'Listen for a moment'
A Small Book of Australian Ballads
'Listen for a Moment'
A Small Book of Australian Ballads
Selected and introduced by
Tom Ford
National Library of Australia
Canberra 2 0 0 0
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© N a t i o n a l Library o f Australia
2000
N a t i o n a l L i b r a r y o f Australia C a t a l o g u i n g in Publication entry
' L i s t e n for a m o m e n t ' : a small b o o k o f Australian ballads.
I S B N 0 6 4 2 1 0 7 2 2 X.
1. B a l l a d s , E n g l i s h — A u s t r a l i a . 2 . Folk s o n g s — A u s t r a l i a .
3. F o l k poetry, Australian.
I. F o r d , T o m . I I . N a t i o n a l
L i b r a r y o f Australia.
A821.0440894
E d i t e d by M a u r e e n B r o o k s
D e s i g n e d by Kathy J a k u p e c
Printed by Inprint L i m i t e d , B r i s b a n e
F r o n t cover:
S T . Gill
Concert
(1818-1880)
Room, Napier
Thatcher's
Popular
Hotel, Ballarat,
Songs 1 8 5 5 (detail)
June,
'55,
Contents
Introduction
3
Jim J o n e s at Botany Bay 7
M o r e t o n Bay
9
Old D o g Tray
13
D e a t h o f B e n Hall
16
T h e Waterwitch
18
S a m Griffith
21
The Stockman
24
T h e Ballad-Maker
29
Antarctic Fleet
30
B u m p M e I n t o Parliament
33
Stick T i g h t B u n n y
37
T h e Ballad Trap
39
References
41
A Shearing Shed in 1883
Reproduced from the Sydney Mail, J u l y - D e c 1 8 8 3 (detail)
2
INTRODUCTION
There are few literary forms in which the difference between
the spoken or sung text and the printed word is more marked
than that of ballads. As A.B. Paterson wrote in the Introduction
to his collection Old Bush Songs: 'these bush songs, to be heard
at their best, should be heard to an accompaniment of clashing
shears when the voice of the shearer rises through the din
caused by the rush and bustle of a shearing shed, the scrambling
of the sheep in their pens, and the hurry of the pickers-up; or
when, on the roads, the cattle are restless in their camp at night
and the man on watch, riding round them, strikes up "Bold
Jack D o n a h o o " to steady their nerves a little.'
But few Australians n o w feel at h o m e in the shearing sheds
or round the camp fires where these ballads were once
performed,
and
inspiration. T h e
where
rhythm
'an accompaniment
they
found
their
content
of collective physical
of clashing shears'—that
and
labour—
gives these
ballads their uneven yet insistent metre is not heard in the
office, nor the shopping mall, nor indeed on many farms today.
If these songs appear here stripped of their music, this reflects
the sense in which they have been stripped of their context:
while words on a page arc a weak reflection of the original
song, the original song often does not n o w exist. T h e recovery
of a truly authentic performance of these songs is n o longer
possible, if only because those listening have changed so much.
3
One mark o f the gap that separates us from these songs is the
need for explanation; for knowledge that could once be
assumed, but now needs to be supplied. Many o f these songs
contain references to topical events and figures; now these
references often appear mysterious, their importance only
evident when one turns to a book of history. But commentary,
while it can illuminate, can also further distance the reader,
emphasising the song's status as a historical artefact, a riddle
from an alien past. Commentary here has been kept to a
minimum; notes have been supplied where necessary, but do
not appear for every ballad.
Despite this historical distance
and the
evanescent
character of folklore, Australians still have access to these
ballads, which document the history of Australian society and
culture in a unique and powerful way. The National Library of
Australia has one of the strongest collections o f ballads and folk
songs in its Oral History Collection, largely thanks to the
efforts o f individual collectors such as John Meredith, Norm
O'Connor, Alan Scott and their colleagues. Recording singers,
musicians and yarn-spinners on farms and in pubs and
retirement homes, these collectors preserved the music and poetry
of earlier generations that would otherwise be lost.
