst the pines No shearin’, no ploughin' anymore His kelpie dog is tired and fast asleep Sick of searchin' gardens for the sheep His master doesn't whistle tunes, he's not in the mood His love for open spaces runs too deep Chorus He tries to please his woman, the lady of his life He's standing at a party with a plate She finds him on the balcony staring at the moon An old familiar face he can relate His moon shines on the silver brigalow Shimmers down the inand river Out there where the yellow belly bites My friend, Scott Balfour, made a moving recording of this on his 'Mother Land' CD. He said the song had particular poignancy for him because it encapsulates the spirit of his friend Bill Hayes of Deep Well Station - the consummate bushman - who died tragically in a mustering accident. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Sep 20 - 12:06 AM COOTAMUNDRA WATTLE (John Williamson) Don't go lookin' through that old camphor box woman You know those old things only make you cry When you dream upon that little bunny rug It makes you think that life has passed you by There are days when you wish the world would stop woman But then you know some wounds would never heal But when I browse the early pages of the children It's then I know exactly how you feel. (Chorus) Hey it's July and the winter sun is shining And the cootamundra wattle is my friend For all at once my childhood never left me 'Cause wattle blossoms bring it back again It's Sunday and you should stop the worry woman Come out here and sit down in the sun Can't you hear the magpies in the distance Don't you feel the new day has begun Can't you hear the bees making honey woman In the spotted gums where the bellbirds ring You might grow old and bitter cause you missed it You know some people never hear such things Chorus Don't buy the daily papers any more woman Read all about what's going on in hell They don't care to tell the world of kindness Good news never made a paper sell There's all the colours of the rainbow in the garden woman And symphonies of music in the sky Heaven's all around us if you're looking But how can you see it if you cry Chorus This lovely song always reminds me of the late Chris Pemberton who would trot it out from time to time at the gun turret. Chris was a very fine singer and he had Mississippi John Hurt's guitar style down to a T. Here is a live rendition from John Williamson. I can relate to the background sound - we often have lorikeets carrying-on in our garden. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 29 Sep 20 - 12:29 AM Geez, Stewie.......You have started the fingernails-on-a-blackboard thing, for me. I can't stand that Cootamundra wattle song. A long-ago bloke used to call me "woman"; I hated it then, and I still hate it now. But that's all right. The world would be a dull place indeed if we all sang the same songs. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 29 Sep 20 - 01:27 AM LoL JennieG! I know what you mean though. An ex often called me "Missus" but that didn't really worry me. But "Woman" is somehow "different"...... :) Stew, thanks so much to you and Phil for Alan Mann's comp. Paul-the-Stockman digitised the LP and offered it up on his Blog of 11 May 2015, but mentions the lack of liner notes. Have to get WA's super-sleuth Becky back onto it!! : http://australianfolk.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-08-10T21:00:00%2B10:00&max-results=10&start=40&by-date=false Plus, I was wondering if you have any of Phil's comps that could be featured on this thread??? Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 29 Sep 20 - 02:22 AM TENTERFIELD SADDLER By Peter Allen The late George Woolnough worked on High Street and lived on Manners 52 years he sat on his veranda and made his saddles And if you had questions about sheep or flowers or dogs You just ask the saddler, he lived without sin; they're building a library for him. Ch. Time is a traveller, Tenterfield Saddler, turn your head Ride again Jackaroo, think I see kangaroo up ahead The son of George Woolnough went off and got married and had a war baby But something was wrong and it's easier to drink than go crazy And if there were questions about why the end was so sad Well George had no answers about why a son, ever has need of a gun Time is a traveller, Tenterfield Saddler, turn your head Ride again Jackaroo, think I see kangaroo up ahead The grandson of George has been all around the world and lives no special place Changed his last name and he married a girl with an interesting face He'd almost forgotten them both because in the life that he leads There's nowhere for George and his library, or the son with his gun, to belong - except in this