CHINESE MIGRANTS IN AUSTRALIA

Ching Chong Quoted Hal Porter Bairnsdale 1920s Tune: Dan Tucker

Chinee Cook AUSTRALASIAN SKETCHER 1875 87/599

Anti Chinese ditty

Qld Examiner 1895
The advent of the cow
Will rid us of the Chow.

On Chinamen

Pat Pong, John, Johnny etc, Chink, Ding Bat, Canary JohnÖ

Mad as a Chinaman

Meaner than a goldfields Chow

Awkward as a Chinaman on a bicycle

Sister Lilly Supposed memorial notice

John Chinaman

Chop, Chop, Chop From Robyn Ridley 1970 whose mother sang this ditty as a child in then rural Glenhuntly, Victoria.

Chinaman's Track From Spangles in the sawdust by R P Whitwoth, 1880.

The AUSTRALIAN STAR. 1879

June 30 1877
Advice from the Palmer State (Qld) state that hundreds of Chinese are in the last stages of destitution and those hundreds more are pressing on to the goldfields. The Wardens ask for additional police protection, owing to the threatening attitude of the Chinese outside the camps.

FROM 'FORTY-FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE IN NORTH QUEENSLAND' 1861-1905

W R O Hill.
Published Brisbane 1907.
This interesting book also had a chapter on the great fight between Heenan & Sayers ñ I have collected two songs on this fight. (Refer AFU ñ Joe Watson and Cyril Duncan)

The following song was composed and sung by the author at a charity concert in Cooktown about 1878. It is typical anti-Chinese.

The Palmer Local Tune: The Abyssinian Girl

The Poor Chinee

My namee Sin-sin, me come from China,
Biggie-low ship, me come along here;
Wind blow hard, it kicky-up bubble-y,
Ship make-a China boy feel very queer,
Me like-a bow-wow, very good chow chow,
Me like-a little girl, she like me,
Me come from Hong Kong,
White man he come along,
Takee little gal from-a Po' Chinee

I found this reference ditty on the Internet in 2007 where it is attributed to V. Feuerbacher, E. Noack. Oddly enough it was once recorded by the American country music legend George Jones. Even stranger, the song, in a diluted form has been collected in Australia. I suspect it is from circa 1870’s however I cannot find any information on the songwriters.

The Australia version was collected by Ron Edwards in Cairns, 1963, from the singing of Jock Dingwall, who “learnt it as a young man”. The Australian version has an Australian reference which implies it could have been around in the 1870s Queensland gold rush era.

My Name Lee See

My name Lee See
Come from China,
Go long Sandy Cleek,
Looka longa gold-oh.
White man come up,
kicka longa - ooooh!
Chinaman sing out -
“Waffor?”

The following set of songs are based on an old song my father used to sing to me, and I have subsequently recorded. He knew it as ‘With His Old Grey Noggin A-shanking” however it appears in the British tradition with many variations and titles.

The Bald -Headed Chinaman
(Tune: With His Old Grey Noddle A-Shaking)

My mother she told me to open the door.
The little bald headed Chinese-nese-nese.
I opened the door.
He fell on the floor.
The little baldheaded Chinese nese nese.

My mother she told me to get him a drink.
The little bald headed Chinese-nese-nese.
I gave him a drink.
He peed in the sink.
The little bald headed Chinese nese nese.

My mother she told me to give him a dance.
The little bald headed Chinese-nese-nese.
I gave him a dance.
He pulled down his pants.
The little bald headed Chinese-nese-nese.

Collected 2008

The Dirty Old Man from China

My Mother told me to open the door
Gee I don't wanna
But I opened the door and in stepped the man,
The dirty old man from China,

My mother told me to take him to a dance
Gee I don’t wanna
But I took him to a dance and he peed in his pants
The dirty old man from China

My mother told me to take him to school
Gee I don't wanna
But I took him to school and he acted like a fool
The dirty old man from China

My mother told me to take him to bed
Gee I don't wanna
But I took him to bed, and I screwed off his head
The dirty old man from China

My mother told me to bury his head
Gee I don't wanna
But I buried his head and that was the end
Of the dirty old man from China.

Collected 2008.

THE POOR BALD HEADED CHINESE

My mother she told me to open the door.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I opened the door.
He fell on the floor.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

My mother she told me to get him a drink.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I gave him a drink.
He fell in the sink.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

My mother she told me to give him a dance.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I gave him a dance.
He pulled down his pants.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

My mother she told me to put him to bed.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I put him to bed.
He fell on his head.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

My mother she told me to give him a ride.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I gave him a ride.
He fell off and died.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

My mother she told me to bury him deep.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I buried him deep.
He stuck out his feet.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

My mother she told me to cut off his feet.
The poor bald headed Chinese.
I cut off his feet.
He laid there in peace.
The poor bald headed Chinese.

Collected 2008. My contributor added “Dad used to sing this to us when I was a little. It was the 1950's. I never found out where he heard it. But he knew the lyrics backwards and forwards. He called the song "The Poor Bald Headed Chinese"