Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover? / Diamantina...

Subject: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: GUEST,Poverty Knocks
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 01:43 PM

Hi,

Does anyone know the words to "The Diamondtina Drover"?

PK.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 02:03 PM

No luck here or with Google.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE DIAMANTINA DROVER (Hugh McDonald)
From: Zhenya
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 02:05 PM

I found this on the web: I know the House Band version of this and really love this song. I think there are many other recordings as well.



THE DIAMANTINA DROVER
Hugh McDonald

The faces in the photograph are faded
I can't believe he looks so much like me
For it's been ten long years today
Since I left for Old Cork Station
Saying, "I won't be back til the droving's done"

Chorus
For the rain never falls on the dusty Diamantina
A drover finds it hard to change his mind
For the years have surely gone, like the drays from Old Cork Station
And I won't be back til the droving's done

It seems like the sun comes up each morning
Sets me up and then takes it all away
For the dreaming by the light of campfire at evening
Ends with the burning light of day

Chorus

Sometimes I think I'll settle back in Sydney
But it's been so long it's hard to change your mind
For the cattle trail goes on and on, and fences roll forever
And I won't be back when the droving's done

Chorus



Return to the Redgum main page

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Wolfgang
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 02:10 PM

Many good information in this old thread: Diamentina Drover. Also search for Diamontina in the Forum. Diamentina, Diamontina, Diamondtina are some spellings to find the song in the Forum. Zhenya's spelling is correct.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: alison
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 08:29 PM

you can hear us playing a snippet of it

here

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 08:38 PM

I looked here and there, I really did. Oops.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Helen
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 09:02 PM

It's the spelling, Sorcha - the librarian's curse (before the introduction of amazing search engines).

Helen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Hrothgar
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 05:01 AM

The correct spelling is Diamantina, after Diamantina Roma, Lady Bowen, the wife of the first governor of Queensland after it separated from New South Wales (and a good thing too!) in 1859.

A very lovely lady, so 'tis said.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: GUEST,Poverty Knocks
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 06:28 AM

Many thanks to all! Great info and the words as well - what more could I ask.

Alison - I'll listen to it when I get home. (Slainte - that's got to be Irish - which reminds me I'll be in Dublin next week, and looking forward to it!)

PK.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 05:15 PM

Bob Bolton originally posted the lyrics to Hugh McDonald's "Diamantine Drover" back in 10 May 98, thread 4943. Diamantina Drover

In the thread mentioned by Wolfgang, he also referred to this thread. It still hasn't made it to the DT. (Maybe in 2098)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 06:51 PM

Christy Brown does a lovely version of it on one of his albums. No emoting, which could wreck a song like that.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 10:32 PM

G'day Poverty Knocks et al,

Well the GUEST posting above wasn't me ... but I do have a list of good Antipodean songs that don't seem to have squeezed their way into the latest DT!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 09:52 AM

Hrothgar - why was it a good thing Queensland separated from New South Wales - surely you Bananabenders would prefer to be Cornstalks like us?
Then you would be part of the real world, not 100 years behind! (Or 100 years & 1 hour as it will be in a few weeks).

Your friend Sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 07:42 AM

G'day Sandra,

As current secretary of the NSWFF ... you may be interested to know who Hrothgar is ... (fair enough to gain an acerbic view of "The Premier State").

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: GUEST,kidlayan
Date: 12 Mar 04 - 10:05 PM

Now that we have the lyrics, does anyone have some guitar chords? I used to hear the Diamantina Drover around the fire when I lived in the Philippine Cordillera. Patrick Street does a nice version on Green Linnet records.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Mar 04 - 06:18 PM

G'day kidlayan,

The chords played by the Australian Folk/Rock group Bushwackers are in one of their books. I'll dig them out, if nobody else beats me, and work out how to keep them all together (probably cheat and use one-line: (chord)word word word (chord) ... style - that doesn't challemge my HTML skills!

However, must close off now ... the SO has sighted an interesting sale ... and the shop just opened!

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton

Subject: Chords Add: THE DIAMANTINA DROVER (Hugh McDonald)
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Mar 04 - 06:26 PM

G'day again,

I found the book ... and the manchester sale can wait a few minutes!