song Time is a traveller, Tenterfield Saddler, turn your head Ride again Jackaroo, think I see kangaroo up ahead Time is a meddler, Tenterfield Saddler, make your bed Fly away cockatoo, down on the ground emu up ahead Time is a tale teller,Tenterfield Saddler, turn your head ………………… The late Peter Allen (singer/songwriter/dancer and all-round entertainer), was married for a while to Liza Minelli (“the girl with an interesting face”!). My Sister and B-in-Law do a lovely harmony version of this, but it’s not on-line yet. Many recordings available are overloaded by loud, intrusive instrumentation. So I have chosen this lovely version by Rick Price. Hope you enjoy this song; I never seem to tire of it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtM4a3bheIU Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 29 Sep 20 - 09:20 AM NOT MANY FISH By Bernard Bolan From Mortlake to Mosman for thirty-five years, In a twenty-six footer I’ve sailed. It paid for me grub and a couple of beers, But not now since the fishing has failed. There used to be Blackfish there used to be Bream, And there used to be Jewies to tame. But now there’s old beer cans and polythene bags, And things too repulsive to name. Ch. But the sun is still shining and the sky is still blue, You can still taste the salt on the spray. Me lines are all baited and me net’s over too, But there’s not many fish in the harbour today. Once the catches you’d get nearly made your boat sink, And the three of you filling the barge. But now all you get is terrible stink, With typhoid at no extra charge. What you need is a craft that can sail the high seas, Where the Herring and King Fishes play. All you bring up in the Harbour is dead dogs and cats, Not to mention that Mrs MacRae. So go for a sail with your Sally and Sue, Take Roger and Rufous as well. Remember to throw (chuck) your muck over the side, Then complain of the hideous smell. Well a fisherman’s known for not getting upset, When he sails through the wind and the rain. But a man can but think when he’s sailing through this, What a pity you can’t pull the chain. Here is Bernard Bolan singing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqRfyPekBEo (NB apparently Sydney Harbour is much cleaner, these days!) Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Sep 20 - 11:07 AM we now have 258 songs. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Sep 20 - 11:31 AM A very popular song at sessions, it was the winner of the Parody mug at the inaugural John & Dale Dengate Parody Competition at Illawarra Folk Festival in 2014, a very appropriate winner as John had loved it. Dale giving Cathy the box it came in. PRECIOUS GIFT (The Tony Abbott Song) by Cathy Rytmeister, February 2010 When I was a young girl, pure and whole I lived the clean life of a virgin I had no idea that my precious gift Was important to some politicians. So when I turned 18 and the boy up the road Said hey, how about it? I didn't say "no". But dear Tony Abbott, if only I'd known I'd have waited at least one more fortnight. For I was now bereft of true value By choosing a life full of sin My precious gift gone, just a memory in song All I've left is the box it came in. And well I remember relief on those days That my blood stained the sheets and the blankets I took many risks but was mostly OK I look back and for that I'm most thankful. But I wonder, if only I'd kept meself nice, Wore lippy and heels and played sugar and spice – I'd have landed a man who'd have treated me right – Someone just like that hypocrite Tony. For I was now bereft of true value By choosing a life full of sin My precious gift gone, just a memory in song All I've left is the box it came in. I grew older and wiser and carried a pack- et of three, just in case I got lucky And I did pretty well, despite no advice From Abbott or Andrews or Tuckey. Johnny Turk he was ready, he'd primed himself well, But that wasn't enough, I had Tommy as well And Paddy, and Jock, and Pierre and Manuel I had a right multicultural party. With my precious gift thoroughly squandered I still somehow managed with men I swore and I drank and I danced and I skanked While the band played Wild Rover Again. Now I've settled down, with a rather good bloke, Who with second-hand gifts seems delighted. And I've a daughter myself, of that age when you might Give advice, about life to enlighten. I've told her to give what she wishes and when To respect herself and be respected by men And above all before she is settled and wed To make sure she gets plenty of practice. For a woman is more than a hymen She has much more to offer the world And if Abbott can't see all that we wish to be He can keep his advice to himself. For I've filled my life with true value By choosing to live it in sin My precious gift gone, just a memory in song But I've still got the box it came in! |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 29 Sep 20 - 05:30 PM One of my favourites, Sandra! |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Sep 20 - 07:43 PM JennieG, I know what you mean about 'woman' in the Williamson song. I can sympathise with your experience with an insensitive sod. However, given the song's structure, what other term could he have used? You wouldn't want the American 'babe' or 'baby' - 'darling', 'wife', 'love', 'dear' et alia wouldn't really work either. Back on 15 September (it seems so long ago), I noted that Phil Gray of Loaded Dog opposed the insertion of a Wendy Evans chorus about shearers in Sorensen's 'Glenburgh Wool' which is about the transportation of wool not shearing. Phil has recently recorded the song sans the inappropriate chorus and with his own tune. He recorded it in the shearer' kitchen at Glenbugh Station. His note for the clip: This is a set of verse by Jack Sorensen - I put my tune on it. In early September Yvonne, myself and our trusty Border Collie Cobber, did a 'mini tour' up through the Gascoyne and Murchison regions of Western Australia. I played at Gascoyne Junction, Glenburgh Station and Murchison Settlement. One of the pleasures of my life was to record this in the Shearers' Kitchen at Glenburgh Station, where Jack Sorensen spent time shearing, and to tread where he trod and probably ate 80 years ago. In Jack's words .......'and from those roaring yesterdays the echoes linger yet'..... Youtube clip The text of all of Sorensen's poems may be found here: Click --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Sep 20 - 09:40 PM Gerry Hallom put a tune to Banjo Paterson's 'By the grey gulf water'. He made multiple changes to make it more accessible as a song. A good'un. BY THE GREY GULF WATER (Paterson/Hallom) Far to the north there lies a land A wonderful land where the winds blow over And none may guess or understand The charm it holds for the restless rover A wild grey land, a land half made Where nature craves a share of slaughter Many indeed are the nameless graves Where victims sleep by the grey gulf water Slowly, slowly those grey streams glide, Drifting along with languid motion Lapping the reed on either side Wending their way to the northern ocean And the strength of a man is a young child’s strength In the face of that mighty plain and river And the life of a man is a moment’s length To the life of a stream that runs forever And so it comes they take no part In life’s small cares - each hardy rover Rides ahead like Bonaparte The plains around and the blue skies over Way up above a brown lark sings The songs the strange wild land has taught her Full of joy her sweet song rings I wish I were back by the grey gulf water Way up above a brown lark sings The songs the strange wild land has taught her Full of joy her sweet song rings I wish I were back by the grey gulf water Youtube clip The original poem as published in 'The Bulletin': Click --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: JennieG Date: 29 Sep 20 - 09:55 PM Perhaps 'woman' in the song actually has a name which could be used? Certainly better than 'darling', 'darl', 'sugar', 'honey', etc. Actually, I must admit to not being much of a Williamson fan. I know his songs are popular, he has sold a squillion gold records and stuff like that, but there are other writers I prefer - probably sacriligeous to say given that we live in Tamworth, but there you go. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Sep 20 - 10:07 PM JOG ALONG TILL SHEARING The truth is in my song so clear Without a word of gammon The swagmen travel all the year Waiting for the lambin' Now when this dirty work is done To the nearest shanty steerin’ They meet a friend, their money spend Then jog along till shearing. Chorus Home sweet home That is what they left it for Their home sweet home Now when the shearing season comes They hear the price that's going New arrivals meet old chums And then they start their blowin’ They say that they can shear each day Their hundred pretty handy But eighty sheep is bloody hard When the wool is close and sandy When the sheds are all cut out They get their bit of paper To the nearest pub they run They cut a dashing caper They call for liquor plenty They're happy when they're drinkin’ But where to go when the money's spent It's little they are thinking. Sick and sore next morning They are when they awaken To have a drink of course they must To keep their nerves from shakin' They call for one and then for two In a way that's rather funny Till the landlord says, ‘Now this won't do You blokes have got no money’ They're sleeping on verandahs They're lounging on the sofas Then to finish off their spree They're ordered off as loafers They've got no friends, their money's spent And at their disappearing They give three cheers for the river bend And jog along till shearing. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Sep 20 - 10:32 PM R-J, I just remembered that, courtesy of Colin Smiley, I have a CD of the Lost Quays - 'Live at the Whalers' Tunnel'. The concert was recorded in the Whalers' Tunnel as part of Fremantle's Heritage Festival in 2016. The tunnel was excavated by convicts shortly after the first whale was taken in the area in 1837, and not long after the founding of the colony. The concert consisted almost entirely of shanty warhorses. However, they did adapt 'Bound for South Australia' for a Fremantle flavour. FREO GIRLS (Lost Quays) Freo girls ain’t got no combs Heave away, haul away They combs their hair with cod fish bones And we’re bound for Australia Heave away me bully, bully boys Heave away, haul away You gotta make a noise And we’re bound for Australia Well Freo lads ain’t got no frills They drink their beer with cod fish gills Well Freo kids ain’t got no sleds They slide downhill on cod fish heads Well Freo mums don’t bake no pies It’s tofu king with toasted chives Well Freo dads don’t brew no stout There down at Clancy’s hanging about Well Freo Dogs ain’t got no bite If their bark don’t scare, the Sharks just might Well Freo cats ain’t go no tails They lost them all to the south-west gales The Freo doctor’s got no pills She blows from the west our sails to fill Heave away, haul away … Above is my transcription. I couldn't make out the 'tofu' line - can someone correct it? For non-Aussies, the Dogs and Sharks are Fremantle football teams. Clancy's is a popular Fremantle pub and the Fremantle doctor is a cooling afternoon sea breeze. Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: GUEST Date: 29 Sep 20 - 11:26 PM JennieG, fair point - a name would work. I'm not much of a Williamson fan either, but I like a handful of his songs. He was a featured guest at a Top Half Festival in Alice Springs a few years ago. He no attempt to mix with other performers and punters or join in any sessions. Sod him! --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 29 Sep 20 - 11:34 PM I forgot to login again. I'll have to cease clearing my website data during the day. Anyhow, it gives me a chance to correct an error in my 'Freo Girls' transcription. In the 'dads' stanza, it should read 'they're' not 'there'. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 30 Sep 20 - 08:08 PM Stewie, Perhaps that Tofu line is something to do with Lattes and Chai - his gravelly voice sure is hard to understand!! Cheers, R-J :) |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Sep 20 - 08:18 PM THE GIFT OF YEARS (Eric Bogle) Well, old friend, here I am I told you I'd be back And as usual, mate, I'm bloody late It's seventy-five years down the track For the last time, here I stand In this familiar foreign land Back with the mates I left behind Fixed forever in their time And of all the ghosts of all the boys That haunt this lonely place Only one of them wears your cheeky grin And your Queensland joker's face And as I drown in old and bloody dreams Of helpless young men's dying screams I feel your hand give my arm a shake And your voice say, "Steady, mate!" And the country that you died for, mate You would not know it now And the future that we dreamed of, mate Got all twisted up somehow. The peace that we were fighting for The end to stupid senseless war So it couldn't happen to our kids Well, old mate, it did! And thank you for the gift of years And the flame that brightly burns For the time you bought and the lessons taught So often wasted and unlearned "Lest we forget," cries the multitude As if I ever, ever could So forgive an old man's tears And thank you for the years Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Sep 20 - 09:16 PM WHERE SILENCE REIGNS (Woods/Wyndham-Read) Out back where silence reigns on the great grey western plains The sunlit plains of Clancy's where it hardly ever rains Where the traveller's always thirsty and the water never near The creaking of the saddle is the only sound you hear Where the quart pot doesn't rattle, the stirrup doesn't clink And the emu stalks in freedom and it's far too hot to think Where the tracks are dry and dusty, the air is seldom clear The creaking of the saddle is the only sound you hear Where the fences reach to sundown and are mostly made of wire And the sun goes down each evening like a glowing ball of fire Where the water-bag is empty and the tucker dry and drear The creaking of the saddle is the only sound you hear In shades of gidgee bushes lies a great red kangaroo Asleep in the noonday sunshine while a doleful-looking crow With a voiceless gape salutes us as we come and disappear The creaking of the saddle is the only sound you hear In sultry shades of silence bounded by a shimmering sky Make a man feel very lonely, very small and very dry I would cry in desolation but I cannot shed a tear The creaking of the saddle is the only sound you hear Another poem by Walter Woods that Wyndham-Read clipped and adapted. The full poem may be found at page 207 of Stewart and Keesing's 'Australian Bush Ballads'. The full text of the previously posted 'I don't go shearing now' may be found at page 245 - it is indeed a saga that stretches over 3 pages. Woods was an interesting character - a journalist and politician. Read about him here: Click Where silence reigns --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Sep 20 - 10:35 PM NEW LIFE, NEW LOVE (Lawson/Wyndham-Read) The breezes blow on the river below the fleecy clouds float by And I mark how the dark green gum trees match The bright blue dome of the sky The grass is green where rains have been And the earth is bare and brown I see the things that I used to see In the days ere my heart was down I've seen the light in the long dark night Brighter than stars or moon I've lost the fear of the winter drear the sadness of afternoon Here let us stand while I hold your hand With the light on your golden hair And I feel the things that I used to feel In the days ere my heart was dead The storms are by and my lips are dry The old wrong rankles yet Sweetheart or wife, I must take new life From your red lips warm and wet So let it be, you may cling to me There is nothing on earth to dread For I'll be the man that I used to be In the days ere my heart was dead Youtube clip This was also recorded on 'All Around Down Under', an album by Martyn and Danny Spooner. Liner note: Henry Lawson wrote the poem in 1903 and Martyn put the tune to it. Australia's best known balladist for 20 years, in middle age, Lawson was drinking heavily and living a hand-to-mouth existence. He had a love and a marriage behind him at this stage when he was taken in hand by Mrs Isobel Byers and penned this in a tone of promise. R-J, I believe you've nailed 'lattes' and 'chai' but there's something else after 'tofu'. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Sep 20 - 11:27 PM Gordon Bok recorded a couple of Kiwi songs on his 'In The Kind Land' CD. The text of this one differs from the version printed in 'Song of a Young Country' and also the version recorded by Phil Garland but, as they say here in the Territory, good but. BRIGHT FINE GOLD (Anon/music reconstructed by N.Colquhoun) Spend it in the winter Or die in the cold One apecker, Tuapecka Bright fine gold Bright fine gold, bright fine gold One apecka, Tuapecka Bright fine gold Two little children lying in bed Both of them hungry, lord They can't raise up their heads Bright fine gold, bright fine gold One apecka, Tuapecka Bright fine gold Some are sons of fortune And my man came to see But the riches of the river Are not for such as he Bright fine gold, bright fine gold One apecka, Tuapecka Bright fine gold I'm weary of Otago Weary of the snow Let my man strike it rich And then we'll go Bright fine gold, bright fine gold One apecka, Tuapecka Bright fine gold Repeat stanza 1 and chorus Gordon's note: Because of the NZ gold rush in the 1860s, the Tuapecka River in Otago Province became the richest place in New Zealand. The results were the same as other gold rushes, mostly misery and poverty. I think that Phil Lobl taught it to me when she came to Maine many years ago. Bok Garland --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 30 Sep 20 - 11:56 PM HOW GILBERT DIED (Paterson/Roweth) There's never a stone at the sleeper's head There's never a fence beside And the wandering stock on the grave may tread Unnoticed and undenied But the smallest child on the Watershed Can tell you how Gilbert died For he rode at dusk with his comrade Dunn To the hut at the Stockman's Ford In the waning light of the sinking sun They peered with a fierce accord They were outlaws both and on each man's head Was a thousand pounds reward They had taken toll of the country round And the troopers came behind With a black who tracked like a human hound In the scrub and the ranges blind He could run the trail where a white man's eye No sign of track could find He had hunted them out of the One Tree Hill And over the Old Man Plain But they wheeled their tracks with a wild beast's skill And they made for the range again Then away to the hut where their grandsire dwelt They rode with a loosened rein And their grandsire gave them a greeting bold "Come in and rest in peace No safer place does the country hold With the night pursuit must cease And we'll drink success to the roving boys And to hell with the black police." But they went to death when they entered there In the hut at the Stockman's Ford For their grandsire's words were as false as fair They were doomed to the hangman's cord He had sold them both to the black police For the sake of the big reward In the depth of night, there are forms that glide As stealthily as serpents creep And around the hut where the outlaws hide They plant in the shadows deep And they wait till the first faint flush of dawn Shall waken their prey from sleep. But Gilbert wakes while the night is dark A restless sleeper aye He has heard the sound of a sheep dog's bark, And his horse's warning neigh And he says to his mate, "There are hawks abroad And it's time that we went away." Their rifles stood at the stretcher head Their bridles lay to hand They wakened the old man out of his bed When they heard the sharp command "In the name of the Queen ,lay down your arms, Now, Dunn and Gilbert, stand!" Then Gilbert reached for his rifle true That close at hand he kept He pointed straight at the voice and drew But never a flash out-leapt For the water ran from the rifle breech It was drenched while the outlaws slept Then he dropped the piece with a bitter oath And he turned to his comrade Dunn "We are sold," he said, "we are dead men both Still, there may be a chance for one I'll stop and I'll fight with the pistol here You take to your heels and run." So Dunn crept out on his hands and knees In the dim, half-dawning light And he made his way to a patch of trees And was lost in the black of night And the trackers hunted his tracks all day But they never could trace his flight But Gilbert walked from the open door In a confident style and rash He heard at his side the rifles roar And he heard the bullets crash But he laughed as he lifted his pistol hand, And he fired at the rifle flash Then out of the shadows the troopers aimed At his voice and the pistol sound With rifle flashes the darkness flamed He staggered and spun around And they riddled his body with rifle balls As it lay on the blood-soaked ground. There's never a stone at the sleeper's head There's never a fence beside And the wandering stock on the grave may tread Unnoticed and undenied But the smallest child on the Watershed Can tell you how Gilbert died Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: rich-joy Date: 01 Oct 20 - 02:54 AM SOMETIME LOVING By Gary Shearston I don't want your sometime lovin' That falls like summer's rain Coz I've slept through two long winters And love's been where my head has lain. When you’ve travelled with the North wind Blowing on your window pane When you’ve found the warmth she brings you Come and find me once again. And when you've wandered through the snowfall Through the pines on which she's lain When you've seen the way she holds them Come and hold me once again. And when you've heard a river laughing As she bends the rocks and sand Seen her wave crossing an ocean Come and take me by the hand. And when you've seen a hungry grassland Reach out to kiss the rain When you've seen how strong her kiss is Come and kiss me once again. And when the earth has turned her season And her love has brought the grain If you find that love inside you Come and live with me again. The late Gary Shearston’s 1967 rendition : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb4nd5lryAU A long-time favourite and possessed of a timeless beauty, I feel. Apparently when Peter, Paul & Mary sang it in concert in Australia, they introduced it as “the most beautiful song that has ever been written” …… Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Oct 20 - 10:01 PM SHE’LL BE RIGHT (Peter Cape) When you're huntin' in the mountains And your dogs put up a chase And this porker's comin' at you And he doesn't like your face And you're runnin' and he's runnin' And he's crowdin' on the pace Don't worry mate, she'll be right She'll be right, mate, she'll be right Don't worry mate, she'll be right You can get your feed of pork When he slows down to a walk So don't worry mate, she'll be right When you're loggin' on the saddle And you're drivin' down the bluff With a thousand feet of timber Bouncin' right behind your chuff And the clutch has started slippin' And the brakes are worse than rough Don't worry mate, she'll be right She'll be right, mate, she'll be right Don't worry mate, she'll be right If you give all you