Botany Bay

    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

    Singing Tooral liooral liaddity
    Singing Tooral liooral liay
    Singing Tooral liooral liaddity
    And we're bound for Botany Bay

    There's the captain as is our commander
    There's the bosun and all the ship's crew
    There's the first and the second class passengers
    Knows what we poor convicts go through

    Taint leaving old England we cares about
    Taint cos we mis-spells what we knows
    But because all we light fingered gentry
    Hops around with a log on our toes

    These seven long years I've been serving now
    And seven long more have to stay
    All for bashing a bloke down our alley
    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 Dutchesses
    Take warning from what I've to say
    Mind all is your own as you toucheses
    Or you'll find us in Botany Bay
 
 

Waltzing Matilda

    Oh there once was a swagman camped in a billabong
    Under the shade of a coolibah tree
    And he sang as he looked at his old billy boiling
    Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

    Chorus
    Who'll come a waltzing Matilda my darling
    Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
    Waltzing Matilda and leading a water bag
    Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

    Down came a jumbuck to drink at the water hole
    Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
    And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker bag
    You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

    Down came the squatter a riding on his thoroughbred
    Down came the troopers one two three
    Whose is that jumbuck you've got in the tucker bag
    You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

    But the swagman he up and he jumped into the water hole
    Drowning himself by the coolibah tree
    And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the billabong
    Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
 
 

Click go the Shears

    Out on the board the old shearer stands
    Grasping his shears in his long bony hands
    Fixed is his gaze on a bare-bellied "joe"
    Glory if he gets her, won't he make the ringer go

    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 blue-bellied "joe"

    In the middle of the floor in his cane-bottomed chair
    Is the boss of the board, with eyes everywhere
    Notes well each fleece as it comes to the screen
    Paying strict attention if it's taken off clean

    The colonial-experience man he is there, of course
    With his shiny leggin's just got off his horse
    Casting round his eye like a real connoisseur
    Whistling the old tune "I'm the Perfect Lure"

    The tar-boy is there awaiting in demand
    With his blackened tar-pot and his tarry hand
    Sees one old sheep with a cut upon its back
    Here's what he's waiting for "Tar here Jack!"

    Shearing is all over and we've all got our cheques
    Roll up your swag for we're off on the tracks
    The first pub we come to it's there we'll have a spree
    And everyone that comes along it's, "Come and drink with me!"

    Down by the bar the old shearer stands
    Grasping his glass in his thin bony hands
    Fixed is his gaze on a green-painted keg
    Glory he'll get down on it ere he stirs a peg

    There we leave him standing, shouting for all hands
    Whilst all around him every shouter stands
    His eyes are on the cask which is now lowering fast
    He works hard he drinks hard and goes to hell at last

    You take off the belly-wool clean out the crutch
    Go up the neck for the rules they are such
    You clean round the horns first shoulder go down
    One blow up the back and you then turn around

    Click, click, that's how the shears go
    Click, click, so awfully quick
    You pull out a sheep he'll give a kick
    And still hear your shears going click, click, click

Australian Folk Songs

www.ancient.mq.edu.au/boomerang/songNet/songnet.html
 
 

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