Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)

Subject: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 05:27 AM

I am looking for lyrics to a song "Little Boy Lost" ( not the one in the DT from the movie.) John in Brisbane mentions posting it in an old thread but I can't find it.
       Thanks,
          Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: Sorcha
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:17 AM

I found the post where John says he would post it, but he didn't. Joe Offer posted this one. Is that is?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:27 AM

Hi, Sandy - is this (click) the John in Brisbane message you speak of?
Do you know any of the song, so you can give us some snippets of the lyrics?
I'll send a personal message to John and ask him to stop by.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:47 AM

Do you mean the famous (topped the pop hit parade in te 1950/60's) Aussie song based on a true incident? I have the words somewhere in a songbook. Now which book?

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:53 AM

Ok is this it?

by Tony Withers & Johhny Ashcroft

In the wild New England Ranges came the word one fateful day,
To every town & village, a boy had lost his way..

??

Robin

Subject: Lyr Add: LITTLE BOY LOST (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: JennyO
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:56 AM

Here it is:

LITTLE BOY LOST

In the wild New England ranges came the word one fateful day,
To every town and village, that a boy had lost his way.
All the townsfolk quickly gathered and the wild bush horses tossed,
As they went to search the ranges for a little boy lost,
They went to search the ranges for a little boy lost.

A lad of just four summers, Stephen Walls, that is his name,
And nobody doubts his courage, 'cause he's hardy and he's game,
But there's danger in this country that man has seldom crossed,
And they wonder if they'll find alive this little boy lost,
And they wonder if they'll find alive this little boy lost.

Came the night, came the morning. Another night, another dawning,
And a mother weeps in silence as she kneels before the Cross,
And she prays to God in heaven for her little boy lost,
And she prays to God in heaven for her little boy lost.

The little town's deserted, no-one walks upon the street,
For they comb the wild bush country on a thousand aching feet.
They searched every hidden valley though his trail they never crossed,
And their hopes are slowly fading for this little boy lost,
And their hopes are slowly fading for this little boy lost.

The blazing sun beat down upon the earth that final day,
With heavy hearts they prayed to God above to show the way,
When from a scrubby gully came the voice they've ne'er forgot,
"Where's my daddy, where's my daddy?" cried the little boy lost,
"Where's my daddy, where's my daddy?" cried the little boy lost.

In the far New England ranges there's a boy that's known so well,
There's a story that the town's folk and the bushmen often tell,
How he fought a rugged country, where man has seldom crossed,
And a mother's prayers were answered for her little boy lost.

© Johnny Ashcroft.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:58 AM

Thanks for helping me not have to type it all in JO - and my version in my book is mising the "sentimental" last paragraph.

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 12:03 PM

On 5th February 1960 whilst out in the backblocks of his home farm
in the rugged New England ranges, four year old Stephen Walls wandered off and disappeared. One of the largest land and air searches ever mounted in Australia found the boy three and a half days later.

Incredibiy, in such hostile terrain, Stephen was still alive.

Johnny Ashcroft adds a personal note on the song.
"It so happened that in my wild and wicked youth, I was a professional trapper working out of Kangaroo Camp, near Guyra, so I understood the type of country in which the search took place. Also at the time that Stephen was lost, I had a boy who was almost the same age so the feelings of the parents were that much easier to understand. The song is written as a tribute to the 5000 people who cared anough about the welfare of one small boy to mount such a massive search."

A nice picture "Lost" (1907) © Frederick McCubbin (1855-1917) appears with the words on http://groups.msn.com/Tapestries/lost.msnw

Robin (with help from JennyO)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: GUEST,Sandy Mc Lean (lost cookie)
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 12:25 PM

Many thanks to all!!
   I was searching for this song for a friend. I won't know if it's the right one until I talk to him but it probably is.
          Thanks again!
          Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: Joybell
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 06:54 PM

One of my true-love's children was lost in the Victorian bush in the 1980s. The mother of Stephen Walls contacted our child's mother at the time. Sadly our "little boy lost" was never found, but I have this song running in my head a good bit of the time. Paddy's friend Joy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost
From: GUEST,Darren
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 12:49 AM

I have the song "little boy lost" on mp3 if you're still interested.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: GUEST,Treviboy
Date: 11 Sep 05 - 09:51 AM

I recall reading about Stephen Walls about 20 years after he was lost and found in, I think, POST Magazine here in Australia. There were some photos of him in the country and I recall him saying that his bushwalking was then mostly confined to hitting a golfball around the paddocks.
I think he also said that he couldn't remember much about being lost. I am only four years older than Stephen and remember my parents buying Johnny Ashcroft's record and playing it enough times that I think I can still sing it from memory.

Cheers

Trev

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From:
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 08:20 PM

I have the words of "Little Boy Lost" for Sandy. Could you please give me her postal address and I will send it to her?

Thanks.

Annesley Caspersz (Mr.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 09:15 PM

Hi, Annesley -
The lyrics for "Little Boy Lost" are posted above, and Sandy McLean already has them. If the lyrics you have are different or if you can provide more information about the song, please post them in the thread and I'll make sure they get to Sandy.
-Joe Offer (e-mail sent)-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 06:19 PM

Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPjisfbL8_E to see the You Tube song by Johnny Ashcroft

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 03:43 PM

Thanks to above Guest!
It's amazing how these old threads jump to life.

Subject: Lyr Add: LITTLE BOY LOST (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Dec 09 - 09:50 AM

Hi Sandy
saw your request for LITTLE BOY LOST lyrics and Jenny O's response which is slightly different to those that appear in sheet music produced by Leeds Music of Sydney copyright 1960 (it has a cute picture of a toddler walking in a forest and a photo of Johnny Ashcroft on the cover).

Below are the lyrics as provided by Jenny O with Leeds Music differences shown in brackets ()


LITTLE BOY LOST

In the wild New England ranges came the word one fateful day,
To every town and village, that a boy had lost his way.
All the (townsfolk) (town's folk) quickly gathered and the wild bush horses tossed,
As they went to search the ranges for a little boy lost,
They went (out) to search the ranges for a little boy lost.

A lad of just four summers, Stephen Walls, that is his name,
And nobody doubts his courage, 'cause he's hardy and he's game,
But there's danger in this country that man has seldom crossed,
And they wonder if they'll find alive this little boy lost,
And they wonder if they'll find alive this little boy lost.

Came the night, came the morning. Another night, another dawning,
And a mother weeps in silence as she kneels before the Cross,
And she prays to God in heaven for her little boy lost,
And she prays to God in heaven for her little boy lost.

The little town's deserted, no-one walks upon the street,
For they comb the wild bush country on a thousand aching feet.
They searched every hidden valley though his trail they never crossed,
And their hopes are slowly fading for this little boy lost,
And their hopes are slowly fading for this little boy lost.

The blazing sun beat down upon the earth that final day,
With heavy hearts they prayed to God above to show the way,
When from a scrubby gully came the voice they've ne'er forgot,
"Where's my daddy, where's my daddy?" cried the little boy lost,
"Where's my daddy, where's my daddy?" cried the little boy lost.

In the far New England ranges there's a boy that's known so well,
There's a story that the town's folk and the bushmen often tell,
How he fought a rugged country, where man has seldom crossed,
And a mother's prayers were answered for her little boy lost.


By the way, there is a great version of little boy lost on YouTube performed by a Raymond Crooke, just his voice and guitar.
You can find it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCW1PVBSX4U

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: Rowan
Date: 20 Dec 09 - 02:37 PM

And the same New England ranges are still getting people lost. Northeast of Guyra an elderly gentleman wandered from his car earlier this year and has still not been found. It was the second search I've been on with no recovery; the first was a young lad around the same age as Stephen Walls who got lost near Noojee (Victoria) in the winter of 1967.

Devastating for all concerned.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 20 Dec 09 - 03:20 PM

Thanks again to all! I'll make a clicky for the Johnny Ashcroft YouTube link from Guest last July.

Little Boy Lost

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Boy Lost (Johnny Ashcroft)
From: GUEST,Brian
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 08:10 PM

Ray Hadley Interviews Johnny Ashcroft
2GB Ray Hadley Interviews Johny Ashcroft