Origins: Click Go the Shears

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 26 Oct 01 - 07:35 AM

... And I take it the tar is to put on the sheep, not the shearers, Bob?!

John, somebody brought out a Strine dictionary back in about 1960: is it still in print?
Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 26 Oct 01 - 07:23 AM

Hi Bob, it'd be a good idea to put together a complete list of those peculiar Australian words and phrases. How long do you think it would take?

Cheekily, John

Subject: DT Correction: Click Go the Shears
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 26 Oct 01 - 06:50 AM

G'day yet again,

Since Bill (no relation ... but we have crossed paths around Sydney and the bush music scene) raised the matter, there are a number of dubious points about the DT version of Click go the Shears. Here is my view (one extra verse, an extra line and some corrections and clarfications):

Click go the Shears

chorus:
Click go the shears, boys, click, click, click,
Wide is his blow and his hands move quick,
The ringer looks around as he's beaten by a blow
And curses the old swagger with the bare-bellied yoe. (yoe is n. English dialect = ewe)

Out on the board the old shearer stands,
(The 'board' is the name of the shearing area) Grasping his shears in his thin bony hands,
Fixed is his gaze on a bare-bellied yoe
Glory, if he gets her; won't he make the ringer go!

In the middle of the floor in his cane-bottomed chair,
Sits the boss of the board with his eyes everywhere
Notes well each fleece as it comes to the screen
Paying strict attention that it's taken off clean.

The Colonial Experience Man, he is there of course
With his shiny leggings like he's just off his horse
Gazes all around him like a real connoisseur,
Whistling the old time tune, "I'm the perfect lure."
[Also:] Scented soap and brilliantine … and smelling like a (who .. - said that!).

The tar boy is there, and he is in demand
With his blackened tar-pot, in his tarry hand:
He sees one old sheep with a cut upon its back
This is what he's waiting for, it's "Tar here, Jack!"

Now the shearing is over, we've all got our cheques
So roll up your swags, boys, we're off on the tracks
The first pub we come to, it's there we'll have a spree
And everyone that comes along, it's 'Have a drink with me!'.

Down by the bar, the old shearer stands,
Grasping a glass in his thin bony hands.
Fixed is has gaze on a green-painted keg;
Glory, he'll be down on it, afore they stir the peg!

There we leave him standing, shouting for all hands,
Whilst all around him, every shearer stands, (not 'shouter' …he is the one who is 'shouting' [buying drinks])
His eye is on the keg, which now is lowering fast,
He works hard; he drinks hard; and goes to Hell at last.

Notes:
ringer: fastest shearer on the team
snagger: Poor shearer, prone to cutting the sheep
bare-bellied yoe: young ewe with lightly-fleeced belly region, not needing shearing
tar: antiseptic treatment applied to cuts; originally (Stockholm?) tar. (/b>
Colonial Experience Man: A 'remittance man' with a job description … and an option on a return ticket

@work @animal @Australia
filename[ CLKSHEAR
Tune file : CLKSHEAR

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 26 Oct 01 - 04:17 AM

G'day again,

Oh yes: Bill - Welcome to the Mudcat!

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 26 Oct 01 - 04:15 AM

G'day again,

Dicho: The sense in which colonial was used in Australia ... for at least 70 years after the end of the Colonial Era (1 January 1901)would have quickly ceased in America in 1776.

I know that the Bush Music Club, back in 1955 had to pay £5 for a License to print (our magazine) ... payable to the British Colonial Secretary!

Garry Gillard: Both the Australian Click Go The Shears and the nautical RingThe Bell, Second Mate are parodies of H C Work's RingThe Bell, Watchman ... written to celebrate the end of the American Civil War ... but largely forgotten in peacetime.

Bill Bolton: You have a dangerously similar name ... you are in severe danger of being tarred with the brushes aimed at me ... Ah well ... we Boltons are tough (and pedantic)!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 26 Oct 01 - 03:21 AM

I've heard the usual tune for this song sung to these seafaring words.

Strike the bell, second mate Let us go below Look hard to windward You can see it's going to blow

etc.

I suppose that's in the Mudcat somewhere.

Garry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Oct 01 - 10:52 PM

Remittance Man was used in the United States and Canada (A family antecedent was one) but I haven't heard the term Colonial Experience Man. Is it confined to Australia?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 25 Oct 01 - 09:35 PM

G'day Bill,

I have always described a Colonial Experience Man as a Remittance Man with a job title and an option on a return ticket.

The late 19th century sense of Jackeroo was pretty similar, before it lapsed into meaning no more than a 'stockman'. Interestingly, its early 19th century sense was of any white man living beyond the Government's "Boundary of Settlemnet" ... essentially a 'squatter' in the earlier senses. Presumably, both terms went up in the world as the 'squatted' properties were legitimised and made money.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Click Go the Shears
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 25 Oct 01 - 06:36 AM

I never sing that verse, Bill; I learned it without (from Barrie Roberts, who "made the tea" at Maralinga in the sixties, but still managed to come home with an enormous number of Aussie songs).

Steve

Subject: Click Go the Shears
From: Bill Bolton
Date: 25 Oct 01 - 05:52 AM

I just noticed a mistake in the Digital Tradition words to "Click Go the Shears" and a corresponding mistake in the explanations for the same song.

