The Rabbit Trapper's Song

Words: Unknown
Tune: Traditional (The Roscrea Cows)



Well me traps are all a-jangle and in an easy swinging tangle
And I'm setting in a circle, keeping round a fringe of trees'
And I'm muck and gory splattered, and me clobber's torn and tattered,
But I'm carefree as those bunnies, 'til they fall for one of these;

And I'm under no man's orders and I recognise no borders;
But there's a welcome everywhere for me and my old dungarees.
I am a rabbit trapper and a canny bunny snapper,
And I whistle through the bushland, like the birds up in the trees.

It' been a fairly fresh old morning, I can hear the kookas calling
As I jingle through the bushland, wet grass up to the knees
And these bunnies that I'm stopping, well they fairly keep me hopping
And I think I'll have a smoko when I get up to the trees

While you blokes are courting tabbies, well I'm out among the rabbies;
And I can hear 'em buckin', squealin', well, a dozen traps ahead,
While you blokes at the pub are flirtin', at the last trap I am certain
To be bagging up me bunnies, keeping tally as I tread.

Well, come on, my old cobber, we'll put on some decent clobber
And we'll leave the bunnies hoppin', and playin' in the trees (Hup, Ginger!)
We'll make the railway early; there's a shy and dinkum girlie
And she juggles with those cream cans, while she writes cheques out for me.


Collected by Wendy Lowenstein and Dave de Hugard. From Therese Radic's Songs of Australian Working Life. These lyrics transcribed and posted by Bob Bolton on Mudcat, with the addition of the third verse which I transcribed from this youtube clip of Dave singing this song to a slightly adapted tune: