253. The Queensland Drover (Traditional Australian)

This song, published as early as 1865 in "The Queenslanders' New Colonial Fire Song Book", is also known as "The Overlander". It was included in Banjo Paterson's "Old Bush Songs" and has been recorded by A.L.Lloyd, though this version is closer to that sung by John Manifold.

I first heard this song on the landmark Australian folk album "Moreton Bay and Other Songs, Mainly of Convict Origin", which Peter Mann records brought out in 1963, with Martyn Wyndham-Read, Brian Mooney and David Lumsden, the first two being the most popular singers on the Australian folk scene of the sixties. This was one of the few songs performed by the three singers as a group.

A personal note - I heard Martyn Wyndham-Read perform live a few years ago - I think it was at the Ringwood Folk Club.

Personal note 2 - Peter Mann, who ran Discurio, a record shop in Melbourne dedicated to folk music, taught me Geography and German in Forms 2 and 3 at Camberwell Grammar.

You can see a playlist of my Australian songs here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0DE11C284435E7A2

For lyrics and chords, see my website: http://www.raymondcrooke.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• folk
• song
• Australia
• bush
• cattle
• pastoral
• mooney
• wyndham-read

[Robbobli]

a shortened version but a great job

[raymondcrooke]

@Robbobli Thank you.

[cuzzy28]

hi i am 13 years old and i am using this ballad for a school assignment thank you so much this is a great triditional Australian ballad, thanks alot and i got to ask you

that isn't there two more verses at the end that you didn't sing? please reply on my channel thanks again

[raymondcrooke]

There are 3 more verses. I don't think they add much to the song, but you may need them for your assignment: As I pass along the road, The children raise my dander Shouting "Mother dear, take in the clothes Here comes an Overlander". There's a girl in Sydney Town Who said "Please don't leave me lonely." I said "It's sad, but my old Prad Has room for one man only." But I'm bound for home once more On a Prad that's quite a goer. I can find a job with a crawling mob On the banks of the Maranoa.

[raymondcrooke]

@cuzzy28 That didn't come out looking the way it should, but I'm sure you can work out where the lines begin and end. Good luck with the assignment.

[sami1947]

bravo, greetings from Athens Greece

[raymondcrooke]

@sami1947 Yjanks. Greetings from Montreal, Canada! (Just arrived here for a holiday.)

[bethanynicholas]

@cuzzy28

same i am doing this ballad for an assignment

[BoudiccaBlanc]

:)))

[raymondcrooke]

Thanks, mate. No worries!