An important
benefit of the depth o f the Library's
Collection is the preservation of'odd' songs. While folk songs
reveal history, that history is one filtered by the attitudes and
experiences o f the singers. That these songs express particular
recurrent themes and attitudes is a consequence of their
provenance in a predominantly
4
male world—the
rural
workplace of the nineteenth century—and their dependence
on an informal public sphere in which to spread. Seasonal and
itinerant workers, such as sailors or shearers, could easily pick
up new songs as they moved from job to job; until recently,
few w o m e n enjoyed such freedom. But n o tradition is wholly
exclusive, and the Library's Collection
challenge
these
dominant
holds songs
attitudes, like
D.
that
Bouverie's
'The Ballad-Maker'. Similarly, the Library has large holdings of
Aboriginal folk songs in English, such as Katie Martin's
'Stick Tight Bunny'—songs that express a very different history
to that found in Paterson's Old Bush Songs.
If 'truly authentic' performances
are now impossible,
if these ballads only exist preserved in oral history collections
or on the printed page, this does not mean that the tradition
of ballads is dead. T h e use of song to present simple stories—
comical, political, romantic, celebratory stories—remains very
much a living tradition. T h e irreverent sense of h u m o u r and
strong conviction in justice and honesty so evident in the songs
collected in this book can still be detected in songs sung in
pubs and workplaces, clubs and streets, all over Australia today.
And in some ways, many modern Australian poems
complex
are
responses to these folk poems, challenging yet
continuing the various forms of Australianness represented in
these first Australian ballads.
5
T h o m a s Rowlandson ( 1 7 5 6 - 1 8 2 7 )
[Convicts embarking
6
for Botany
Bay] 180-?
Jim Jones at Botany Bay
O , listen for a m o m e n t lads, and hear me tell my tale—
How, o'er t h ' sea from England's shore I was compelled to sail.
The jury says 'he's guilty, sir,' and says the judge, says h e —
'For life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you across the stormy sea;
And take my tip, before you ship to join the Iron-gang,
D o n ' t be t o o gay at Botany Bay, or else you'll surely hang—
O r else you'll hang,' he says, says he—'and after that, Jim Jones,
High up upon the gallow-tree t h ' crows will pick your bones—
You'll have n o chance for mischief then; remember what I say,
They'll flog t h ' poachin' o u t of you, o u t there at Botany Bay.'
T h e winds blew high upon t h ' sea, and t h ' pirates came along,
But the soldiers o n our convict ship were full five h u n d r e d strong.
They opened fire and somehow drove that pirate ship away.
I'd have rather joined that pirate ship than come to Botany Bay:
For night and day the irons clang, and like poor galley slaves,
We toil, and toil, and when we die must fill dishonoured graves.
But bye-and-bye I'll break my chains: into the bush I'll go,
And join t h ' brave bushrangers there—Jack D o n o h o o and C o . ;
And some dark night when everything is silent in the town
I'll kill the tyrants, one and all; and shoot t h ' floggers down:
I'll give t h ' Law a little shock: remember what I say,
They'll yet regret they sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay.
7
James Reid Scott (1839-1877)
Flogging Prisoners, Tasmania c.1850
8
Moreton
Bay
as sung by Simon McDonald
I am a native of the land of Erin;
I was early banished from my native shore;
O n the ship C o l u m b u s went circular sailing,
And I left behind me the girl I adored.
O'er the b o u n d i n g billows, which were loudly raging,
Like a bold sea mariner, my course did steer;
We were b o u n d for Sydney, our destination,
And every day in irons wore.
W h e n I arrived, 'twas in Port Jackson,
I t h o u g h t my days would happy be;
But I found o u t I was greatly mistaken:
I was taken a prisoner to M o r e t o n Bay.
