Advance Australia Fair
Until 11 April 1984 this was Australia's national tune only. On that
day it became our
official national anthem, with both words and music in good odour and
in order,
except when there's royalty or vice-royalty about. Then "God Save the
Queen'King"
gets an airing.
Since 1826, apparently, we've been searching for a distinctly
Australian song as an
anthem. In that year John Dunmore Lang composed two contenders, "The
Australian
- Hymn" and "The Australian Anthem". Among the hundreds of others in
the running
over the years since then were "The Song of Australia" by Carl Linger
and Caroline
Carleton, and "Waltzing Matilda". A further inundation of contenders
(1300 musical
arrangements and 2500 songs) swamped organisers of an official anthem
contest in the
early 1970s. The eventual choice of "Advance Australia Fair" was as a
result of an
opinion poll conducted in 1974 and later confirmed by referendum
response in 1977.
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free,
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea.
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare,
In history's page let ev'ry stage
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radian^Southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands,
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia Fair.
P. D. McCormick
Waltzing Matilda
W'rirrrn f>\ Banjo Patcrson in 1895 when on a visit to Daguonh
.Station near Wmton in
central western Queensland, "Waltzing Kiatilda" ruis become
Australia's unofficial
national song. In his biography The Banjo of the Bush, Cumcm
Si'mniltT u rites of if,
"The wards satisfy a certain instinct for nationalism: every
Australian knows what
'waltzing Matilda', 'jumbuck', 'tucker-bag', and 'billabong' mean, so
that the song is
almost a password in foreign countries. And the elements of 'fair
go', of the little man.
against the big man, of anti-authority, of bravado and of the setting
of the outback giie
the song that added appeal to the average Australian conscious of his
colonial
beginnings."
Once a jolly swagman camp'd by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watch'd and waited till his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Chorus:
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong, ■
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee, i
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tuckerbag
You'll coiuc a waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
—
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me,
_
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tuckerbag,
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Up rode the squatter mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
Whose is that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tuckerbag?
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me,
Whose is that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tuckerbag?
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Up jumped the swagman, sprang into the billabong,
You'll never catch me alive said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Adapted from A. B. ("Banjo") Paterson
The Song of Australia
Mrs Caroline Carleton's lyrics and Mr Carl Linger"s music uon for
them the 1859
Gawler Institute National Song Competition. Both were Adelaide-based
and the song
has an enduring place in the hearts of native-born South Australians.
In 1880 the South
Australian state government ordered chat it be sung in state schools.
Without duress,
schools in other states followed suit and today primary school pupils
throughout the land
are quite unfazed by "witching harmonies", "bright vigils" and
"mammon's shrine",
and thoroughly enjoy its rich turn of phrase.
There is a land where summer skies
Are gleaming with a thousand dyes,
Blending in witching harmonies, in harmonies,
And grassy knoll and forest height
Are flushing in the rosy light,
And all above is azure bright,
Australia, Australia, Australia.
There is a land where honey flows,
Where laughing corn luxuriant grows,
Land of the myrtle and the rose, land of the rose.
On hill and plain the clust'ring vine
Is gushing out with purple wine,
And cups are quaffed to thee and thine,
Australia, Australia, Australia.
There is a land where treasures shine
Deep in the dark unfathomed mine, for
Worshippers at mammon's shrine, at mammon's shrine,
Where gold lies hid, and rubies gleam,
And faded wealth no more doth seem
The idle fancy of a dream,
Australia, Australia, Australia.
There is a land where homesteads peep
From sunny plain and woodland steep, and
Love and joy bright vigils keep, bright vigils keep,
Where the glad voice of childish glee,
Is mingled with the melody,
Of nature's hidden minstrelsy,
Australia, Australia, Australia.
There is a land where floating free,
From mountain top to girding sea,
A proud flag waves exultingly, exultingly,
And Freedom's sons the banner bear,
No shackled slave can breathe the air,
Fairest of Britain's daughters fair,
Australia, Australia, Australia.
C. J. Carleton
God Bless Australia
Jack O'Hagan's answer to the quest for a national anthem — words to
stir a
chauvinistic soul set to the popular Marie Couan music for "Waltzing
Matilda".
Here in this God given land of ours Australia,
This proud possession, our own piece of earth,
That was built by our fathers, who pioneered our heritage,
Here in Australia, the land of our birth.
Refrain:
God bless Australia, our land Australia,
Home of the Anzac, the strong and the free,
It's our homeland, our own land,
To cherish for eternity,
God bless Australia, the land of the free.
