Lyr Add: Homeless Man (Harry Robertson)

Subject: Lyr Add: HOMELESS MAN (Harry Robertson)
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 07:10 AM

This song has been mentioned by John in the "Songs about the homeless" thread. I know it from an Eric Bogle vinyl titled "Down under", released in Germany about twenty years ago. The notes to the song say that the writer, Harry Robertson, is (was?) a Scotsman living in Australia who knew well what he was writing about. Here are the lyrics as on a leaflet from the Bogle record:

HOMELESS MAN
(Harry Robertson)

I've travelled hard these last ten weary years,
and my boyhood hopes have slowly turned to tears.
If you think I am complaining I can tell you that I'm not,
for I know that this is just the drifter's lot.

Many years my home has been the wayside camps,
I have starved and sweated by the river banks,
and I've fought with fists and feet, rough-necked drifters that I meet,
broken dreams and bottles line my weary path.

As a homeless boy I thought when I'm a man,
I'll change the world and right what wrongs I can,
since then I have met defeat, it's a bitter bread to eat,
and the homeless boy is now a homeless man.

Happiness has not been mine upon this earth,
both my parents left me when they met their deaths,
and I'll drink before I eat, with the drifters that I meet,
the sorrow here is mine and mine alone.

But I think, my friends, that I should move along,
and I thank you all for listening to my song,
for the road is all I've known, and I'll wander it alone,
as an outcast homeless drifter,...and unmourned.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 08:24 AM

Thanks very much Wolfgang. I'd like to learn this one - can you post the tune?

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: Wolfgang
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 10:13 AM

Sorry, Susan-Marie, as for now, I have neither the means nor the ability to post tunes (and thisone's worth posting). So either one of the Australians (John perhaps, who also knows the song) can post the tune or I could send you a tape or even play/sing the song on the phone. Mail me if you're interested in one of these oldfashioned means of communication: [e-mail]
Wolfgang

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 06:10 PM

Thanks Wolfgang, that's fantastic - I'd forgotten how good a song it is. I will use the request to notate this on my newly acquired copy of Noteworthy Composer. It is still a slow'ish process for me, but well worth the practice.

Just one question for the more advanced on this subject. What do I do with (say) the resultant Midi file to get it back to the DT?

Regards John

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: Jon W.
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 06:24 PM

John, the easiest way to get the tune back into the forum if you have a MIDI file is to use your compatriot Alan's MIDI2TXT program which will convert it to a text file, which you bring up in a word processor and then copy into the regular "reply to thread" box on the forum. If you look back through any of the threads that have tunes posted in that manner (for example the Craigielee/Waltzing Matilda thread of recent days) you'll find a link to let you download Alan's software.

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 05 Feb 98 - 08:33 AM

John - Thanks for offering to post the tune. Before you do that though, you might want to figure out why your posts come up in multiples. After I post something I always hit the "Back" button and use "Clear Entries" to get rid of the message - you might want to try that.

Wolfgang - Thanks for the offer of a phone concert or tape, if John can't get the tune posted I'll take you up on it.

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: Wolfgang
Date: 06 Feb 98 - 04:29 AM

Susan-Marie,

I'm glad John is taking care of the music.
Just in case you like the song enough to perform it you might want to have more information. Here's all I have:

Eric Bogle comments upon this song as follows:
"The author of this song, Harry Robertson, is a Scotsman living in Australia. He has lived there now for more than 25 years. During that time he has written many fine songs. Most of his songs concern themselves with the sea, ships and the men who sail in them. He has served both with the British and Australein whaling fleets, and he has a special feeling for the whaling men and has written many songs about them. - Harry has had, to put it mildly, a varied and in places stormy life. He has been down many times but has always managed to bounce back again. He has first-hand knowledge of what it's like to be homeless and friendless; and I think this song, one of his finest, amply illustrates that fact."

These lines must have been written between 1977, when the song was recorded and 1981, when the record was released. The editors add that Bogle said "I wish it was my song" after the recording and that Robertson was then "well over fifty".

Two more Robertson whaling songs are on that Bogle LP.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: Wolfgang
Date: 06 Feb 98 - 04:33 AM

the spelling error in the cited paragraph is mine, not Bogle's

Subject: RE: ADD: Homeless Man
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 15 Feb 98 - 10:43 PM

Have annotated the music for 'Homeless Man'. Can anyone please advise the latest thread to pick up the newest version of MIDI2TXT? The version I have is one that I cannot get to work - probably my finger trouble rather than any fault of my compatriot.

Regards John

Subject: Tune Add: HOMELESS MAN
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 16 Feb 98 - 05:55 PM

Susan-Marie and Wolfgang and Fellow Mudcatters,

Have transcribed Homeless Man using NoteWorthy Composer and Alan's marvellous MIDI2TEX programs - my first attempt, so hope this works OK. Looking forward to doing more tunes.

BTW I note that there is now a free upgrade available to NoteWorthy Composer 1.5, plus a User Forum that I did not realise existed. I will open a separate thread for this.

MIDI file: homeless.mid

Timebase: 192

Text: Homeless Man
Copyright: BR> Key: D
TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Name: Unnamed-000
Start
0000 1 59 110 0256 0 59 000 0032 1 59 110 0094 0 59 000 0002 1 64 110 0256 0 64 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 68 110 0256 0 68 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 61 110 0160 0 61 000 0032 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 66 110 1104 0 66 000 0048 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 66 110 0256 0 66 000 0032 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 71 110 0256 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 64 110 1104 0 64 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 64 110 0256 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 57 110 0256 0 57 000 0032 1 61 110 0256 0 61 000 0032 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0336 0 69 000 0048 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0256 0 71 000 0032 1 73 110 0094 0 73 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 64 110 1104 0 64 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the January 15 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Homeless Man-000
M:2/4
Q:1/4=120
K:D
B,11/2z/2B,2|E11/2z/2F2|^G11/2z/2F2|E7/2z/2C7/2z/2|
B,7/2z/2^D7/2z/2|F8|-F8|F7z|z8|B,8|-B,7/2z/2^D7/2z/2|
F11/2z/2^G2|A11/2z/2F2|B11/2z/2A2|^G7/2z/2B,7/2z/2|
E8|-E8|E7z|z8|B8|-B7/2z/2B7/2z/2|c7/2z/2A7/2z/2|
B7/2z/2^G7/2z/2|E11/2z/2E2|^G7/2z/2E7/2z/2|
C2A,11/2z/2|C11/2z/2E2|A7z|^G7/2z/2A7/2z/2|
B11/2z/2c2|B7/2z/2^G7/2z/2|A11/2z/2F2|^D7/2z/2B,7/2z/2|
E8|-E8|E7||

Regards John