AustLit
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- The Australian Stockman "The sun peers o'er yon wooded ridge and through the forest dense," Australian Bush Ballads : No. 1 : The Stockman's Songi"The sun peers o'er the wooded ridge,", single work poetry (p. 114-115)
- The Old Bullock Drayi"Oh! the shearing is all over, and the wool is coming down,", single work poetry
- The Old Bark Huti"Oh, my name is Bob the swagman, and I'll have you understand", single work poetry
- On the Road to Gundagaii"Oh, we started down from Roto when the sheds had all cut out.", single work poetry
- Flash Jack from Gundagaii"I've shore at Burrabogie, and I've shore at Toganmain,", single work poetry
- Another Fall of Raini"Now the weather had been sultry for a fortnight's time or more,", single work poetry
- Bold Jack Donahoe [Donahoo]i"In Dublin Town I was brought up, in that city of great fame,", single work poetry
-
The Wild Colonial Boyi"'Tis of a wild Colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name",
single work
poetry
'The Wild Colonial Boy' is a traditional Irish/Australian ballad of which there are many different versions. It has been argued that the original version was really about Jack Donahoe (variously spelled Donahoo or Donahue), an Irish transport who arrived at Sydney Cove in 1825, and was subsequently convicted of highway robbery and sentenced to death. He escaped and waged a guerrilla war against the wealthy for more than two years in the country around Sydney. On September 1st 1830 he was ambushed by a police party near Cambelltown and shot dead, his companions Webber and Warmsley escaping into the bush. This version was eventually outlawed as seditious so the name of the protagonist changed.
The resulting Irish version is about a young emigrant, named Jack Duggan, who left the town of Castlemaine, County Kerry, Ireland, for Australia in the 1800s. According to the song (and in keeping with the true story of Jack Donahoe), he spent his time there 'robbing from the rich to feed the poor'. In the song, the protagonist is fatally wounded in an ambush when his heart is pierced by the bullet of Fitzroy.
The Australian version has Jack Doolan (or sometimes Jack Dowling) as the protagonist, and here Castlemaine refers to the Australian town in Victoria. In both versions variation in the wording and language occurs across different sources.
In his Old Bush Songs, Banjo Patterson wrote: "it will be noticed that the same chorus is sung to both 'The Wild Colonial Boy' and 'Bold Jack Donahoo'. Several versions of both songs were sent in, but the same chorus was always made to do duty for both songs." This chorus, included in some (not all) Australian versions is as follows:
- Come, all my hearties,
- we'll roam the mountains high,
- Together we will plunder,
- together we will die.
- We'll wander over valleys,
- and gallop over plains,
- And we'll scorn to live in
- slavery, bound down with iron chains.
- John Gilbert was a Bushrangeri"John Gilbert was a bushranger", single work poetry
- The Squatter's Mani"Come, all ye lads an' list to me,", single work poetry
- The Stringybark Cockatooi"I'm a broken-hearted miner, who loves his cup to drain,", single work poetry
- Jimmy Sago, Jackarooi"If you want a situation, I'll just tell you the plan", single work poetry
- The Sheepwasher's Lamenti"When first I took the Western track, the year was sixty-one,", single work poetry
- The Broken-Down Squatteri"Come, Stumpy, old man, we must shift while we can;", single work poetry
- My Mate Billi"That's his saddle across the tie-beam, an' them's his spurs up there", single work poetry
- The Stockmen of Australiai"The Stockmen of Australia, what rowdy boys are they,", single work poetry
- The Loafers' Clubi"A club there is established here, whose name they say is Legion;", single work poetry
- The Stockmani"A bright sun and a loosened rein,", single work poetry
- Maranoa Droversi"Oh, the night is dark and stormy, and the sky is clouded o'er;", single work poetry
- The Squatter of the Olden Timei"I'll sing you a fine new song, made by my blessed mate,", single work poetry satire
- Two Aboriginal Songsi"Korindabria, korindabria, bogarona, bogarona. Iwariniang", single work poetry
-
The Beautiful Land of Australia
Settler's Lamenti"All you on emigration bent,",
single work
poetry
Note: With title: The Beautiful Land of Australia
- Banjo Paterson and the Old Bush Songs, single work criticism (p. 1-32)
- The Old Bush Songs and Folklore, single work criticism (p. 33-43)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also e-book.
Works about this Work
-
Australian Verse
single work
review
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Australian Verse
single work
review
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: API Review of Books , July no. 44 2006;
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Duelling Banjo
2005
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 2 August vol. 123 no. 6481 2005; (p. 64-66) -
Matilda
1973
single work
prose
— Appears in: Fair Dinkum Matilda 1973; (p. 17 - 20) Magoffin describes the possible origins of the meaning of 'Matilda' and defends Paterson against accusations of plagiarism.
-
Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: API Review of Books , July no. 44 2006;
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Australian Verse
single work
review
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Australian Verse
single work
review
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Australian Verse
1906
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Town and Country Journal , 28 February vol. 72 no. 1882 1906; (p. 58)
— Review of Old Bush Songs : Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging and Overlanding Days 1905 anthology poetry -
Duelling Banjo
2005
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 2 August vol. 123 no. 6481 2005; (p. 64-66) -
Australian Books
1924
single work
column
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 4 October 1924; (p. 3) -
Angus and Robertson
1924
single work
column
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 18 October 1924; (p. 3) -
Matilda
1973
single work
prose
— Appears in: Fair Dinkum Matilda 1973; (p. 17 - 20) Magoffin describes the possible origins of the meaning of 'Matilda' and defends Paterson against accusations of plagiarism. -
Australian Verse
1909
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 21 October vol. 30 no. 1549 1909; (p. 2)
Awards
- 2006 winner Australian Bush Laureate Awards — Book of the Year For the 2005 centenary edition edited by Graham Seal and Warren Fahey.