Here in Australia, we treasure love and liberty,
Our way of life, all for one, one for all,
We're a peace-loving race, but should danger ever threaten us,
Let the world know, we will answer the call.
Jack O'Hagan
I Still Call Australia Home
The date: 27 May 1980; the time: late evening; the place: the Sydney
Opera House; the
crowd, stirred to sartorial splendour by the presence of HM the Queen
of Australia:
glittering. It was the first time most of the locals had heard this
paean to the homeland
by a homesick native son. Their appreciative rattling of jewellery
thundered through the
hall and was echoed by many spellbound viewers of the telecast, in
the privacy of their
homes. A new national song had been delivered unto us.
"When you write an honest song," Peter has said of it, "you never
know what will
happen to it."
I've been to cities that never close down,
From New York to Rio and old London town,
But no matter how far or how wide I roam,
I still call Australia home.
Verse:
I'm always trav'lin',
I love being free,
And so I keep leaving the sun and the sea,
But my heart lies waiting — over the foam.
I still call Australia home.
All the sons and daughters spinning "round the world,
Away from their fam'ly and friends,
But as the world gets older and colder and colder,
It's good to-know where your journey ends.
Verse:
But someday we'll all be together once more,
When all of the ships come back to the shore,
I realise something I've always known,
I still call Australia home.
But no matter how far or how wide I roam,
I still call Australia, I still call Australia,
I still call Australia home.
Peter Allen
Botany Bay
Folklorist John S. Manifold in his Australian Song Book has described
"Botany Bay"
as "the nadir of flippant iidgarity" and "a parody oj genuine convict
songs". The
song was to top the pops in this country in 1886 when comedian David
Belasco
Jones introduced u/idcr audiences to it as part of a musical comedy
called Little Jack
Shepherd.
Farewell to old England forever,
Farewell to my rum culls as well;
Farewell to the well-known Old Bailey,
Where I used for to cut such a swell.
Chorus:
Singing too-ral li-ooral li-ad-dity
Singing too-ral li-ooral li-ay;
Singing too-ral li-ooral li-ad-dity
Singing too-ral li-ooral li-ay.
There's the Captain as is our Commander,
. There's the bo'sun and all the ship's crew,
There's th<* first arJ die second-class passengers.
Knows what we poor convicts go through.
'Tain't leavin' old England we cares about,
'Tain't cos we miss pals what we knows,
But becos all we light-fingered gentry
Hops around with a log on our toes.
For seven long years I'll be staying here,
For seven long years and a day,
For meeting a cove in an area
And taking his ticker away.
Oh, had I the wings of a turtle-dove!
I'd soar on my pinions so high,
Slap bang to the arms of my Polly love,
And in her sweet presence I'd die.
Now, all my young Dookies and Duchesses,
Take warning from what I've to say,
Mind all is your own as you touchesses,
Or you'll find us in Botany Bay.
Anon.
The Overlander
There are different versions of both song and tune. The version given
here is that first
collected by John Manifold who leamt it at his father's knee.
The tune is as you like it. /\
There's a trade you all know well, • '
It's bringing cattle over.
On every track, to the Gulf and back,
Men know the Queensland drover.
Chams:
Pass the billy round, my boys!"
Don't let the pint-pot stand there!
For tonight we drink the health
Of every overlander.
I come from the northern plains
Where the girls and grass are scanty;
Where the creeks run dry or ten foot high
And it's either drought or plenty.
There are men from every land,
From Spain and France and Flanders;
They're a well-mixed pack, both white and black,
The Queensland overlanders.
When we've earned a spree in town
We live like pigs in clover;
And the whole year's cheque pours down the neck
Of many a Queensland drover.
As I pass along the roads,
The children raise my dander
Crying "Mother dear, take in the clothes,
Here comes an overlander!"
Now I'm bound for home once more,
On a prad that's quite a goer;
I can find a job with a crawling mob
On the banks of the Maranoa.
Along the Road to Gundagai
When first published m J922 this song established the fame of .hick
O'Hagan. By the
end of that year, after 100,000 copies had been sold, it had
doubtless contributed
towards establishing his fortune as well. With its evocative scenes
of bush shacks and
waiting family and friends it became a popular World War 11 song, and
was a happy
choice of theme for the long-running radio show Dad and Dave based on
Steele Rudd's
legendary yarns of selection life.