M o r e t o n Bay, you'll find n o equal:
Norfolk Island, and E m u plains,
At Castle Hill, and cursed Toongabbie,
And all time places in N e w South Wales.
N o w every m o r n i n g as the day was dawning—
As we rose—from heaven fell the m o r n i n g dew;
And we were roused without a m o m e n t ' s warning
O u r daily labour t o renew.
For three long years I was beastly treated
And heavy irons o n my legs I wore;
My back from flogging was lacerated
And oft times painted with crimson gore.
9
Like the Egyptians and ancient H e b r e w s
W e were oppressed under L o g a n ' s y o k e ;
B u t a native black there lay in ambush
D i d give this tyrant a mortal stroke.
N o w fellow prisoners, be exhilarated
T h a t all such monsters such deaths may find;
And when from b o n d a g e we are liberated
T h e n o u r former sufferings shall fade from mind.
M o r e t o n Bay, you'll find n o equal:
Norfolk Island, and E m u plains,
At Castle Hill, and cursed T o o n g a b b i e ,
And all time places in N e w S o u t h Wales.
10
Moreton
Bay was established as a penal settlement
its purpose was to incarcerate
New South Wales—that
is, repeat offenders.
Logan became commandant
soon gained
convicts convicted
a reputation
in
1824;
of crimes
Captain
in
Patrick
of Moreton Bay in March 1826 and
for extreme cruelty. In 1830 he was
killed, while surveying the upper Brisbane River. It was rumoured
amongst
convicts of the time that Logan had been killed by
Aboriginal
people sympathetic to their
This song was probably written
'Frank the Poet'—a
Like
other
convict transported from
'Frank
'The Convict's Lament'
in many variant
McDonald
in
condition.
by Francis
the
Poet'
ballads,
McNamara—
Ireland
'Moreton
quickly entered folk tradition
in 1832.
Bay'
or
and exists
versions; this version was recorded from
Simon
I960.
11
Interior
12
S.T. Gill
(1818-1880)
of John Alloo's Restaurant,
Ballaarat
1855
Old
Dog Tray
Charles Thatcher
But, unless my watch is fast,
T h e m o r n i n g time is past,
And to sing of the dawn, it's t o o late in the day;
Yet I've tried a change of air,
Almost more than I can bear—
It reminds me of my old d o g Tray.
Old d o g Tray was ever faithful—
Grief came upon him t h o u g h one day;
For the governmental hacks
Would insist upon his tax,
Which was fatal to my old dog Tray.
H e was very good at rats
And a mortal foe to cats;
We were more like brothers than I care to say:
But eight shillings every year
For his company it was dear,
And there was nothing left of old d o g Tray.
Old d o g Tray had a plateful
O f bones and potatoes one fine day;
And inside the sav'ry mass hid
Was a dose of prussic acid,
Which made an end of old d o g Tray.
13
They bore him from my sight,
And it overcame me quite—
I was ill—I was wretched—I was wasting away;
From my food I loathing turned,
And my dinner beer I spurned;
Ah! thinking of my old d o g Tray.
Old d o g Tray, we met again t h o u g h ;
To eat they persuaded me one day,
With some tempting m u t t o n pies,
In the which I recognised
T h e flavour of my old d o g Tray.
14
Charles Thatcher
goldfields,
writing
(1831-1978)
was a popular entertainer
and performing
events; as the title of a contemporary
states, his songs form
diggings'.
songs dealing
with
on the
topical
collection of his song books
'a complete comic history of the early
This song concerns both the imposition of a tax on dogs
in an effort to reduce dog numbers on the goldfields, and also, of
course, the quality of food on the diggings.
15
D e a t h of Ben Hall
as sung by Sally Sloane
C o m e , all you young Australians, and everyone besides,
I'll sing to you a ditty that will fill you with surprise,
Concerning of a 'ranger bold, whose name it was Ben Hall,
But cruelly murdered was this day, which proved his downfall.
