MILITARY SONGS - ADDITIONSIn 1996 I had a book published under the title ‘Diggers’ Songs’ (Australian Military History Press), it was a large book that traced the history of Australian traditional and popular parodies through the eleven wars we had participated in up to that date. I was shocked when I counted the number of times we had packed up our kitbags and headed off in response to the bugle call, mainly the bugle call of Mother England. Our first war were the so-called Maori Wars when we sent off a troop to New Zealand and, at the time of publication, the last war was the Gulf War. Since that date we have fought in another three wars – the Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq. That doesn’t take in our ‘peace keeping’ in places like the Solomon Islands and Fiji. Pretty scary stuff. There is a lot of military folklore and songs scattered throughout this site, especially in the Australian Folklore Unit section, so much of the following has been recently located and assembled. WF
Screw Them All(POW song)(Tune: Bless Them All) Screw ‘em all, screw ‘em all She’ll Be Coming(Tune: She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain) They’ll be dropping thousand pounders when they come Boer warRub a dub dub says the loud beating drum WW1Little puffs of powderLittle squibs of lead Makes a man remember He must keep down his head. Parody of Little dabs of powder Little dabs of paint Make a little devil Into a little saint. