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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: Lyr Add: TIME IS A TEMPEST (Broomhall, Thompson) 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: 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: Lyr Add: AFTER ALL (Henry Lawson) From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 08:59 PM It is 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: Lyr Add: THE SLIPRAIL AND THE SPUR (Henry Lawson) 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: Lyr Add: THE SWAGGIES HAVE ALL WALTZED MATILDA AWA From: Stewie Date: 21 Aug 20 - 10:08 PM At a themed concert that my mate Phil Beck and I presented at a 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 the 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 It's 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: Lyr Add: PAST CARIN’ (Henry Lawson) 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: Lyr Add: THE REEDY LAGOON 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: Lyr Add: THE COOMA CAVALIERS (Ulik O'Boyle) 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 the 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 into 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 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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