can give her She'll just fly into the river So don't worry mate, she'll be right When you've walked out on the missus And you've gone to watch the race And you took her shopping money And you didn't get a place And you're comin' home flat stoney And she sees it in your face Don’t worry mate, she’ll be right She'll be right, mate, she'll be right Don't worry mate, she'll be right You can save a lot of trouble If you say you won the double So don't worry mate, she'll be right When you've had yer copper goin' And you've boiled a ton of hops And you've brewed your brew And bottled 'er and hammered on the tops And your missus keeps on askin' Where you left your footy socks Don't worry mate, she'll be right She'll be right, mate, she'll be right Don't worry mate, she'll be right Shove a shot o' metho in And you'll swear you're drinkin' gin So don't worry mate, she'll be right When they've finished off yer forwards And yer backs are wearin' thin And the second spell's half over And you've forty points to win And this hulkin' wing-three-quarter's Got his teeth stuck in your shin Don't worry mate, she'll be right She'll be right, mate, she'll be right Don't worry mate, she'll be right You won't worry who's the loser When you meet them down at the boozer So don't worry mate, she'll be right Peter Cape was a Kiwi treasure. His 'Stable Lad' is posted above. 'She'll be right' was a great favourite. For a variety of additions since this 1955 original: Click Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 01 Oct 20 - 10:12 PM TAUMARUNUI (Peter Cape) I’m an ordinary joke, growin’ old before me time ‘Cause me heart’s in Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line Taumarunui, Taumarunui Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line You can get to Taumarunui going north or going south And you end up their at midnight and there’s cinders in your mouth You got cinders in your whiskers and a cinder in your eye So you hop off for refreshments, for a cuppa tea and pie Taumarunui, Taumarunui Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line There's a sheila in Refreshments and she's pouring cups'a tea And me heart jumps like a rabbit when she pours a cup for me She's got hair a flamin' yeller and a mouth a flamin' red And I'll love that flamin' sheila till I'm up and gone and dead In Taumarunui, Taumarunui Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line You can get a job in Wellington or get a job up north But you can't in Taumarunui though you try for all you're worth If I want to see this shiela, then I've got to take a train Get ten minutes for Refresments then they cart me off again From Taumarunui, Taumarunui Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line Well they took me on as fireman on the Limited Express And I thought that she'd be jake but now she's all a flamin' mess That shiela wouldn't take to me - I thought she'd be a gift She's gone and changed her duty hours and works the daylight shift From Taumarunui, Taumarunui Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line I’m an ordinary joke, growin’ old before me time ‘Cause me heart’s in Taumarunui on the Main Trunk line For info on this song: Click Youtube clip --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia From: Stewie Date: 02 Oct 20 - 10:37 PM KNOCKED UP (Lawson/Wyndham-Read) I'm lyin' on this barren ground that's baked and cracked with drought And don’t know if my legs or back or heart is most wore out I've got no spirit left to raise and ease my achin' brow I'm too knocked up to light a fire and boil the billy now A long dry stretch of thirty miles I've tramped this broiling day All for the off-chance of a job a hundred miles away There's twenty hungry beggars wild for any work this year And maybe fifty at the sheds while I am lying here The sinews in my legs seem drawn, red hot and that's the truth I seem to weigh a ton, and ache like one tremendous tooth I'm stung between my shoulder blades, my blessed back seems broke I'm too knocked up to eat a bite, I’m too knocked up to smoke The blessed rains are coming too, there's oceans in the sky And I suppose I should get up and rig that blasted fly The heat is bad, the food is bad, the flies a crimson curse Mosquitoes damned, the water’s bad, but rheumatism's worse I don’t know why poor blokes like me will cling so hard to breath Though Shakespeare says it is a thing we fear after death And though eternity be cursed by God's almighty curse Whatever that same somethin' is I swear it can't be worse Martyn Wyndham-Read's adaptation of the Lawson poem. He has omitted several stanzas. Youtube clip Full poem: Click --Stewie. |
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