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Australian Halloween songs

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GUEST,Cliff 13 Apr 05 - 11:29 PM
JennyO 11 Apr 05 - 05:49 AM
Nerd 10 Apr 05 - 05:35 PM
JennyO 10 Apr 05 - 12:04 AM
JennyO 09 Apr 05 - 11:57 PM
JennieG 09 Apr 05 - 10:53 PM
mg 09 Apr 05 - 03:41 PM
GUEST,JennyO 09 Apr 05 - 11:09 AM
Kitty 09 Apr 05 - 09:22 AM
The Fooles Troupe 09 Apr 05 - 09:17 AM
Kitty 09 Apr 05 - 09:15 AM
The Fooles Troupe 09 Apr 05 - 07:56 AM
Kitty 08 Apr 05 - 07:00 PM
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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: GUEST,Cliff
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 11:29 PM

Re: Violet Jacobs

She's mourning her love/husband who is killed in France in WWI. Hoping she can make contact with him (or his ephemeral spirit) on All Hallow's.


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Subject: Lyr Add: THE OATH OF BAD BROWN BILL (S Axelsen)
From: JennyO
Date: 11 Apr 05 - 05:49 AM

Oh yes, The Griesly Bride - duh, why didn't I think of that? It's one of my favourite songs that I sing - it always manages to send a few shivers up and down spines - including my own.

Then there is a good spooky poem by Stephen Axelsen, called "The Oath of Bad Brown Bill".

THE OATH OF BAD BROWN BILL

One hundred years ago or more,
A bloke named Bad Brown Bill.
Ranged the bush from Binnaway,
And Burke to Castle Hill.

Gruff and tough, rude and shrewd,
A scoundrel to the core.
He plundered stole, he robbed and thieved,
And still went out for more.

A mare named Mudpie was his mount,
An old but nimble nag.
As hard as nails, as bold as brass,
But something of a wag.

They bailed up every bank and pub,
From Broome to Cooper's Creek.
And bundled up the Mudgee mail,
Not once but every week.

Tthey boldly stole the Queensland Mint,
Just took it right or wrong.
Then down the eastern coast they sailed,
And stuck up Wollongong.

One day they caught the Governor,
They took his splendid hat.
They made him dance a jig on it,
Until he squashed it flat.

When now and then the mounted troups,
Rode out to track them down.
Brown Bill would yell, and whoop and cheer,
And chase them back to town.

Our hero was quite sure he was,
The bravest of the brave.
He bragged so much he nearly drove,
Poor Mudpie to her grave.

In desperation Mudpie,
Found power of speech and said.
You brag, but are you bold enough,
To rob the ghostly dead.

This struck and stunned,
And sorely stung Brown Bill's enormous pride.
He flew into a crimson rage,
"My oath I am" he cried.

He knelt upon the stony ground,
And bowed his fat brown head.
He slowly swore an awful oath,
And solemnly he said...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Oath

Pure and simple, straight and neat,
I vow I'll rob the folks I meet.
Be they live, or dead and dry,
I'll swear I'll rob the folks I spy.
And if I ever break this oath,
I'll eat my boots, I'll eat them both!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Right there and then he galloped off,
To find himself a ghost.
And that same night he saw a sight,
That turned his teeth to toast.

He's come across a hideous ghoul,
Astride a rotten log.
It grinned a slimy, slippery grin,
And breathed a damp green fog.

Brown Bill stood fast beside his oath,
Fair dinkum and true blue.
He'd pledged himself to rob this fiend,
This dread pale Jackaroo.

He bit his tongue and grit his teeth,
And yelled courageously.
"You'll stand and you'll deliver, sir",
"Your wealth belongs to me".

And with a whine and hiss it spoke,
"Brown Bill, you've caught me fair".
"So come up to my camp with me,
My treasure's hidden there".

And like a flash, the ghost was off,
Away into the night.
Brown Bill stood still,
Upon his horse.
Three quarters dead from fright.

He hummed a hymn, and shook himself,
And rode in hot pursuit.
Until he reached the Billabong,
Malodorous and mute.

Gross and gruesome monster ghosts,
Loathesome and befowled.
Begrimed beslimed and horrible,
They howled and scowled and growled.

They lumbered out and heaved about,
A moaning groaning throng.
With dead and tuneless tongues they sang,
A monster welcome song.

"G'day and welcome Bad Brown Bill,
Where's your smile? You're looking ill.
We've got a nice surprise for you,
We thought we'd make Bush Ranger Stew".

"We'll chop and break, we'll bend and squeeze,
We'll mince your nose, and grind your knees.
We'll boil your bones in merry Hell,
We'll eat you up, your horse as well".

Brown Bill and Mudpie stood like stone,
Their faces long and grey.
Their arteries were full of lead,
Their bones where turned to clay.

Then something like a rusty spring,
Gave way in Brown Bill's head.
He ate his boots, and kicked his horse,
And like a gale they fled.

They wandered in the wilderness,
For forty days or so.
Brown Bill just shook his head and moaned,
And wallowed in his woe.

So Mudpie said her second line,
The last she ever spoke.
"You've had your day as 'Bad Brown Bill',
You're now a better bloke.

They bought a school house, by and by,
Where bush rangers were told.
The story of the oath he made,
And every heart turned cold.

Yes, everyone who heard the tale,
Went grey and shook with dread.
And swore they'd change their wicked ways,
And settle down instead.

So that's the reason why they say,
From Perth to Kimberley.
There's not a single bush ranger,
That's left alive to see.

But...Sometimes in the dead of night,
Perhaps you'll see them still.
The ghostly shapes of Mudpie,
And a bloke named Bad Brown Bill.


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: Nerd
Date: 10 Apr 05 - 05:35 PM

The Griesly Bride is a good one...it's in the DigiTrad.


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: JennyO
Date: 10 Apr 05 - 12:04 AM

Then there's "The Green Lady of Newton Castle", a halloween tale, as spoken by Yuri the Storyteller. He always tells his stories by candlelight - very spooky. I can't find the words though. They may not exist in written form - they don't appear to be on his website - Yuri the Storyteller


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Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'S ONLY THE TWO OF US HERE
From: JennyO
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 11:57 PM

We have several people who like to perform the two poems mentioned by Jennie G. "There's Only The Two Of Us Here" by bush poet Edward Harrington, is often performed, with lots of audience participation, by Robert Lennard at my folk club. Both are good if done by candle light too - heh heh!

I camped one night in an empty hut on the side of a lonely hill;
I didn't go much on empty huts, but the night was awful chill.
So I boiled my billy and had me tea, and seen that the door was shut,
Then I went to bed in an empty bunk by the side of the old slab hut.

It must have been about twelve o'clock – I was feeling cosy and warm –
When at the foot of me bunk I see a horrible ghostly form.
It seemed in shape to be half an ape with a head like a chimpanzee,
But wot the 'ell was it doin' there, and wot did it want with me?

You may say, if you please, that I had the D.Ts or call me a crimson liar,
But I wish you had seen it as plain as me with its eyes like coals of fire!
Then it gave a moan and a horrible groan that curdled me blood with fear,
And "There's only the two of us ere," it ses, "there's only the two of us 'ere!"

I kept one eye on the old hut door and one on the awful brute;
I only wanted to dress meself and get to the door and scoot.
But I couldn't find where I'd left me boots, so I hadn't a chance to clear,
And "There's only the two of us here," it moans, "there's only the two of us here!"

I hadn't a thing to defend meself, not even a stick or stone;
And "There's only two of us here!" it ses again, with a horrible groan
I thought I'd better make some reply, though I reckoned me end was near;
"By the holy smoke, when I find me boots there'll only be one of us here!"