An outcast from society, he was forced to take the road,
All through his false and treacherous wife, w h o sold off his abode.
H e was hunted like a native d o g from bush t o hill and dale,
Till he turned upon his enemies and they could not find his trail.
All o u t with his companions, men's blood he scorned to shed,
H e oft times stayed their lifted hands, with vengeance on their heads.
N o petty, mean or pilfering act he ever stooped to d o ,
But robbed the rich and hearty man, and scorned to rob the poor.
O n e night as he in ambush lay all on the Lachlan Plain,
W h e n , thinking everything secure, to ease himself had lain,
When to his consternation and to his great surprise,
And without one m o m e n t ' s warning, a bullet past him flies.
And it was soon succeeded by a volley sharp and loud,
With twelve revolving rifles all pointed at his head.
'Where are you, Gilbert? Where is D u n n ? ' he loudly did call.
It was all in vain, they were not there to witness his downfall.
Although he had a lion's heart, more braver than the brave,
Those cowards shot him like a d o g — n o word of challenge gave.
T h o u g h many friends had poor Ben Hall, his enemies were few,
Like the emblems of his native land, his days were numbered too.
16
It's through Australia's sunny clime Ben Hall will roam n o more.
His name will spread both near and far to every distant shore.
For generations after this parents will to their children call,
And rehearse to them the daring deeds committed by Ben Hall.
Patrick William M a r o n y
Death of lien Hall 1 8 9 4
17
The
Waterwitch
as sung by J.H. Davies
A neat little packet from Hobart set sail
For to cruise 'round the westward for monster sperm whales;
Cruise in the westward, where the stormy winds blow,
Bound away in the Waterwitch, to the west'd we go.
Bound away, bound away, where the stormy winds blow,
Bound away to the west'd in the Waterwitch we go.
Oh it's early one morning just as the sun rose;
A man from the masthead cries out: 'There she blows!'
'We're away!' cried the skipper, and springing aloft;
'Three points on the lee bow and scarce three miles off.
'Get your lines in your boats, my boys, see your box-line all clear,
And lower me down, my bully-boys, and after him we'll steer.
Now the ship, she gets full, my boys; to Hobart we steer,
Where there's plenty of pretty girls and plenty good beer.
'We'll spend our money freely with the pretty girls on shore,
And when it's all gone we'll go whaling for more.'
Bound away, bound away, where the stormy winds blow,
Bound away in the Waterwitch, to the west'd we go.
Opposite page: Barque
Waterwitch
Reproduced from Whalers Out of Van Diemen's
Land
ed. by Harry O ' M a y
( H o b a r t : Government Printer, 1 9 5 - )
Reproduced courtesy o f the Printing Authority o f Tasmania
18
The Waterwitch was a whaling ship based in Hobart from 1860.
Originally launched from the Pembroke naval dockyard as HMS
Falcon, she was used as a slave-chaser off the coast of Africa before
being bought and renamed by Hobart shipowner Alex McGregor.
In Whalers Out of Van Diemen's Land, Harry
O'May writes:
'The Witch, as she was known locally, was a weatherly vessel, and
was one of the very few that could beat to windward
with a whale
lashed alongside ... [In 1893] Waterwitch came in after
month's voyage under Captain
eight
W. Folder, with 52 tuns of oil.
She had had a boat smashed by the flick of a whales tail. The old barque,
still under the blue and white gridiron flag of Alex
McGregor,
was earning very satisfactory dividends.' The Waterwitch made her
last voyage in 1895, the second-last whaler to sail out of Hobart.
19
Kanaka
labourers
on a Queensland
Pineapple
photograph
20
Plantation]
(detail)
Sam Griffith
as sung by Jack L u s c o m b e
O n e night while lying in my bunk in my h u m b l e six by eight,
I dreamt I saw Sam Griffith with a darkie for a m a t e ;
I t h o u g h t I met them travelling o n a dreary Queensland track,
A n d Sam was decorated with a collar-fashioned pack.
