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12 Sep 02 - 09:36 PM (#782617) Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THE CHILDREN COME HOME (Henry Lawson From: Mudlark Australian, I'm sure, and I first heard about 15 years ago. It's a beautiful song, I sing it a lot, and would like to be able to credit the writer...Couldn't find it in either forum of DT. WHEN THE CHILDREN COME HOME (lyrics by Henry Lawson) On a lonely selection away in the West There lived an old woman who worked without rest And she crooned as she toiled 'neath the sky's glassy dome, "I'll keep the old place 'til the children come home." For she mends all the fences, she lambs and she plows, She drives the old horse, she milks the old cow, And she says to herself as she patches the stack, "I'll keep the old place till the children come back." Whenever the scowling old Sundowners come And cunningly ask if the master's at home, "Be off," she replies, "with your blarney and cant Or I'll call my son Andy who's working behant." "Be off," she replies, though she trembles with fear, For she lives all alone and with no neighbors near, And she thinks to herself when she's like to despond, That her boys are at work in the paddock beyond. Now it's 5 lonely years since her old husband died, And oft as he lay on his deathbed he sighed, "A man can bring up 10 children he can, But it's strange that 10 sons cannot keep one old man." For none of her children need follow the plow, And some have grown rich in the city ere now, But she thinks they might come when the shearing is done, And she'll keep the old place if it's only for one. |
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13 Sep 02 - 02:29 AM (#782793) Subject: RE: Composer Req: I'll keep the old place... From: nutty It's by Henry Lawson and it's called When the Children come home |
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13 Sep 02 - 04:23 AM (#782827) Subject: Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson & Australian Poets From: Joe Offer This site (click) has the text of the poem in question, as well as lots of other works by Henry Lawson and "Banjo" Paterson. Click here for an Australian poetry page you may enjoy. -Joe Offer- |
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24 Sep 08 - 12:40 PM (#2449031) Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THE CHILDREN COME HOME (Henry Lawson From: Jim Dixon This looks like a more authentic text. Copied from http://www.alldownunder.com/oz-v/henry-lawson/p10.htm WHEN THE CHILDREN COME HOME By Henry Lawson (1867-1922) In a lonely selection far out in the West An old woman works all the day without rest, And she croons, as she toils 'neath the sky's glassy dome, 'Sure I'll keep the ould place till the childer come home.' She mends all the fences, she grubs, and she ploughs, She drives the old horse and she milks all the cows, And she sings to herself as she thatches the stack, 'Sure I'll keep the ould place till the childer come back.' It is five weary years since her old husband died; And oft as he lay on his deathbed he sighed 'Sure one man can bring up ten children, he can, An' it's strange that ten sons cannot keep one old man.' Whenever the scowling old sundowners come, And cunningly ask if the master's at home, 'Be off,' she replies, 'with your blarney and cant, Or I'll call my son Andy; he's workin' beyant.' 'Git out,' she replies, though she trembles with fear, For she lives all alone and no neighbours are near; But she says to herself, when she's like to despond, That the boys are at work in the paddock beyond. Ah, none of her children need follow the plough, And some have grown rich in the city ere now; Yet she says: 'They might come when the shearing is done, And I'll keep the ould place if it's only for one.' Lawson, Henry. In the Days When the World Was Wide and Other Verses. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1900. |
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24 Sep 08 - 01:23 PM (#2449064) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: open mike thanks to mudlark for bringing this sdong to my (our) attention. i have sung it (accapella) at several cowboy poetry gatherings and received good response. |
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24 Sep 08 - 07:55 PM (#2449333) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry La From: GUEST,Gerry Priscilla Herdman recorded it on her 1987 album, Darkness Into Light. I've heard it in Sydney folk clubs, but I can't recall any Australian recordings. |
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24 Sep 08 - 09:05 PM (#2449367) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: JennieG Gerry, it was recorded on an Ozzie album in the early 80s by Mike and Michelle Jackson - I will dig out my copy later. "The Teams" was also on it. I think the album was called "The Roaring Days". Cheers JennieG |
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24 Sep 08 - 10:32 PM (#2449405) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry La From: Charley Noble Another website where I work as a moderator, Oldpoetry.com, has 500 Lawson poems including this one: Click here Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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25 Sep 08 - 07:18 PM (#2450363) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: cobber My wife sings this to a song we know as Tom Blackman's Waltz. That may be the Herdman version but I haven't heard it to know |
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25 Sep 08 - 08:08 PM (#2450421) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: JennieG Cobber, that's the tune that Priscilla Herdman recorded for this song. I haven't been able to get to my LPs yet, they're a bit inaccessible, but I'll see what I can do in the next few days. Cheers JennieG |
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25 Sep 08 - 08:18 PM (#2450430) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry La From: Rowan "Tom Blackman's Waltz" has also been recorded by the likes of Alistair Anderson but listed under its other name, "The Mudgee Waltz". A dim memory suggests that it is known under the latter name in the northeast USA and under the first name in the southeastern USA. Cheers, Rowan |
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03 Mar 10 - 08:45 PM (#2855492) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: GUEST,Bob Jones Henry Lawson has long been one of my favourite poets and this poem one of my favourites of his. Mike Jackson set the poem to the tune later recorded by Priscialla Herdman (a lovely setting and version, in my opinion). Mike's son Thom does a beautiful version of another Henry Lawson poem, "The Water Lily". |
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03 Mar 10 - 11:20 PM (#2855541) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: open mike you can hear me singing this on http://www.myspace.com/laurelwoodsorrel the Elko Highlights video from 2008 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering it is on the video page. i learned this from mudlark |
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04 Mar 10 - 12:16 AM (#2855561) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: wysiwyg behant/beyant Mudgee === What do these mean? ~S~ |
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04 Mar 10 - 03:21 AM (#2855616) Subject: RE: ADD: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson) From: Sandra in Sydney Mudgee is a town & I assume 'beyant' is just her pronounciation of beyond, especially as beyond is used in the next verse. Whenever the scowling old sundowners come, And cunningly ask if the master's at home, 'Be off,' she replies, 'with your blarney and cant, Or I'll call my son Andy; he's workin' beyant.' 'Git out,' she replies, though she trembles with fear, For she lives all alone and no neighbours are near; But she says to herself, when she's like to despond, That the boys are at work in the paddock beyond. sandra Dots & ABCs for Mudgee Waltz & other waltzes |
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04 Mar 10 - 06:33 AM (#2855691) Subject: RE: ADD: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: GUEST,Gerry I always took behant to mean behind, as in, behind the house, but I yield to Sandra. |
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04 Mar 10 - 06:55 AM (#2855706) Subject: RE: ADD: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson) From: wysiwyg I did finally find an Irish vocab site that lists it as "behind" or "Over there." I suspect it's an Aussie development from the Irish stock that came over, and took on further connotations from there. In the context of the song as well as other phrases that Googled up, it seemed to have fairly loose connotations... one o fhtose words that evokes rather than defines? I asked about Mudgee because we live next to a Mudge Road. Roads here are named for the families who first/longest live on them. I wondered if the original Mudges here knew they might have cousins so far away, or if the name had any other significance than a place name. Both words-- idle curiosities of the sort that sometimes connect up in my head and in my wanderings. ~Susan |
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04 Mar 10 - 08:13 AM (#2855758) Subject: RE: ADD: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson) From: Sandra in Sydney Gerry, mine was an assumption - yours makes more sense as a word spoken by an Irish Australian woman. And then Susan found the exact word. Susan, I think you're right about the poem evoking a rather than defining exactly. Mudgee - info for travellers including probable origin of name sandra |
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04 Mar 10 - 06:21 PM (#2856259) Subject: RE: ADD: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson) From: open mike i sometimes sing "he's workin' the land" it is all imaginary anyway, because he isn't because he "need not follow the plow" |
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09 Apr 13 - 04:24 PM (#3501094) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: open mike Can someone please identify the tune that this poem is set to here? open mike (Laurel Woodsorrel) sings Lawson poem http://www.myspace.com/video/laurelwoodsorrel/elko-highlights-performance/29603502 |
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09 Apr 13 - 04:41 PM (#3501098) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: maeve Laurel- I enjoyed your singing very much! Your tune is a variant of Priscilla Herdman's original melody on her "Water Lily" album. Hers originally had a higher part that is missing in your version. She wrote the melodies to four of Henry Lawson's poems on that album. Regards, Maeve |
