Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)

Subject: Lyr Add: BATTLER'S BALLAD (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)^^
From: Stewie
Date: 04 Mar 00 - 08:39 PM

BATTLER'S BALLAD
(J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)

You are just a lonely battler and you're waiting for a rattler
You wish to heaven you were never born
For you ran to dodge a copper and you came an awful cropper
The skin on both your hands is cut and torn

You are tired and you're weary, lack of sleep makes your eyes bleary
The soles of both your shoes are worn right through
Your heart is sore and aching and your back is nearly breaking
Your coat and shirt and pants have had it too

Chorus:
And it's hey, hey hobo, you're just a rolling stone
Though you're stony broke, if you still can crack a joke
You're as good as any king upon his throne

Your blood is nearly boiling and your muscles need no oiling
As you duck and dodge the headlight's brilliant glare
For you've seen the copper's wood heap and you know that it's a good heap
You know the tucker's not the best in there

Then the engine gives a whistle, you trip up on a thistle
Get tangled up in signal wires and points
Then you blunder in the gutter and angrily you mutter
'Well, strike me pink, of all the flamin' joints!'

First Repeat chorus
And it's hey, hey hobo, you're just a rolling stone
Though your pants are wearing thin, if you can still raise a grin
You're as good as any king upon his throne

Then you see the green light flashing and hear the bumpers crashing
You see the great big engine rushing by
With your swag all at the ready, your nerves are not so steady
For you know you'll have to take her on the fly

Then your swag you try to throw in , but the flamin' thing won't go in
Bounces off the truck and hits you, and you fall
Pick the remnants of your swag up, pick your billy-can and bag up
You say, 'I missed the bastard after all!'

Second Repeat chorus
And it's hey, hey hobo, you're just a rolling stone
Though the sky is looking grey, there will surely come a day
When you'll own a bloody railway of your own.


Words: Jack Wright c.1930s. Collected by Alan Scott. Tune: Mike O'Rourke Source: As recorded by Mike O'Rourke on 'Flying Pieman' 1980. PS.

This excellent piece from the depression years in Australia came to me via Tony Suttor in Darwin.

--Stewie.
^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 04 Mar 00 - 09:55 PM

Stewie, any way that you could get the tune to one of us? If you have a look at the suggestions I made on the thread called something like 'How Do I Get Music on My Web Page' you should be able to record quite a small WAV file of about 60 seconds of the tune from Mike's recordings or use your own fine voice. I'm sure that any of the talented Aussie crew of Alan, Bob, Alison or even myself could then create a MIDI for you if you wish. Regards [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:05 PM

G'day Stewie,

I'm not sure about this, since the song does not appear in the DT, but I thought I posted the words and tune (in Alan of Australia's MIDItext format) some time back.

Then, of course, I'm not sure what tune Mike O'Rourke used: I'm most familiar with the tune that Alan Scott sang (and I the CD Battler's Ballad, Alan Scott & Keith McKenry). I would have Alan's transcription of that tune in his book A Collector's Songbook.

I know that The Larrikins used a different version of the tune on their LP Steps of the Dole Office Door but Mike O'Rouke has always been a bit north of were I am.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:13 PM

G'day again Stewie:

Oh yes, and give my regards to Tony Suttor ... lovely box-player! (And it occurred to me, just as I submitted the last posting, that Tony probably played on that Larrikins LP, so it may be Mike O'Rourke's tune that he plays.)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Mar 00 - 01:07 AM

Stewie asked me to change the lyrics he posted originally, so I did. The song has three different choruses, not just the one Stewie posted originally.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 06 Mar 00 - 06:39 AM

G'day ... and hmmm...?

This tune gets more complex: I see that Tony didn't play with The Larrikins on that LP - and that the tune for Battler's Ballad is credited to Graham Seal.

I will have to play the LP and compare tunes with the Alan Scott version (Jack Wright's original tune) ... and then see what the Mike O'Rourke tune sounds like - if it gets posted.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: Tune Add: BATTLER'S BALLAD
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 06 Mar 00 - 07:41 AM

G'day ... I'm back ...,

I listened to both records and they are two different tunes - and maybe different again from Mike O'Rourke's tune. I have Alan Scott's transcription of Jack Wright's tune on file (from A Collector's Songbook, Alan Scott, Bush Music Club, Sydney, 1970 (and Carrawobbity Press, Albion Park, 1993) and have attached a MIDItext file below.

As I compare this to Alan's recording, I can see that it is basically the same tune, but Alan sings it more lyrically. Jack's version has a lot of repeated notes and Alan "turns' these a little. One day I might sit down and annotate Alan's version of the tune ... but not tonight!

