Trad.
There's a pretty little valley on the Eumerella shore
Where I've lingered many happy hours away
On my little free selection I have acres by the score
When I unyoke my bullocks from the dray
To my bullocks I will say, "Now, no matter where you stray,
For you'll never be impounded any more,
For you're running, running, running on the duffer's piece of land,
Free selected on the Eumerella shore."
When we find a mob of horses, and the paddock rails are down,
Though before that they were never known to stray,
Oh how quickly we will drive them to some distant inland town
And sell them into slavery far away.
To Jack Robertson we'll say, "You've been leading us astray,
For we'll never go a-farming any more,
For it's cheaper running cattle on the duffer's piece of land
Free selected on the Eumerella shore."
From Ron Edward's Great Australian Folk Songs, taped from the singing of Sam Long (b. 1894) of "The Glue Pot", Wondecla, Queensland, 25 March 1965.
Ron notes that the correct spelling is probably "Umaralla" from the river by that name near Cooma, NSW. There is also a town on that river called Numeralla.
Am I a bit thick, or is this extolling the virtues of cattle/horse theft vs honest farming? I've heard the song before and never got it, but I think I get it now.
ReplyDeleteFree selection refers to the Robertson Land Act, which passed after the gold rushes in Victoria, allowing people to go and "free-select" parcels of land for farming. This conflicted some times with the squatters who previously occupied the land. Free-selectors would at times select land around water holes, and other choice bits of land. (I remember this from high-school history 60 years ago, so some details may lack. Look up Wikipedia.
DeleteI know I'm "thick" - so how do I hear the tune?
ReplyDeleteMy question produced an immediate answer! Now the tunes play for me! Thanks. J.
ReplyDeleteI'm having trouble with this sound file, too - the others seem to be working, except for the early ones like "Conservationists" and "Banks of the Condamine." Maybe John is removing the early ones.
ReplyDelete-Joe Offer-
sound files have been re-loaded to a different site. should work now.
ReplyDeleteJohn
The usual link doesn't seem to be there. I checked a few others and they are fine, but not this one. I have been answering some overseas questions about a Geordie song that can be heard at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-vGq-aJsWQ -- seems to be the same tune as this and Maggie May.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter, I've updated the player. It looks as though the flash player I was using has been removed from the original server. I'll get to updating everything slowly, I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
John