Lyr Req: James Ruse (Richard Gendall)

Subject: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Notferjo
Date: 19 Apr 05 - 10:10 AM

Hello Folks
Can anyone help me with the words (and tune) to a song about James Ruse a convict and farmer in the early days of settlement in Sydney. Any ideas on who wrote it? Who recorded it?   I first learnt this song around 20 years ago and have since forgotten all but these words:

James Ruse is my name and from Cornwall I came
A husbandman born in times of reform
Two watches I stole and a few shillings more
And for this was sentenced to seven years far, far, far from my own native shore

CH (Also the epitaph on his grave)
My mother reared me tenderly with me she took much pain
And when I arrived in this colony I sowed the first grain
And now with my heavenly father I hope forever to remain

They took me on board of the Scarborough then
And off to Australia with many poor men
Across the two oceans we zig-zagged our way..... etc etc

R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 12:03 AM

G'day Notferjo,

I don't suppose you can dredge up a few more clues to this one ... ?

I suspect the song is (comparatively) modern ... late 1960s at the earliest, as it doesn't look like any collected songs from the tradition - and it's only from the "folk boom" days that anyone would start writing songs about successful (ex-)convicts, rather than rebellious ones lashed to within an inch of their life ... but defiant to the end!

Do you have any memory of the singer/group ... or recording from which this came?

Regards,

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Peace
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 12:31 AM

"1792 Cornwall County Library is founded at Pydar Street, Truro, with nearly 30 subscribers, minimum subscription 1 guinea, and survived until 1920. In that time the library moved to Princes Street and then to the Public Rooms, situated between Quay Street and the Green


James Ruse, a Launceston man, is deported on the first Australian convict ship."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 04:29 AM

G'day brucie,

I presume that the (entry /?) reference to James Ruse's deportation doesn't come from the 1792 Truro records ... as the First Fleet sailed from Porstmouth on 13 May 1787 ... had landed, first at Botany Bay (20 January 1788) - then transferred to the better prospects of what is now Sydney Harbour - 25 January 1788.

We celebrate 26 January (the anniversary of Governor Phillip raising the British flag and claiming the country) as "Australia Day".

Regards,

Bob

Subject: Lyr Add: JAMES RUSE
From: Notferjo
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 08:52 AM

Bob, I'm scanning the old grey matter here and presume it is a song I heard on the radio and taped. I've been through the tapes I have left, (they don't keep through the years) not finding what I'm looking for. I suspect the song was written when it was ok to admit convict ancestry and in a similar vein to songs such as Judy Small's "Mary Parker's Lament". The performer(s) may have been a group. Also found more words, some missing, scribbled down in a notebook and probably the whole song:

James Ruse is my name and from Cornwall I came
A husbandman born in times of reform
Two watches I stole and a few shillings more
And for this was sentenced to seven years far, far, far from my own native shore

CH (Also the epitaph on his grave)
My mother reared me tenderly with me she took much pain
And when I arrived in this colony I sowed the first grain
And now with my heavenly father I hope forever to remain

They took me on board of the Scarborough then
And off to Australia with many poor men
Across the two oceans we zig-zagged our way
With good Captain Phillip sailing so far, far, far to Botany Bay

I'll give you a garden James Ruse he did say
And 20 more acres if you'll make it pay
So I sowed the first grain in this far distant .....
And when it was ripe the first harvest I saw, saw, saw
In this distant.....

Oh many's the troubles that I had to bear
From drought and from flood and hard labouring fare
I wed Lizzy Perry down under to share
The first farming country that ever was here, here, here,
In this hot dusty air

So now I do lie in St John's Campbelltown
Beside my good wife on Australian ground
We had a hard life and I'm proud to proclaim
I was the first farmer and husbandman here, here, here,
In this distant domain


I think have the tune for the verses but the chorus is very vague. Great song.

Notferjo

Subject: Lyr Add: JAMES RUSE (Richard Gendall)
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 11:01 AM

He rates a Wikipedia entry: Wikipedia - James Ruse, which qotes the epitaph among the other information.

The words appear in a song file of the Cornish Association of NSW CANSW Song Sheets (Adobe pdf file), where the author is listed only as Gendall. You might be able to get more information from them.

Below is the song as it appear there.

Mick

---

James Ruse (Gendall)

James Ruse is my name, and from Cornwall I came,
A husbandman born in times that were poor.
Two watches I stole and a few shillings more,
And for this was sentenced to seven years
Far, far, far from my own native shore.

(Refrain)
My mother reared me tenderly, with me she took much pains,
And when I arrived in this colony I sowed the first grains,
and now with my heavenly Father I hope for ever to remain.

They put me aboard of the 'Scarborough' then,
And off to Australia with many poor men,
Across the two oceans we zigzagged our way,
With good Captain Phillip a-sailing,
Far, far, far to Botany Bay.

"I'll give you a garden James Ruse he did say,
"And thirty more acres if you'll make it pay."
So I sowed the first grain in this far distant strand,
And when it was ripe a first harvest I
Saw, saw, saw, in this far distant land.

O' many the troubles that I had to bear
From drought and from flood and hard labouring fare;
And I wed Lizzie Perry down under, to share
The first farming country that ever was
Here, here, here in this hot dusty air.

