To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=32774
3 messages

Lyr/Tune Add: The Black Swans

04 Apr 01 - 09:37 AM (#432946)
Subject: THE BLACK SWANS
From: MMario

From NZ - about Kauri gum-diggers Lyrics traditional - roughly 1880's music Neil Colquhoun

THE BLACK SWANS

The rest-less shad-ows by me flit
And day will soon be o'er
As in the dy-ing light I sit,
Out-side my wha-re doore.
A-way a-cross the east I see
the black swans home-ward come,
through sun-set skies that gleam on me,
a dig-ger sra-ping gum

Chorus:
yo-ho wup!
yo-ho wup!
yo-ho!

Mid hills of grey _ and brown _
I live here in the scrub
Full fif-ty miles from an-y town
And ten from an-y pub
Through win-ter's rain and sum-mer's drought
This life may-be suits some
I grind a scan-ty liv-ing out
A dig-ger scra-ping gum

Chorus

And if you want the way you've gone
Hid from friends you-'ve lost
As slow the years of life steal on
And turn the hair to frost.
Then see a-cross the East-ern sky,
The black swans home-ward come
'Neath sun-set skies that gleam on my,
Hard scra-ping of the gum.

Chorus

NWC file sent to Joe

MIDI file: BLACK_SWAN.mid

Timebase: 120

Name: THE BLACK SWANS
Text: By lyric - traditional music Neil Colquhoun
Copyright: member.tripod.com/NZFolkie/blackswan.htm
Key: D
TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Start
0384 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0336 0 69 000 0048 1 66 110 0336 0 66 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0912 0 67 000 0048 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0336 0 69 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0336 0 69 000 0048 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0336 0 66 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 66 110 0336 0 66 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 59 110 0912 0 59 000 0048 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 69 110 0336 0 69 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0336 0 66 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0912 0 67 000 0048 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0336 0 69 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0336 0 66 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 66 110 0160 0 66 000 0032 1 64 110 0336 0 64 000 0048 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 59 110 0736 0 59 000 0032 1 59 110 0192 0 59 000 0000 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 67 110 0528 0 67 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0608 1 60 110 0192 0 60 000 0000 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0528 0 67 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0608 1 64 110 0192 0 64 000 0000 1 61 110 0160 0 61 000 0032 1 62 110 1312 0 62 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:THE BLACK SWANS
M:3/4
Q:1/4=120
K:D
A,6|D4D2|A2A4|F4D2|D4D2|B4B2|B4A2|G6|-G4G2|
A4A2|B2A4|B4A2|F4D2|F4E2|D2D4|B,6|-B,4A,2|
D4D2|A4A2|F4D2|D4D2|B4B2|B4A2|G6|-G4G2|A4A2|
B4A2|B4A2|F4D2|F2E4|D4D2|B,6|-B,2B,2D2|G6|
A6|-A2=C2=F2|G6|A6|-A2E2C2|D6|-D6|D7/4||


04 Apr 01 - 01:50 PM (#433131)
Subject: RE: Tune Add: THE BLACK SWANS
From: GUEST,leeneia

It's a fine poem. I would like to know more about "gum". What kind of gum? What it's for? Does he scrape it off trees or dig it out of the ground? These details would be helpful in explaining the song to an audience.


04 Apr 01 - 01:56 PM (#433135)
Subject: RE: Tune Add: THE BLACK SWANS
From: MMario

you'll have to a someone from NZ for details.

but there is a pretty good explanation here