An Australian Song [song by Louisa Lawson]

[Editor: This song by Louisa Lawson was published in “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems (1905).]

An Australian Song.

Come gather, brave Australian sons,
And join us in a song,
And if you like the way it runs
Then make it roll along.
For we can hold our own, we can,
In fight or friendly fray,
And conquer in the battle van
As on the fields at play.

— Chorus.
For we hail from a land that is great and grand,
And the pride of the Southern Sea;
’Tis a sunny land, ’tis a golden land,
And the home of the brave and free.

Tho’ older nations long have tried
To treat our race with scorn,
It is or boast, our highest pride,
That we’re Australian born.
And we can render scorn for scorn,
And laugh at all the sneers,
While in our veins there runs the blood
Of Austral’s pioneers.

— Chorus.
For we hail from a land that is great and grand,
And the pride of the Southern Sea;
’Tis a sunny land, ’tis a golden land,
And the home of the brave and free.

For honour’s sake we can endure,
Our word is sacred sealed;
Our arm is strong, and aim as sure
As any in the field.
And when we give our hand and word
To help a friend in need,
We face the cannon and the sword,
Nor from our vows recede.

— Chorus.
For we hail from a land that is great and grand,
And the pride of the Southern Sea;
’Tis a sunny land, ’tis a golden land,
And the home of the brave and free.

Source:
Louisa Lawson, “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems, Sydney: Dawn Office, [1905], pp. 37-38

Editor’s notes:
Austral = of or relating to Australia or Australasia; Australian, Australasian; an abbreviation of Australia, Australian, Australasia, Australasian; in a wider context, of or relating to the southern hemisphere; southern, especially a southern wind

tho’ = (vernacular) though

’tis = (archaic) a contraction of “it is”