Aan's notes say that Jack wrote this up in North Queensland, around Mareeba c. 1935 but: "... says he always thinks of the railway yard at Babinda [a bit south and out on the East Coast] when he sings it." This is up in the region about which Tony O'Rourke's The Poison Train, in another current thread, was written.

MIDI file: battlers.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Tempo: 126 (476190 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0240 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 60 080 0144 0 60 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 60 080 0144 0 60 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 67 080 0048 0 67 064 0012 1 67 080 0144 0 67 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 62 080 0672 0 62 064 0048 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 60 080 0672 0 60 064 0048 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 60 080 0144 0 60 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 60 080 0144 0 60 064 0036 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 64 080 0144 0 64 064 0036 1 67 080 0048 0 67 064 0012 1 67 080 0144 0 67 064 0036 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 62 080 0672 0 62 064 0048 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0144 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 60 080 0672 0 60 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 72 080 0384 0 72 064 0096 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 67 080 0384 0 67 064 0096 1 64 080 0384 0 64 064 0096 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 69 080 0672 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 74 080 0096 0 74 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0576 0 60 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:2/4
Q:1/4=126
K:C
C6D2|E3EE3E|E3DC3D|E3EE3E|E3DC3D|E3EE3E|E3GG3E|
D8|-D4B,2C2|D2D2D2D2|D2C2B,2C2|D2D2D2D2|D2C2B,2C2|
G2G2G2G2|G2E2D2E2|C8|-C4C2D2|E3EE3E|E3DC3D|
E3EE3E|E3DC3D|E3EE3E|E3GG3E|D8|-D4B,2C2|D2D2D2D2|
D2C2B,2C2|D2D2D2D2|D2C4C2|G2G2G2G2|G2E2D2E2|
C8|-C4G4|c8|A8|G8|E8|C2C2C2D2|E4C4|A8|-A4A2B2|
c2c2c2c2|c4d2c2|B2B2B2A2|G4E2F2|G2G2G2G2|
G2F2E2D2|C8|-C3/2||

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: GUEST,Tony in Darwin
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 01:02 AM

G'day Bob,

Almost 11 years on, we're getting ready to record this song and I was just checking that I had the words right.

The tune Mike O'Rourke used was yet another variant of William Shakespeare Hayes' "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane". Mike also wrote Poison Train, which we're also recording.

Mike originated in Atherton, Queensland, I believe, and wrote some great songs about that part of the world. Try and find Helen Rowe singing TI Woman.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's ballad
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 02:59 AM

The Slow Return - Helen Rowe (2004)

If Bob doesn't have it, I'll lend it to him

sandra

ps. when is the recording due? Will you be at the National?

Subject: RE: Mudcat Site Map and PermaThread Index
From: GUEST,Tony in Darwin
Date: 25 Aug 11 - 12:26 AM

Hi Joe,

Apologies for being off-topic.

I have a tiny mp3 of a rendition of Battlers Ballad in the DT database - who should I send it to?

Cheers, Tony Suttor
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Aug 11 - 04:52 AM

so, when's the CD due?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Aug 11 - 05:06 PM

Tony sent me the MP3 for posting, performed by Peter Bate and Tony Suttor. Tony says this is the tune Mike O'Rourke put to the song - it's a variant of 'Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane':

Click to Play

I hope it's OK for me to say this - Tony says you may see this song at Australian Folk Song a Day within the next week.
Thanks, Tony.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: GUEST,Tony in Darwin
Date: 25 Aug 11 - 10:08 PM

Sorry, Sandra, I wasn't ignoring you - we cross-posted.

The CD? Hmmm...that's a moot point. We've been trying to make it happen for 5 years now. The mp3 above is a demo for the rest of the band, just to mark the arrangement. Getting the band together in a studio is like herding cats - we all prefer to be outside singing acoustic in the Dry Season, and in the Wet some of the band disappears to cooler climes.

One day...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: GerryM
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 10:23 PM

The "Click to Play" link two posts up now goes to a site that has nothing to do with Battler's Ballad. There is a recording by The Fagans on their 2009 CD, Milk and Honey Land. I don't know whether that's anywhere on the web.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: GUEST,SqueezeMe
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 11:12 PM

The Fagans rendition is available on Spotify, Gerry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 11:30 PM

And on Youtube and elsewhere.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Battler's Ballad (J.Wright/M.O'Rourke)
From: GerryM
Date: 01 Jul 22 - 08:40 AM

Great! Last time I looked, hardly anything of theirs was on YouTube.