There's a scene that lingers in my memory —
Of an old bush home and friends 1 long to see —
That's why I am yearning
Just to be returning
Along the road to Gundagai —
Chorus:
There's a track winding back
To an old-fashioned shack
Along the road to Gundagai —
Where the blue gums are growing
And the Murrumbidgee's flowing
Beneath that sunny sky —
Where my daddy and mother
Are waiting for me
And the pals of my childhood
Once more I will see.
Then no more will 1 roam,
When I'm heading right for home
Along the road to Gundagai.
When I get back there I'll be a kid again —
Oh! I'll never have a thought of grief or pain —
Once more I'll be playing
Where the gums are swaying
Along the road to Gundagai —
Jack O'Hagan
Click Go the Shears
Out on the board the old shearer stands,
Grasping his shears in his thin bony hands;
Fixed is his gaze on a bare-bellied yoe
Glory if he gets her, won't he make the ringer go. ,u
Chorus:
Click go the shears boys, click, click, click,
Wide is his blow and his hands move quick,
The ringer looks around and is beaten by a blow,
And curses the old snagger with the bare-bellied yoe. ^
C
In the middle of the floor in his cane-bottomed chair
Sits the boss of the board with his eyes everywhere,
Notes well each fleece as it comes to the screen,
Paying strict attention that it's taken off clean.
The colonial experience man, he is there of course,
With his shiny leggin's on, just got off his horse,
Gazes all around him like a real connoisseur,
Scented soap, and brilliantine and smelling like a whore.
The tar-boy is there waiting in demand
With his blackened tar-pot, in his tarry hand,
Spies one old sheep with a cut upon its back,
Hears what he's waiting for it's "Tar here, Jack!"
Now the shearing is all over, we've all got our cheques
So roll up your swags and it's off down the track.
The first pub we come to it's there we'll have a spree,
And everyone that comes along it's "Have a drink with me."
There we leave him standing shouting for all hands,
Whilst all around him every "shouter" stands,
His eye is on the keg which now is lowering fast,
He works hard, he drinks hard, and goes to hell at last!
4
Where the Dog Sits on the
Tucker Box
I'm just a love-lorn weary coot and I've composed a song,
It's all about a girl I love and dream of all day long —
The rhythm seemed to come to me whilst milking fav'rite cow —
And as my hands went up and down I wrote this song I vow.
Re/rain:
My Mabel waits for me underneath the bright blue sky,
Where the dogs sits on the tucker box five miles from Gundagai —
I meet her every day and I know she's dinky di —
Where the dog sits on the tucker box five miles from Gundagai.
Now poets in the days gone by were often much inspired
By lovely wenches that they loved and otherwise admired.
But though they wrote some lovely prose whilst in a state of bliss,
Why even Shakespeare never wrote a poem as good as this.
The Wild Colonial Boy
The origins of this song are obscure, though versions are sung in
Ireland, America and
Britain. There is no historical trace of an outlaw corresponding in name
or deed. There
was, however, a Judge Macoboy and, while Macoboy family legend
confirms the
robbery, as far as it's fenou-n, his honour was not accosted by
"gentlemen of the road".
There was a Wild Colonial Boy,
Jack Doolan was his name,
Of poor but honest parents
He was born in Castlemaine.
He was his father's only hope,
His mother's pride and joy
And dearly did his parents love
The Wild Colonial Boy.
Chorus:
So come away me hearties
We'll roam the mountains high,
Together we will plunder
And together we will die.
We'll scour along the valleys
And we'll gallop o'er the plains,
And scorn to live in slavery,
Bound down by iron chains.
At the age of sixteen years
He left his native home
And to Australia's sunny shores,
A bushranger did roam.
They put him in the iron gang
In the government employ,
But never an iron on earth could hold
The Wild Colonial Boy.
In '61 this daring youth
Commenced his wild career,
With a heart that knew no danger
And no foeman did he fear.
He stuck up the Beechworth mail coach
And robbed Judge Macoboy
Who, trembling cold, gave up his gold
To the Wild Colonial Boy.
He bade the Judge good morning
And he told him to beware,
That he'd never rob a needy man
Or one who acted square,
But a Judge who'd rob a mother
Of her one and only joy
Sure, he must be a worse outlaw than
The Wild Colonial Boy.
One day as Jack was riding
The mountainside along,
A-listening to the little birds,
Their happy laughing song.
Three mounted troopers came along, -
Kelly, Davis and Fitzroy
With a warrant for the capture of
The Wild Colonial Boy.
"Surrender now! Jack Doolan,
For you see it's three to one;
Surrender in the Queen's own name.
You are a highwayman."
Jack drew a pistol from his belt
And waved it like a toy,
"I'll fight, but not surrender," cried
The Wild Colonial Boy.