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09 Apr 13 - 09:09 PM (#3501200) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: GUEST,Gerry maeve, it's not on the Water Lily album, it's on a later album, Darkness Into Light. http://www.priscillaherdman.com/ph__200.htm Darkness Into Light also has a couple of other Australian songs, both written by Judy Small; From the Lambing to the Wool, and Walls and Windows. |
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10 Apr 13 - 04:17 AM (#3501289) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: open mike Thank you and thanks to Mudlark for introducing me to this song and tune. I thought0 the tune might have been taken from a trad. fiddle tune/waltz. If it was written by Priscilla, I should like to credit her. |
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10 Apr 13 - 09:11 AM (#3501391) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: GUEST,Gerry open mike, I think we've established that the tune is traditional and goes by the name, The Mudgee Waltz. Priscilla Herdman wrote tunes for some of the Lawson lyrics she sings, but not this one. |
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10 Apr 13 - 09:19 AM (#3501394) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: maeve I'm sorry for my misinformation piled on top of not carefully reading the thread. It's not a mistake I usually make- clearly it's not a good time for me to be posting. Thanks to Gerry for gently correcting me. |
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11 Apr 13 - 07:41 AM (#3501734) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: Bruce D The original published version was On a lonely selection far out in the West An old woman works all the day without rest, And she croons, as she toils 'neath the sky's glassy dome, "Sure I'll keep the ould place till the childer come home." She mends all the fences, she grubs, and she ploughs, She drives the old horse and she milks all the cows, And she sings to herself as she thatches the stack, "Sure I'll keep the ould place till the childer come back." It is five weary years since her old husband died; And oft as he lay on his deathbed he sighed: "Sure one man can bring up ten children, he can, An' it's strange that ten sons cannot keep one old man." Whenever the scowling old Sundowners come, And cunningly ask if the master's at home, "Be off," she replies, "with your blarney and cant, Or I'll call my son Andy; he's workin' beyant." "Git out," she replies, though she trembles with fear, For she lives all alone, and no neighbours are near, but she says to herself, when she's like to despond, That the boys are at work in the paddock beyond. Ah, none of her children need follow the plow, And some have grown rich in the city ere now; Yet she says: "They might come when the shearing is done, And I'll keep the ould place if it's only for one." Written in December 1890? and first published the the Sydney Worker 22nd October 1982 Reference: Henry Lawson Collected Verse Volume One 1885-1900 Edited by Colin Roderick Over the next six years there were minor punctuation and spelling changes, ie children to childer, childer to childre', grubs to "grubs" and a few word change ie Ah to but (line 21) & Glassy to glazed (Line 3). Bruce D |
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11 Apr 13 - 07:49 AM (#3501737) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: Bruce D I just listen to Laurel Woodsorrel version and appart from adding "Sure I'll keep the ould place till the childer come home." to the third verse its was petty close to the orginal version. Bruce D |
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11 Apr 13 - 10:42 AM (#3501810) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: open mike ah ha...The Mudgee Waltz....that's what i was trying ti=o find... all I could think of was Tom Bigby Waltz and I knew that wasn't it. Here is where we discuss that waltz ...named after a town in Australia http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9841...apparently also known as Tom Blackman's Waltz. |
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11 Apr 13 - 10:51 AM (#3501817) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: McGrath of Harlow Behant means behind and beyant means beyond. In the context of the poem/song, interchangeable - ie, use which you please. Henry Lawson wouldn't mind, I'm sure. |
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11 Apr 13 - 03:10 PM (#3501948) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson From: Artful Codger open mike's Mudgee Waltz thread link blickified: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9841 |
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11 Apr 13 - 11:36 PM (#3502092) Subject: RE: ADD: When the Children Come Home (Henry Lawson) From: Joe Offer "Mudgee Waltz" can be found at the ABC Tune Finder. And as linked above, also at http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/musicfolder/waltzes/waltzes.html -Joe- X: 1 T:Mudgee Waltz M:3/4 L:1/8 K:C "C"E3 F G2|C2 D2 E2|"Dm"F4 A2|D4 G2|"G7"B3 A G2|F2 G2 F2|"C"E4 F2|\ G6|"C"E3 F G2|C2 D2 E2|"Dm"F4 A2|D4 G2|"G7"B3 A G2|F2 E2 D2|"C"C6|C6| "C"e3 d c2|E2 G2 c2|"G7"B4 A2|D4 G2|B3 A G2|F2 G2 F2|"C"E4 F2|G6|\ "C"e3 d c2|E2 G2 c2|"G7"B4 A2|D4 G2|B3 A G2|F2 E2 D2|"C"C6|C6|]
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