I thought that it was s u m m e r t i m e ; and Sam had o ' e r his eyes
A little piece o f muslin t o p r o t e c t him from the flies.
T h r o u g h his b o o t s his toes were shining, and his feet looked very s o r e —
I knew his heels were blistered from the Alberts that he w o r e .
W h e n S a m saw m e c o m i n g towards t h e m he sat d o w n upon his swag.
Said he; ' G o o d m o r n i n g , stranger, g o t m u c h water in your bag?
W e ' r e victimised by squatters for we are t w o union m e n . '
And Sam had on as usual his same old polished grin.
Said I: ' L o o k here, S a m m y Griffith, you have a flamin' cheek.
I f you want a drink o f water you can get it from the creek.
As for the S o u t h Sea Islander, I d o n o t wish him ill;
F o r well I know, p o o r devil, h e ' s here against his will.
'You said, with wife and family o n e time y o u ' d emigrate
I f they did n o t stop Kanakas—that was in eighty-eight.
You spoke against black labour then and talked o f workers' rights.
You spoke from lips but n o t from heart—Australia for the whites.
'You should l o a f t o those you crawl t o , the sugar-growing push,
F o r y o u ' r e hated and detested by the workers in the bush.
T h e y m i g h t give you s o m e easy billets, such as b o o t s and shoes t o clean,
O r driving the Kanakas as they work a m o n g s t the c a n e . '
21
I t h o u g h t Sam j u m p e d up, froth around his m o u t h like spray.
Said he: ' M y agitator, just let m e have a say.
I r e m e m b e r you at L o n g r e a c h , h o w you did h o o t and groan.
I believe y o u would have m o b b e d m e but for C o n s t a b l e M a l o n e . '
I t h o u g h t S a m tried t o rush m e and shape before my face.
B u t I g o t h o m e the L a B l a n c h e swing and gave him coup de grace.
T h e darkie raised his t o m a h a w k , and gave a savage scream;
And all at o n c e I wakened up and found it all a dream.
22
This
topical
song
concerns
who was premier
1890
to 1893.
of Queensland
One
premiership
was
Polynesian
islanders,
work
Sir Samuel
from
of the central
blackbirding,
on Queensland
canefields
Originally
an opponent
the importation
1883
for
of blackbirding,
this position
and
industry,
in
and
which
made
minimal
Griffiths
in 1892
the practice
to
wages.
passed a
in 1890; however,
song notes, he reneged from
from
Griffiths'
of slavery
and farms
of Kanakas
and
issues of
were kidnapped
from
the sugar
(1845-1920),
to 1888
political
a form
or Kanakas,
outlawing
Griffith
under
Bill
as this
pressure
continued
until
Federation.
Griffith
movement
when
was the target
for
his actions
he employed
Jack
Luscombe,
National
became
Later
refer to Prince
the recession
to track
and
of the time
his
the
pack'
in
1953,
and
at
the
played
a
constitution
and
Court.
Alberts—strips
is a type of
1890s,
strikers.
in 1891,
Griffith
of Australia's
of the High
labour
of the
arrest
are on tape
career
of cloth or
the feet and worn by swagmen
A 'collar-fashioned
from
strike at Longreach
in
role in the drafting
the first Chief Justice
around
hostility
this song for John Meredith
on the tensions
'Alberts'
wound
during
military
in the shearers'
Library.
significant
the
who sang
had taken part
his comments
of further
instead
sacking
of socks.
swag.
23
The
Stockman
A bright sun and a loosened rein,
A whip whose pealing sound
Rings forth amid the forest trees
As merrily forth we b o u n d —
As merrily forth we b o u n d , my boys,
A n d , by the dawn's pale light,
S p e e d fearless o n o u r horses true
F r o m m o r n till starry night.
' O h ! for a tame and quiet herd.'