And now I do lie in St. John's Campbelltown,
Beside my good wife in Australian ground...
We had a good life, but I'm proud to proclaim
I was the first gardener and husbandman
Here, here, here in this distant domain.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 05 - 09:20 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 10 May 05 - 09:17 AM

G'day again Notferjo,

A Google search on Cornish / Gendall / songwriter gets a half dozen sites containing references such as this at:

Fry an Spyris - The Alternative (a site for the promotion of the Cornish language)-

"Richard Gendall had been a longstanding figure in the movement: as a teacher of the language and author of an innovative and effective textbook, songwriter and scholar."

Presumably this song is one of his English language efforts, celebrating the far-flung efforts of exiled Cornishmen.

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: GUEST,ozziesong
Date: 15 Dec 05 - 04:30 PM

I found the words on this web site

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:If-mOQw8U30J:members.optushome.com.au/kevrenor/songs95.pdf+%22James+Ruse+is+my%22&hl=en

A recording of the song was released in 1988 called The bicentenial song collection 1988, I lost my copy and have never been able to get another, there are copys in libary in Canberra, I would love for it to be released again, its played over in my mind for near 20 years.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 16 Dec 05 - 04:44 AM

G'day Notferjo & ozziesong,

Hmmmm ... since that site sems to be a local (NSW) Australian/Cornish association, I'll see if I can corner local Cornish songs expert Carrl Myriad and find if he has any knowledge of this one.

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 02:58 AM

BBYE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: SqueezeMe
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 06:14 AM

Pretty sure it was recorded back in the early 1970s by Brenda Wootton and written by a fellow she used to sing with....can't recall his name.

Tricky time signature iirc. Suited Brenda fine, but pretty unsingable by a bunch of big, hairy bush band types, who did a re-write to a somewhat more manageable (though less interesting) tune in 3/4 time and only 3 chords. (Think "Wild Rover/Botany Bay" idiom). This "new" song was written for a James Ruse celebration event around 1988, a booking accepted at 24 hours notice, conditional upon singing a song about James Ruse.

Heard a couple of Sydney bush bands do it since.

Can post words if any one interested....but adds nothing to the story.

MC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Nov 08 - 10:16 PM

I need a pic of James Ruse where can i get one????

Plz help?????

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Little Robyn
Date: 16 Nov 08 - 03:31 AM

Brenda Wootten used to sing with John the Fish.
Did he write it?
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: GUEST,Andy Chiem
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 12:59 AM

1. What ship did James Ruse came over to Australia?

2. What did he commit?

3. What job did he do?

4. What did his family do when he was gone to Australia?

5. When did he born?

6. When did James recieve his ticket-of-leave or pass?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: JennieG
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 03:30 AM

What's the prize for knowing?

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Rowan
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 06:26 PM

Reference to the "Scarborough" as the transport has me puzzled. It's now 21 years since I schooled a Year 8 history class through the AppleWorks version of John King's documentation of the First Fleet, but I seem to recall that all the prisoners who had originally received the death sentence and had had it commuted to transportation (originally to Africa but later to New Holland) were all on the one ship. One of my ancestors had been so sentenced, commuted and transported and my aging memory tells me that it was on the Scarborough.

The University of Wollongong used to host a site with such details but it is no longer there.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 10:55 PM

"Gendall" would be Richard Gendall, who was indeed one of Brenda Wootton's singing partners.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse-First Fleet convict
From: Allen in Oz
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:18 AM

Jennie G

First prize is a night out with Bob Foggin

Second prize is two nights out with Bob Foggin !

See you Friday

AD

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse (Richard Gendall)
From: GUEST,Jaime
Date: 24 Jan 14 - 03:09 AM

Yes, I have a very nice quality MP3 version ripped from a CD I bought years ago by a band called "The Colonial Boys".
Sorry don't know where you would be able to obtain it (just had a quick look at some torrent site, with no luck)
The CD also has lots of classic Aussie songs:

Bound For Botany Bay.mp3
Bound For South Australia.mp3
Clancy Of The Overflow.mp3
Click Go The Shears.mp3
Flash Jack From Gundagai.mp3
James Ruse.mp3
Lime Jucie Tub.mp3
Moreton Bay.mp3
On The Road To Gundagai.mp3
Springtime, It Brings On The Shearing.mp3
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.mp3
The Drovers Dream.mp3
The Euabalong Ball.mp3
The Man From Snowy River.mp3
The Overlanders.mp3
The Wild Colonail Boy.mp3
Waltzing Matilda.mp3

Hope this helps

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse (Richard Gendall)
From: GUEST,Jaime
Date: 24 Jan 14 - 03:11 AM

Here is some info on the CD I have:

http://australianfolk.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/colonial-boys-bicentennial-song.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Ruse (Richard Gendall)
From: GUEST,Lewy Lewis
Date: 07 Oct 14 - 08:51 AM

Ok what Happened is the CD was Deleted and you can not buy any more they only released so many for the Australian Bicentennial year 1988.

They are as rare as Hens Teeth. I lost my CD in 1993 then found a CD in a 2nd hand Book Shop in Melbourne in 2004. I was looking for the CD for that many years. I know the Thrustration.

Email me on [e-mail] if want more info.