He fired at trooper Kelly
And brought him to the ground,
And in return from Davis
Received a mortal wound,
All shattered through the jaws he lay
Still firing at Fitzroy.
And that's the way they captured him,
The Wild Colonial Boy.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
"Mademoiselle from Armentieres,
Parley-voo!"
Sang the Diggers between their beers,
Parley-voo!
And the ballad roared by the soldiers gay,
Rang through the old estaminet —
"Inky-pinky, parley-voo!"
Mademoiselle enjoyed the din,
Parley-voo.'
As she tripped around with the bock and vin,
Parley-voo!
And Mademoiselle, in a manner gay,
Trolled a stave of the ribald lay —
"Inky-pinky, parley-voo!"
There were men from Wagga and Gundagai,
Parley-voo!
From Perth, and The Towerss and Boggafari,
Parley-voo!
From Sydney City and Dandenong,
Sinking their troubles in wine and song —
Inky-pinky, parley-voo!
There was one young Digger, tanned and lean,
Parley-voo.'
From Darling Downs, or the Riverine,
Parley-voo!
Who set her heart in a rapturous whirl
When he vowed that she was his Dinkum Girl —
Inky-pinky, parley-voo!
They laughed and loved in the old French town
Parley-voo.'
And her heart spake out of her eyes of brown,
Parley-voo!
But the time fled by, and there came a day
When he and his cobbers all marched away —
Inky-pinky, parley-voo!
Maybe on a field of France he fell,
Parley-voo.'
No word came back to Mademoiselle,
Parley-voo.'
But a pretty French girl, with eyes of brown,
'- Prays for him still in a war-swept town, -
Inky-pinky, parley-voo!
Quiet the old estaminet,
Parley-voo!
No more Diggers will come that way,
Parley-voo!
May your heart grow light with the passing years,
Oh, Mademoiselle from Armentieres! —
Inky-pinky, parley-voo!
Anon.
I've Been Everywhere
I was humpin' my bluey along the dusty Oodnadatta road,
When along came a semi with a high and canvas-covered load.
"If you're goin' to Oodnadatta, mate, with me you can ride."
So I climbed in the cabin and then I settled down inside.
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand, and 1 said
"Listen, mate, I've travelled ev'ry road in this here land."
Chorus:
"I've been everywhere, man,
I've been everywhere, man.
'Cross the deserts bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.
I know some place you haven't been,
I've been everywhere."
Chant:
Been to —
Tullamore, Seymour," Lismore, Mooloolaba,
Nambour, Maroochydore, Kilmore, Murwillumbah.
Birdsville, Emmaville, Wallaville, Cunnamulla,
Condamine, Strathpine, Proserpine, Ulladulla,
Darwin, Gin Gin, Deniliquin, Muckadilla,
Wallambilla, Boggabilla, Kumbarilla, I'm a killer.
Moree, Taree, Jerilderie, Bambaroo,
Toowoomba, Gunnedah, Caringbah, Woolloomooloo.
Dalveen, Tamborine, Engadine, Jindabyne,
Lithgow, Casino, Brigalow, Narromine,
Megalong, Wyong, Tuggerawong, Wanganella,
Morella, Augathella, Brindabclla, I'm the feller,
Wollongong, Geelong, Kurrajong, Mullumbimby,
Mittagong, Molong, Grong Grong, Goondiwindi,
Yarra Yarra, Bouindarra, Wallangarra, Turramurra,
Boggabri, Gundagai, Narrabri, Tibooburra,
Gulgong, Adelong, Billabong, Cabramatta,
Parramatta, Wangaratta, Coolangatta, what's it matter?
Ettalong, Dandenong, Woodenbong, Ballarat,
Canberra, Unanderra, Captain's Flat,
Cloncurry, River Murray, Kurd Kurri, Girraween,
Terrigal, Fingal, Stockinbingal, Collaroy and Narrabeen,
Bcndigo, Dorrigo, Bangalow, Indooroopilly,
Kirribilli, Ycerongpilly, Wollondilly, don't be silly.
Geoff Mack
Down Under
Travelling in a fried-out Komhi,
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie,
1 met a strange lady, she made me nervous,
She took me in and gave me breakfast,
And she said. . .
"Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder,
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder,
You better run, you better take cover."
Buying bread from a man in Brussels,
He was six-foot four and full of muscles,
I said "Do you speak my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich,
And-he said...
"1 come from a land down under,
Where beer does flow and men chunder,
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder,
You better run, you better take cover."