I hear s o m e crawler cry;
B u t give t o m e the m o u n t a i n m o b
W i t h the flash o f their tameless e y e —
W i t h the flash o f their tameless eye, my boys,
As d o w n the rugged spur
Dash the wild children o f the w o o d s ,
A n d the horse that m o c k s at fear.
T h e r e ' s m i s c h i e f in yon w i d e - h o r n e d steer,
T h e r e ' s danger in yon c o w ;
T h e n m o u n t , my m e r r y h o r s e m e n all,
T h e wild m o b ' s bolting n o w —
T h e wild m o b ' s bolting now, my boys,
B u t 'twas never in their hides
T o show the way t o the well-trained nags
T h a t are rattling by their sides.
24
Oh! 'tis jolly to follow the roving herd
T h r o u g h the long, long summer day,
And camp at night by some lonely creek
When dies the golden ray.
W h e n the jackass laughs in the old g u m tree,
And our quart-pot tea we sip;
The saddle was our childhood's h o m e ,
O u r heritage the whip.
Samuel Calvert (1828-1913)
Mustering Cattle on the Bogong High Plains: A Rough Customer 1892
25
This ballad,
reproduced
from
the Queenslander (an
weekly paper published
between
'literary'
than
production
The metre
is quite
models
that sit rather
'yon wide-horned
oral tradition.
the
regular;
phrase
other
steer');
presented
here.
recalls English
poetic
(for instance,
in the
best known from
or Adam
Lindsay
century
to be seen as a fit subject for poetry.
between
subject
expression
and
with
and
D. Bouverie's
of
balladists
'bush
such
a shift
such as Tennyson
means
became
writers
himself—ironically,
type
poetic
vocabulary
were
an
rural,
masculine
poems
like 'The Stockman'
figure,
the gap
between
between
the reality
subject
the
and
ways
comically
as urban
and
language
and the poetic
and
poetic
Paterson
by British
Rudyard
life. While
Bouverie
until
of
poets
Kipling.
offers a sharp riposte to this
challenging
Australian
daily
tensions
relieved
form
Lawson
the 'poet of Empire',
song',
represented
not
of
emerged
However,
influenced
'The Ballad-Maker'
the work
Gordon,
accepted
as Henry
strongly
in
as Australian
life came
colloquial
more
and it has never been recorded
ballad,
Kendall
illustrated
is clearly a
ballads
oddly with the subject
in the second half of the nineteenth
26
1939)
the language
The 'literary'
poets such as Henry
1866 and
fiction.
in
which
literary
'The Stockman'
presents
the writers
dominated
then
is a
mimics
by
of
women:
the
gap
Edward Roper (c.1830-1904)
Yarding Stock for Branding: An Old Scrubber e.1855 (detail)
27
Alf Vincent, illustrator (1874-1915)
The Ballad-Maker 1905
Reproduced from the Bulletin (Sydney), 14 December 1905
28
The Ballad-maker
D. Bouverie
H o ! T h e Ballad-writer rose, snorting slaughter down his nose
And he drew his pen as t h o u g h it were a sword:
And he dashed it in the ink, n o r a m o m e n t paused t o think
As the livid lines across the page he scored.
N o w he wrote of b l o o d and death while his sulphurated breath
M a d e the letters dance with tiny flames o f blue,
And his greenish rolling eyes, glaring twice their usual size,
Peopled vacancy with warriors strong and true.
" O w much longer will yer be, c o m i n ' down t o 'ave yer tea?
W h o i the mischief c a n ' t ye c o m e down when ye're towld?
It is standin' in the p o t — c o m e an' 'ave it while it's ' o t
A n ' the sossidges are very nearly c o w l d . '
'Yes, I'm c o m i n g now my dear,' gasped the p o e t blanched with fear,
And the eye that lately flamed was soft and weak—
In those accents loud and shrill spoke a warrior w o m a n ' s will—
And to tea there slunk a p o e t , mild and meek.