The songs words "Colonial Experienced Man" should be "Colonial Experience Man".

The explanation...

Colonial Experienced Man: A sort-of Humane-Society inspector.

... is, I think, someone having a joke. or making a wild guess.

A "Colonial Experience Man" was a term used to describe someone from the British aristocracy who had done something scandelous in Britian and been banished to "the colonies" by his familiy for a while until the scandal blew over. They were said to away getting "Colonial Experience". Another related term often used was "Remittence Man", as they lived off money remitted on a monthly basis from their families in Britain.

In the case of the song, the Colonial Experience Man, is very definintley an English toff, come to amuse himself by observing the working class shearers at their labour. It has nothing to do with humane societies, RSPCAs etc.

Cheers,

Bill (Snake Gully Bush Band)

Subject: Lyr Add: THAT'S HOW THE SHEARS GO + RING THE BELL.
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Jan 99 - 04:12 AM

Somebody requested this song in another thread. Our rendering of the song in the database could use improvement, I think. I found the lyrics below at Digital Muse, a great collection of Australian folk songs.
-Joe Offer-

Click go the Shears

Out on the board the old shearer stands
Grasping his shears in his long bony hands
Fixed is his gaze on a bare-bellied "joe"
Glory if he gets her, won't he make the ringer go

Chorus
Click go the shears boys, click, click, click
Wide is his blow and his hands move quick
The ringer looks around and is beaten by a blow
And curses the old snagger with the blue-bellied "joe"

In the middle of the floor in his cane-bottomed chair
Is the boss of the board, with eyes everywhere
Notes well each fleece as it comes to the screen
Paying strict attention if it's taken off clean

The colonial-experience man he is there, of course
With his shiny leggin's just got off his horse
Casting round his eye like a real connoisseur
Whistling the old tune "I'm the Perfect Lure"

The tar-boy is there awaiting in demand
With his blackened tar-pot and his tarry hand
Sees one old sheep with a cut upon its back
Here's what he's waiting for "Tar here Jack!"

Shearing is all over and we've all got our cheques
Roll up your swag for we're off on the tracks
The first pub we come to it's there we'll have a spree
And everyone that comes along it's, "Come and drink with me!"

Down by the bar the old shearer stands
Grasping his glass in his thin bony hands
Fixed is his gaze on a green-painted keg
Glory he'll get down on it ere he stirs a peg

There we leave him standing, shouting for all hands
Whilst all around him every shouter stands
His eyes are on the cask which is now lowering fast
He works hard he drinks hard and goes to hell at last

You take off the belly-wool clean out the crutch
Go up the neck for the rules they are such
You clean round the horns first shoulder go down
One blow up the back and you then turn around

Click, click, that's how the shears go
Click, click, so awfully quick
You pull out a sheep he'll give a kick
And still hear your shears going click, click, click

---

Notes

First published in the Twentieth Century in 1946 in an article by Percy Jones.

This version from the singing of A.L.Lloyd Printed in Stewart and Keesing's Old Bush Songs with the following note: "From Dr Percy Jones's collection, with one additional stanza, "Now Mister Newchum" etc., collected by John Meredith from Mrs Sloane, of Lithgow, New South Wales. "Mrs Sloane is 60, and learnt most of her songs from her mother in the early part of this century. Mrs Sloane plays button-accordion, fiddle, mouth-organ and jewsharp, and her mother, Mrs Frost, played concertina, accordion and jews-harp." The word "Joe" is presumably a corruption of "Yowe"Ñewe."

Old Bush Songs also prints the following fragment and accompanying note:

THAT'S HOW THE SHEARS GO

You take off the belly-wool clean out the crutch
Go up the neck for the rules they are such
You clean round the horns first shoulder go down
One blow up the back and you then turn around

Click, click, that's how the shears go
Click, click, so awfully quick
You pull out a sheep he'll give a kick
And still hear your shears going click, click, click

Collected by John Meredith, with the note: "Sung by Jack Luscombe of Ryde, aged 81: started picking up at 11, and shearing at 15. Was in the '91 strike at 18. Both songs learned in the 90s."

A.L.Lloyd adds this to his version of the song.

'Click go the Shears' uses the tune and form of the North American song 'Ring the Bell Watchman'

RING THE BELL, WATCHMAN
(Henry Clay Work)

High in the belfry the old sexton stands
Grasping the rope with his thin bony hands
Fix'd is his gaze as by some magic spell
Till he hears the distant murmur: Ring, ring the bell

CHORUS: Ring the bell, watchman! ring! ring! ring!
Yes, yes! the good news is now on the wing.
Yes, yes! they come and with tiding to tell
Glorious and blessed tidings: Ring, ring the bell!

Baring his long silver locks to the breeze
First for a moment he drops on his knees
Then with a vigor that few could excel
Answers he the welcome bidding: Ring, ring the bell

Hear! from the hilltop, the first signal gun
Thunders the word that some great deed is done
Hear! thro' the valley the long echoes swell
Ever and anon repeating: Ring, ring the bell

Bonfires are blazing and rockets ascend
No meagre triumph such tokens portend
Shout! shout! my brothers for "all, all is well!"
'Tis the universal chorus: Ring, ring the bell