Lying in a den in Bombay,
With a slack jaw and not much to say,
Said to the man "Are you trying to tempt me?
Because 1 come from the land of plenty?"
And he said...
"Oh! Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder,
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder,
You better run, you better take cover."
Colin Hay
A Pub with No Beer
It's lonesome away from your kindred and all,
By the campfire at night where the wild dingoes call,
But there's nothing so lonesome, so morbid or drear
Than to stand in a bar of a pub with no beer!
Now the publican's anxious for the quota to come,
There's a far-away look on the face of the "bum",
The maid's gone all cranky and the cook's acting queer,
What a terrible place is a pub with no beer!
Then the stockman rides up with his dry dusty throat,
He breasts up to the bar, pulls a wad from his coat,
But the smile on his face quickly turns to a sneer
When the barman says sadly "The pub's got no beer!"
Then the swaggie comes in smother'd in dust and flies,
He throws down his roll, rubs the sweat from his eyes,
But when he is told he says "What's this I hear?
(Spoken)
I've trudged fifty flamin' miles to a pub with no beer!"
There's a dog on the v'randah, for his master he waits,
But the boss is inside drinking wine with his mates,
He hurries for cover and he cringes in fear,
It's no place for a dog round a pub with no beer!
Old Billy the blacksmith the first time in his life
Has gone home cold sober to his darling wife,
He walks in the kitchen, she says "You're early my de?
But he breaks down and tells her "The pub's got no b*
Gordon Parsi
Duncan
1 love to have a beer with Duncan,
I love to have a beer with Dune,
We drink in moderation
And we never, e\'er, ever get roiling drunk.
We drink at the "Town and Country"
Where the atmosphere is great,
I love to have a beer with Duncan
'Cause Duncan's me mate. Yeah!
1 love to have a beer with Colin,
I love to have a beer with Col,
We drink in moderation
And it doesn't really matter if he brings his doll.
We drink at the "Town and Country"
Where the atmosphere is great,
I love to have a beer with Colin
'Cause Colin's me mate.
I love to have a beer with Kevin, oh
1 love to have a beer with Kev,
We drink in moderation
And he drives me home in the big old Chev.
We drink at the "Town and Country"
Where the atmosphere is great,
I love to have a beer with Kevin
Cause Kevin's me mate.
I love to have a beer with Patrick,
1 love to have a beer w"ith Pat,
We drink in moderation
And it wouldn't really matter if the beer was flat.
We drink at the "Town and Countrv"
Where the atmosphere is great,
1 love to have a beer with Patrick
'Cause Patrick's me mate.
I love to have a beer with Robert,
I love to have a beer with Bob,
We drink in moderation
Just one more and back on the job.
We drink at the "Town and Country"
Where the atmosphere is great,
I love to have a beer with Robert
'Cause Robert's me mate.
I love to have a beer with Duncan, oh
I love to have a beer with Dune, . ................
We drink in moderation
And we never, ever, ever get rolling drunk.
We drink at the "Town and Country"
Where the atmosphere is great,
I love to have a beer with Duncan
'Cause Duncan's me mate.
Pat Alexander
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
Recitation:
There's an old Australian stockman,
Lying dying, and he gets himself up on
one elbow,
And he turns to his mates who are
gathered 'round him .
And he says:—
Watch me wallaby's feed, mate,
Watch me wallaby's feed.
They're a dangerous breed, mate,
So watch me wallaby's feed.
Altogether now!
Chorus:
Tie me kangaroo down, sport.
Tie me kangaroo down.
Tie me kangaroo down, sport,
Tie me kangaroo down."
Keep me cockatoo cool, Curl,
Keep me cockatoo cool.
Don't go acting the fool, Curl,
Just keep me cockatoo cool.
Altogether now!
Take me koala back, Jack,
Take me koala back.
He lives somewhere out on the track, Mac,
So take me koala back.
Altogether now!
Let me abos go loose, Lew,
Let me abos go loose.
They're of no further use, Lew,
So let me abos go loose.
Altogether now!
Mind me platypus duck, Bill,.
Mind me platypus duck.
Don't let him go running amok, Bill,
Mind me platypus duck.
Altogether now!
Play your didgeridoo, Blue,
Play your didgeridoo.
Keep playing 'til I shoot throj, Blue,
Play your didgeridoo.
Altogether now!
Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred-,
Tan me hide when I'm dead.
So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde,
{Spoken)
And that's it hanging on the shed.
Altogether now!
-*y Rolf Harris
Shaddap You Face
(Spoken)
"Alio, I'm-a Giuseppe, I goc-a something
special-a for you. Ready? Uno,
duo, tre, quatro!