29
Antarctic
fleet
as sung by H a r r y R o b e r t s o n
I went down S o u t h a-whaling t o the land o f ice and snow;
A n d eight-and-twenty pounds a m o n t h was all I had to show,
F o r living o n the little ship like a sardine in the can
A n d eating salty pork and b e e f that's c h e w e d up in the pan.
C h o r u s — H e y - h o , W h a l e - O h , w e ' r e the Antarctic fleet.
I've g o t a drip upon my nose and I ' m frozen in the feet.
S o u t h G e o r g i a is an island; it is a whaling base;
A n d only men in search o f whales would g o t o such a place.
N o e n t e r t a i n m e n t does exist unless you make h o m e - b r e w ,
T h e n we will have s o m e singing and n o d o u b t s o m e fighting t o o .
T h e g u n n e r came from Norway, like many o f the crew,
A n d others spoke with Scottish t o n g u e s , as whalers often d o ;
B u t when the ship was closing in t o make the b l o o d y kill
T h e S c o t s m e n and N o r w e g i a n s were t o g e t h e r with a will.
W e sailed i n t o the Weddell S e a , where the big blues can be found,
W e chased between the icebergs and we chased t h e m round and r o u n d ;
A n d when they c o u l d n ' t run n o m o r e , and fought t o draw their breath,
T h e g u n n e r s h o t harpoons in t h e m till they floated still in death.
F o r m o n t h s we sailed the ocean and wearied with the toil
O f slaughter and of killing just t o get that smelly oil;
And when the savage storms blew and s n o w kept falling down
I often wished that I was back in dear old Glasgow town.
30
It's plenty year since I've been t h e r e , and I w o n ' t g o there again:
I didn't like the climate but I liked the whaling m e n .
A n d even in the sunshine n o w when I walk along the street
I've g o t a drip upon my nose and I've still g o t frozen feet.
H e y - h o , W h a l e - O h , w e ' r e the Antarctic fleet.
I've g o t a drip upon my nose and I ' m frozen in the feet.
Oswald Brierly ( 1 8 1 7 - 1 8 9 4 )
The Death Flurry 1 8 6 5
31
Joseph Lynch, illustrator
The Testing
Reproduced from the Melbourne Punch, 12 November 1 9 2 5
32
Bump me Into Parliament
'Written by Casey'
C o m e listen, all kind friends of mine
I want to move a motion;
To make an Eldorado here
I've got a bonzer notion.
C h o r u s — B u m p me into Parliament,
Bounce me any wa—y
Bang me into Parliament
O n next election day.
Some very wealthy friends I know
Declare I am most clever.
While some may talk for an hour or so,
Why, I can talk for ever.
I know the Arbitration Act
As a sailor knows his 'riggins':
So if you want a small advance
I'll talk to Justice Higgins.
Oh yes, I am a Labor man
And believe in revolution;
The quickest way to bring them on
Is talking constitution.
To keep the cost of living down
A law I straight would utter,
A hundred loaves for a tray I'd sell
With a penny a ton for butter.
33
T h e y say that kids are getting scarce,
I believe there's s o m e t h i n g in it;
By extra laws I ' d incubate
A million kids a m i n u t e .
I've read my library ten times t h r o u g h
A n d W i s d o m justifies m e .
The man w h o does not vote for me
By Cripes, he crucifies m e .
N o w Sinclair, he was fined five quid
F o r singing this here ditty;
Betsy was his witness there
B u t the ' B o b b y ' p o o l e d the 'Kitty.'
S o — B u m p ' e m into Parliament,
B o u n c e ' e m any way;
B a n g ' e m into Parliament
D o n ' t let the C o u r t decay.
