[Editor: This song was published in Old Bush Songs: Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging, and Overlanding Days (8th edition, 1932), edited by Banjo Paterson.]
With My Swag All On My Shoulder
When first I left Old England’s shore,
Such yarns as we were told,
As how folks in Australia
Could pick up lumps of gold.
So, when we got to Melbourne town,
We were ready soon to slip
And get even with the captain —
All hands scuttled from the ship.
Chorus
With my swag all on my shoulder, black billy in my hand,
I travelled the bush of Australia like a true born native man.
We steered our course for Geelong town,
Then north-west to Ballarat,
Where some of us got mighty thin,
And some got sleek and fat.
Some tried their luck at Bendigo,
And some at Fiery Creek;
I made a fortune in a day
And spent it in a week.
Chorus: With my swag, etc.
For many years I wandered round,
As each new rush broke out,
And always had of gold a pound,
Till alluvial petered out.
’Twas then we took the bush to cruise,
Glad to get a bite to eat;
The squatters treated us so well
We made a regular beat.
Chorus: With my swag, etc.
So round the “lighthouse” now I tramp,
Nor leave it out of sight;
I take it on my left shoulder,
And then upon my right,
And then I take it on my back,
And oft upon it lie.
It is the best of tucker tracks,
So I’ll stay here till I die.
Chorus: With my swag, etc.
Source:
A. B. Paterson (editor), Old Bush Songs: Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging, and Overlanding Days (8th edition), Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1932, pp. 63-64
Editor’s notes:
alluvial = of or relating to alluvium containing heavy minerals (in an Australian context, specifically regarding alluvium containing gold); of or relating to alluvium: loose or unconsolidated sediment or soil (consisting of clay, dirt, gravel, sand, silt, etc.) left behind by the movement of water (creeks, rivers, floods, streams, etc.)
billy = a metal pot or tin (usually with a wire or steel handle), used for boiling water over a camp fire (also known as a “billy can”)
native = (in the context of Australia) an Australian-born person, a native-born Australian; can also refer to an Australian Aborigine
oft = (archaic) often
rush = (in the context of gold) a gold rush; a hurried move by a lot of people to an area where a discovery of gold has been made, where they set up camp and begin mining or looking for gold
squatter = in the context of Australian history, a squatter was originally someone who kept their livestock (mostly cattle and sheep) upon Crown land without permission to do so (thus illegally occupying land, or “squatting”); however, the practice became so widespread that eventually the authorities decided to formalise it by granting leases or licenses to occupy or use the land; and, with the growth of the Australian economy, many of the squatters became quite rich, and the term “squatter” came to refer to someone with a large amount of farm land (they were often regarded as rich and powerful)
tucker = food
’twas = (archaic) a contraction of “it was”
yarn = a tale, a story; especially a long story, with adventurous and interesting components, particularly with parts that are not believable
[Editor: The word “Chorus” (which is used several times in this song) has been put into italics (Chorus) so as to distinguish it from the text of the song.]
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