When I was a boy,
Just about the eighth-a grade,
Mama used to say:
"Don't stay out late with the bad-a boys,
Always shoot-a pool
(Spoken)
Giuseppe going to flunk-a school!"
Chorus:
What's-a matter you? Hey!
Got-a no respect,
What-a you t'ink you do?
Why you look-a so sad?
It's-a not so bad,
It's-a a nice-a place, ah,
Shad-dap-a you face!
(Spoken)
That's-a my mama, I can remember!
Big accordion solo! Ah!
Play dat again!
Really nice, really nice!
Mama, she said it all-a da time!
Boy, it make-a me sick,
All the t'ing I gotta do,
I can't get-a no kicks,
Always got to follow rules,
Boy, it make-a me sick,
Just to make-a lousy bucks,
(Spoken)
Got to feel-a like a fool,
And-a mama used to say all-a time:
Soon-a come a day,
Gonna be a big-a star,
(Spoken)
Den I make-a TV shows and-a movies,
Get-a myself a new car,
But still I be myself,
I don't want-a to change a t'ing,
Still a-dance and a-sing,
I t'ink about-a mama, she used to say:
Monologue:
Hello, everybody
'At's out-a dere in-a radio and-a TV land,
Did you know I had a big-a hit-a song in-a Italy with-a dis?
"Shaddap-a you face",
I sing-a dis-a song, all-a my fans applaud,
Dey clap-a da hands,
Dat-a make me feel-a so good;
You ought to learn-a dis-a song,
It's-a real-a simple —
See, I sing: "What's-a matter you?"
You sing: "Hey!"
Den I sing-a da rest,
And den at de end, we can all-a sing:
"Ah, Shaddap-a you face!"
OK, Let's-a try it, really big —
Uno, duo, tre, quatro!
We Love Football, Meat Pies,
Kangaroos and Holden Gaxs
The title says it all.
All:
We love footballs nicat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars. "
Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.
Announcer:
That's football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.
All:
Football and meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.
Announcer:
I think you'd better tell me again.
All:
We love football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.
Announcer:
In case you're wondering,
This commercial is brought to you by
Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Australia's own car.
AM:
They go together
Underneath the southern star,
Football and meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.
Announcer:
Makes sense to me.
' All:
Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.
Red-back on the Toilet Seat
There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When I was there last night,
I didn't see him in the dark,
But boy! I felt his bite!
1 jumped high up into the air,
And when 1 hit the ground,
That crafty red-back spider
Wasn't nowhere to be found.
Chorus:
There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When I was there last night,
I didn't see him in the dark,
But boy! 1 felt his bite!
And now I'm here in hospital,
. ,i Jul 1 ) ^"«fc- ' ,
And i curse the red-back spider
On the toilet seat last night.
Rushed in to the missus.
Told her just where I'd been bit,
She grabbed the cut-throat razor blade,
And I nearly took a fit.
I said "Just forget what's on your mind,
And call a doctor please,
'Cause I've got a feeling that your cure
Is worse than the disease."
I can't lay down, I can't sit up,
And 1 don't know what to do,
And all the nurses think it's funny,
But that's not my point of view.
1 tell you it's embarrassing,
(And that's to say the least)
That I'm too sicV to eat a bite,
While that spider had a feast!
And when I get back home again,
1 tell you what I'll do,
I'll make that red-back suffer
For the pain I'm going through.
I've had so many needles
That I'm looking like a sieve,
And I promise you that spider
Hasn't very long to live!
Isx./ Slim Newton
Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum
Tree
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh kookaburra, laugh kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.
Anon.
ABC Children's Session
Goodnight Song
A jolly goodnight to you and you,
And you and you and you,
The time has come to finish
And our Session now is through.
The thought is as old as old as old
But the wish tonight is new,
A jolly goodnight to everyone,
A jolly goodnight to everyone,
A jolly goodnight to all,
Especially you, and you, and you., .and you!
ABC Children's Session Opening Song
Come, Old Mother Hubbard, and Jack and Jill,
And Tom the Piper's son,
Leave your troubles, forget your spill,
We're going to have some fun!
The wireless says to hurry and run
To leave your games and toys;
The wireless says the time has come
For all the girls and boys.
So come with a hop, a skip and a run,
It's time for the Session, it's time for the fun.
We're Happy Little Vegemites
We're happy little Vegemites, as bright as bright can be,
We all enjoy our Vegemite for breakfast, lunch and tea.