THE DIAMANTINA DROVER
Hugh McDonald

The (F) faces in the (C) photograph are (Dm) faded
I can't believe he (F) looks so much like (Bb) me
(C) For it's been (Dm) ten long years to - (Am) day
Since I (Gm) left for Old Cork (Dm) Station
Saying, (Gm) "I (F) won't be (Bb) back til the (C) droving's (Dm) done"

Chorus
For the (Bb) rain never (F) falls on the (Gm) dusty Dia-man-(Dm)-tina
A drover finds it (Am) hard to change his (Bb) mind
For the (F) years have surely (Am) gone, like the (Bb) drays from Old Cork (Dm) Station
And (Gm) I (F) won't be (Bb) back til the (C) droving's (Dm) done

... &c

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 14 Mar 04 - 04:50 PM

G'day yet again kidlayan,

I posted the chords straight out of The Second Bushwackers Songbook - in the key of "F" ... or, more correctly "Dm". I presume you will have no trouble transposing to whatever key suits your voice. (It's interesting to see that the latter-day folk/rock Bushwackers cheerfully work in a key that seems to be hated by the average folkie guitarist: "F". I presume that is a product of their early rock incarnations!)

If I check back to the sheets for "The Selectors", a band I played in during the early 1990s, I find we played this one in ("G")/Em.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Amergin
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 01:23 PM

John Williamson sings this on his Anthems cd...very good song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Susan A-R
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 06:59 PM

I heard Jed Foley doing it with Patrick Street on their latest Street Life album, you're right about the need for keeping it unsentimental. Great song, and Kevin Burke does lovely fiddle stuff on that particular recording, spare and perfect.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 02:00 AM

I heard a delicious Aussie parody on this Aussie song -

"For the rain always falls on my rusty Ford Cortina,
Bits fall off, get left behind"...

but the singer did not forward the words... maybe I shouldn't have given him words to some of my songs!!!!   :-)

can anybody help out?

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: rich-joy
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 07:52 PM

Yeah Robin, that IS a fun parody!!!
The author is Mark Gillett, a Mapleton man - and we'd love the words too!!

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 12:22 AM

G'day Foolestroupe and rich-joy,

Is anyone pursuing these words from Mark Gillett?

I keep wanting to fill in the lines ...

For the rain always falls on my rusty Ford Cortina,
Bits fall of - and most get left behind,
For the gears are nearly gone - and the tyres down to nylon,
And they won't be fixed 'til the rego's due.

Regard(les)s,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: rich-joy
Date: 02 Apr 05 - 10:30 PM

Robin and Bob, you'll be pleased to know that I saw Mark Gillett last night at ABOFOTS (our folk club in Maleny) and requested the number.
He said he wrote it "years ago" - early 80s at least - and is surprised by the current surge in popularity!!! - but he gave me the words and his permission to post on Mudcat.

A resident of Mapleton in SE Qld's Blackall Ranges, Mark is the writer and performer of many funny songs and parodies!


THE RUSTY FORD CORTINA ~ Mark Gillett
(:with apologies, he insists, to Hugh MacDonald!!!)


The vinyl on the dashboard has all faded
And I can't believe the speedo's reading true
It's been 10 long years today
        Since I purchased this old station - wagon
And I'll drive this hack till the driving's done.


chorus:
For the rain always falls on my rusty Ford Cortina
Bits keep falling off and get left behind
And the muffler's mighty roar
        Always causes a sensation
And I'll drive this hack till the driving's done.


Seems when I start it up each morning
That it's gonna take me half the day
There's only one headlight
        And it isn't very bright
It bucks and jumps and handles like a dray.


Sometimes I think I'll buy myself a new one
But they cost so much I always change my mind
And the tailgate rattles on and on
        And the front end's most peculiar
And I'll drive this hack till the driving's done.




Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 04:58 AM

Here was my request.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: Eric the Streetsinger
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 01:06 AM

Christy Moore does a lovely version on the
"Ordinary Man" LP-
lyrics in his book

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: rich-joy
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 02:47 AM

Sadly, the wonderful Mark Gillett, the parody-composer mentioned above, is battling the dreaded "C" malady at present.

A treatment fundraiser is being held in Mapleton (SE Qld) on March 25th for him, coinciding with The Red Kettle Folk Club's 10+ birthday bash.

Anyone who'd like more info, please ask.



Cheers! R-J
Down Under

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: rich-joy
Date: 14 Apr 07 - 10:38 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Diamondtina Drover
From: rich-joy
Date: 15 Apr 07 - 04:17 AM

see obit for Mark :
thread.cfm?threadid=100790&messages=1


Cheers, R-J