34
This
broad s a t i r e on parliamentary
from
the 1910s, although
from
a song book of the Industrial
There it is described
Henry
1906 and
Labour
probably
here is
Party from
as 'sung to the tune of Yankee
Higgins
Commonwealth
democracy
the version published
Court
(1851-1929)
was
of Conciliation
and Arbitration
president
dates
reproduced
the
1920s.
Doodle'.
of
the
between
1920.
35
Katie Martin
photograph
Reproduced courtesy of Estelle Bertossi
36
Stick Tight Bunny
as sung by Katie Martin
Stick tight bunny,
But d o n ' t let him throw you;
Wany'ma'ri'gun lookin'.
Stick tight bunny.
But you ride him loose rein,
And you'll find it lot easy;
You take it from me.
On the Library's recording, Katie Martin prefaces this song with
a short explanation:
this young
couldn't
'There was a man riding a horse, see, and
man got on the horse, and
ride said—trying
"Stick tight bunny,
don't
to give
the elderly man
him
a few
who
lessons—said:
have him throw you; all the white
women arc looking at you."'
In the first verse Martin
uses the Aboriginal
wany'ma'ri'gun which is the word for
language
of
the
Butchulla
people
language
'white woman'
from
Fraser
word
in the
Island,
Queensland.
37
William Strutt ( 1 8 2 5 - 1 9 1 5 )
[Study for Bushrangers, Victoria, Australia]
38
1852
Australian
40
Joseph Swain (1820-1909)
Diggers Keeping Christmas Eve—Auld Lang Syne 1873 (detail)
References
Jim Jones at Botany Bay
from Charles MacAlister, Old Pioneering Days in the Sunny
South. Goulburn: Clias. MacAlister Book. Publication
C o m m i t t e e , 1907
Moreton Bay
Simon McDonald (1907-1960), 1960, Norm O ' C o n n o r
Collection, Oral History Collection, National Library of
Australia
Old Dog Tray
from Charles Thatcher, 'Thatcher's Colonial Minstrel: New
Collection of Songs by the Inimitable Thatcher. Melbourne:
Charlwood and Son, 1864
Ben Hall
Sally Sloane (1894-1982), 195-?, John Meredith Collection,
Oral History Collection, National Library of Australia
T h e Waterwitch
J.H. Davies (born 1873), c.1962, N o r m O ' C o n n o r
Collection, Oral History Collection, National Library of
Australia
Sam Griffith
Jack Luscombe (born 1973), 1953, John Meredith
Collection, Oral History Collection, National Library of
Australia
The Stockman
from the Queenslander (Brisbane), 28 July 1894
41
T h e Ballad-Maker
D . Bouverie, from the Bulletin
(Sydney), 28 July 1905
Antarctic Fleet
Harry Robertson (1923-1995), 196-?, N o r m O ' C o n n o r
Collection, Oral History Collection, National Library of
Australia
Published with the permission of Rita Robertson
Bump Me Into Parliament
'Written by Casey, of the O n e Big Union League,
M e l b o u r n e ' , Songs of the ILP. Sydney: Industrial Labour
Party, 192-?
Stick Tight Bunny
Katie Martin (1910-1966), 195-?, Oral History Collection,
National Library of Australia
Published with the permission of Estelle Bertossi
T h e Ballad Trap
from Les Murray, The Weatherboard Cathedral: Poems by
Les A. Murray. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1969
Reproduced courtesy of Les Murray, c / - Margaret Connolly
& Associates Pty Ltd
42
F r o m c o n v i c t days, t h r o u g h
the
eras of b u s h r a n g e r s and drovers,
to m o r e recent, m o r e urban times,
Australians have expressed
their
experiences
work
through
o f life
and
ballads and folk s o n g s .
Selected
from
the
extensive
collection
Library's
of
'Listen for
a Moment':
Book
Australian
of
A
songs,
Small
Ballads
c o n t a i n s s o m e old favourites as
well
as previously
works,
material
and
unpublished
is illustrated
drawn
primarily
with
from
t h e Library's Pictorial C o l l e c t i o n .