Our Mummy says we're growing stronger every single week,
Because we love our Vegemite, we all adore our Vegemite —
It puts a rose in every cheek.
The Argonauts' Club Song
Fifty mighty Argonauts, bending to the oars,
Today will go adventuring to yet uncharted shores.
Fifty young adventurers today set forth and so
We cry with Jason "Man the boats, and Row! Row! Row!"
Row! Row! Merry oarsmen, Row!
That dangers lie ahead we know, we know.
But bend with all your might
As you sail into the night
And wrong will bow to right.
"Jason" cry, adventure know,
Argonauts Row! Row! Row!
The Aeroplane Jelly, Song
I've got a song that won't take very long,
Quite a good sort of note if I strike it...
It is something we eat, and I think it's quite sweet,
And I know you are going to like it.
Chorus:
I like Aeroplane Jelly... Aeroplane Jelly for me,
I like it for dinner, I like it for tea,
A little each day is a good recipe.
The quality's high as the name will imply,
And it's made from pure fruits, one more good reason why
I like Aeroplane Jelly.. .Aeroplane Jelly for me.
My Boomerang Won't Come
Back
In the bad backlands of Australia many years ago,
The Aborigine tribes were meeting having a bit pow pow.
Oom jac-ca hy-a-tum oom jac-ca hy-a-tum.
Chorus:
My boomerang won't come back,
My boomerang won't come back,
I'm a big disgrace, t' the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.
Banished him from the tribe then and sent him on his way.
He had a backless boomerang so here he could not stay.
Oom jac-ca hy-a-tum oom jac-ca hy-a-tum
Three long months he sat there, or maybe it was four.
Then an old, old man in a kangaroo skin came a knockin' at his door.
Oom jac-ca hy-a-tum oom jac-ca hy-a-tum.
Charlie Drake and Max Diamond
Howzat
You told me I was the one,
The only one who got your head undone,
And for a while I believed the line that you spun.
But I've been lookin' at you,
Lookin' closely at the things you do,
I didn't see you the way you wanted me to.
How, how, howzat?
Chorus:
You messed about, I caught you out, howzat?
Now that I've found where you're at,
It's goodbye,
Well, howzat? It's good-bye.
Oh yeah —
You only came for a smile,
Even though you're really not my style.
I didn't think that you'd run me round like you do.
How, howzat?
Here Come the Aussies
Here on the pitch, whether rain or fine,
We can shine all the time.
Home or away, come and see us play,
You're welcome every day.
Chorus: >N /
Here come the Aussies \*S v>
And cricket is the game, ^
We're all together and O^S*3^!
Winning is our aim, yTVC\j^
So we'll play on through the English rain,\w\V\Td
And win the Ashes back again. uYHnd^
Come On, Aussie, Come On
Chorus:
Come on, Aussie, come on, come on.
Come on, Aussie, come on, come on.
Come on, Aussie, come on, come on.
Come on, Aussie, come on.
Lillee's pounding down like a machine.
S
Pascoe's making divots in the green.
Marsh is taking wickets.'
r1
Hookes is clearing pickets.
And the Chappells' eyes have got that killer gleam.
Walker's playing havoc with the bats.
Redpath, it's good to see you back.
^/A
Laird is making runs.
<~>^^y&
Doug is chewing gum.
Os^lr
And Gilmour's wielding willow like an axe.
Coda:
Mister,
You've been training all the winter, and there's not a team that's
fitter.
And that's the way it's got to be.
'Cause you're up against the best, you know.
This is a super test, you know, .
And you've got to beat the best the world has seen.
Our Don Bradman
Who is it that all Australia raves about?
Who has won our very highest praise?
Now is it Amy Johnson, or little Mickey Mouse?
No! it's just a country lad who's bringing down the house.
And he's
Refrain:
Our Don Bradman — And I ask you is he any good?
Our Don Bradman — As a batsman he can sure lay on the wood.
For when he goes in to bat
He knocks ev'ry record flat.
For there isn't any thing he cannot do,
Our Don Bradman — Ev'ry Aussie "dips his lid" to you.
Our Don Bradman — Now I ask you is he any good?
Our Don Bradman — As a batsman he is certainly "plum pud".
Tate and Larwood meet their fate,
For it's always "shut the gate"
When the boy from Bowral hits four after four.
Our Don Bradman — Always manages to top the score.
Woodfull, Grimmett, Ponsford, Kippax and the rest,
Proved that they were equal to the best,
How gallantly and nobly, we know they've done their share,
But there's one who tops them all, a real Devil-may-care.