I get me hands on me number tens and out of the door I scoots,
And I lit the whole hillside up with the sparks from my blucher boots.
So I've never slept in a hut since then, and I tremble and shake with fear
When I think of that horrible form wot moaned "There's only the two of us here!"


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Subject: Lyr Add: A GRAVE SITUATION (Claude Morris)
From: JennieG
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 10:53 PM

A couple of poems come to mind - "There's only the two of us here" by Ted Harrington (apparently set to music by Slim Dusty) and "A grave situation", by Claude Morris.

A GRAVE SITUATION - Claude Morris

When I staggered away from my favourite pub,
The night was dark and still,
And I thought I'd take a shortcut home
That led over Cemetery Hill.
Now I'm not a hero as everyone knows,
And I have no reckless trends,
But ghosts and the like leave me cold, as it were,
And spirits and I are old friends.

I wobbled along through the cemetery gates,
Begging my legs to behave,
And everything went pretty well, so I thought,
Till I fell down a newly-dug grave.
For a moment I thought I had landed in hell,
And ended my earthly career,
I sniffed like a hound for the sulphurous fumes,
Expecting Old Nick to appear.

But reason returned and I staggered erect,
My prison so dark, to survey,
And tested my bones for a fracture or two,
But everything functioned O.K.
I made a feeble attempt to get out,
But it needed no more than a glance
To convince me, in my condition,
I hadn't the ghost of a chance.

I reckoned I'd have a lay-off for a while,
And when I woke sober and fit
I'd surely come up with a good idea
That would get me out of the pit.
Just then I could hear fast oncoming steps
That seemed too good to be true,
But ere I could 'Coo-ee' or offer advice,
In the grave there were suddenly two!

By chance, he fell in the grave's other end,
With no one to cushion his fall;
But he rose with a strangled yelp,
And attempted to scale up the wall.
This chap was at pains to be up and away,
As the capers he cut plainly told.
He jumped and scrambled and jumped again,
But his fingers and toes wouldn't hold.

I hadn't yet spoken -- I'd hardly a chance,
The way he cavorted about,
And I had to admire the way that he fought
To sever all ties and get out.
Of course he believed there was nobody near;
He thought he was there all alone.
And I got the idea it had entered his head
That the grave was becoming his own.

I felt rather sad for the poor little guy
Now acting a little distraught,
And I thought he'd relax if I gave him the drum
That he wasn't alone, as he thought.
So I walked up behind him and tapped on his back
As he poised for another wild bid:
"You can't make it, Mate," I breathed in his ear --
But by the Lord Harry... he DID!

Cheers
JennieG


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: mg
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 03:41 PM

if you want serious Halloween songs, Halloween in France by Violet Jacobs I think is wonderful...France in WWI. Also Kate whose CDs are produced by Rob Folsom (he should be on Google) wrote this awesome one that she sang at Sunnycamp..about someone who only felt normal on Halloween because of some sort of disfigurement..how she would wait all year for Halloween and enjoy the bonfires etc., go home alone, but already looking forward to the next Halloween. mg


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 11:09 AM

Ah yes - "Somewhere in the car"!

I like singing it to arachnophobes - mwuhahaha haha ha ha!


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: Kitty
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 09:22 AM

Thanks for the first laugh of the morning...
k


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 09:17 AM

Hehehehehehe!

You could write it yourself....


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: Kitty
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 09:15 AM

Wow, that would be a great one: where do I find it?? (or is this a royal leg pulling??)
k


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Subject: RE: Australian Halloween songs
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 07:56 AM

"Uncle Sam is a-comin' to Town!"


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Subject: Australian Halloween songs
From: Kitty
Date: 08 Apr 05 - 07:00 PM

Ok, I am getting ready very early... I have a couple of story songs that work well for Halloween: Pat Drummond's "It's Somewhere In the Car" and "Bad Pennies" And have "Nobody's Moggy Now," which is more of a gross type song than a scary one. I am looking for songs with an Aussie heritage that would be great to sing on Halloween.

Thanks in advance.


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