And he's
Our Don Bradman — And I ask you is he any good?
Our Don Bradman — As a batsman he can sure lay on the wood.
How that Mister Lyon, poor fish,
Must just sit and wish and wish,
That our Don had never come across the foam,
Our Don Bradman — What a welcome waits for you back home.
Our Don Bradman — Now I ask you is he any good?
Our Don Bradman — As a batsman he is certainly "plum pud".
Tho' those cricketers now gone.
Trumper, Spofforth and so on,
Wrote their names for ever in the Hall of Fame,
——"
Our Don Bradman — Is the greatest ever played the game.
*
V
Up There C^rlf Petc 8aije u 7
Well you work to earn a living,
But on weekends comes the time
You can do whatever turns you on,
Get out and clear your mind.
Me 1 like football — there's a lot of things around.
Line 'em up together — footy wins hands down.
Up there Cazaly, in there and fight,
/*"*
Out there and at 'em, show 'em your might.
/\
Up there Cazaly, don't let 'em in,
£f /
Fly like an angel, you're out there to win.
T Sj
Now there's a lot more things to football,
SK
Than really meets the eye,
VV*"
There are days when you could fly.
>^)J
You either love or hate it,
^L ■'
Depending on the score.
"*•/*/*
When the team run out or they kick a goal,
V&-*<^
How's the mighty roar. ..
' Up there Cazaly, in there and fight,
!
Out there and at 'em, show 'em your might.
/
Up there Cazaly, don't let 'em in,
6
Fly like an angel, you're out there to win.
<*"^*~~^\\\.
Up there Cazaly, you're out there to win,
V»__»«'/7> I 1
■% In there and at 'em, don't let 'em in. / I'
Up there Cazaly, show 'em your hide, _, I 1/
Fight like the devil, - - /'
The crowd's on your side. f~*-J:~ -^
Up there Cazaly, in there and fight, A \ A
Out there and at 'em, show 'em your might. y-^7\\
Up there Cazaly, show 'em your hide, •> i 4
^^("^"N''
Fight like the devil, MM
\) \
The crowd's on your side... S h \*
Y
The crowd's on your side... Jj)
\T\ t I
Six White Boomers
Early on one Christmas Dav, a Joey
kangaroo
Was far from home and lost in a great big
zoo.
"Mummy, where's my mummy,
they've taken her away."
"We'll help you find your mummy, son,
hop up on the sleigh."
Up beside the bag of toys, little Joey hopped,
But they hadn't gone far when Santa stopped,
Unharnessed all the reindeer,
and Joey wondered why,
Then he heard a far off booming in the sky.
Chorus:
Six white boomers, snow white boomers
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun,
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
On his Australian run.
Pretty soon old Santa began to feel the heat,
Took his fur-lined boots off to cool his feet,
Into one popped Joey, feeling quite O.K.,
While those old man kangaroos kept pulling
on the sleigh.
Joey said to Santa, "Santa what
about the toys?
Aren't you giving some to these girls and
boys?"
"They've all got their presents son, we were
here last night,
This trip is an extra trip, Joey's special
flight."
Soon the sleigh was flashing past, right over
Marble Bar,
"Slow down there," cried Santa. "It can't be
far,
Come up on my lap here son, and have a
look around,"
"There she is, that's Mummy, bounding up
and down."
Well that's the bestest Christmas treat that
Joey ever had,
Curled up in mother's pouch all snug and
glad,
The last they saw was Santa heading
northward from the sun,
The only year the boomers worked a double
run.
Farewell Aunty Jack
Farewell Aunty Jack, we know you'll be back.
Though you're ten feet tall
You don't scare us at all.
You're big, bold and tough,
But you're not so rough.
There's a scream as you plummet away.
She rides a black bike
And drives through the night.
She's big, round and fat,
But don't dare tell her that
'Cause she turns so mean
Her glove starts to gleam
And she'll scream as she plummets away.
Oh we really, really love you
And we think the world about you,
Please come back to our house
Please come back dear Aunty Jack.
Now you've gone away and left me,
Aunty Jack, please don't forget me,
Just remember I'll be waiting
At the gate dear Aunty Jack.
Yes 1 think 1 must be dreaming,
I can hear your bike a-screaming
And I know you're coming near me
Now you're back dear Aunty Jack.
Oh farewell Aunty Jack,
Do you know you'll be back?
Though you're ten feet tall
You don't scare us at all.
You're big, bold and tough,
But you're not so rough.
There's a scream as you plummet away.
Graeme Bond and Rory O'Donohue
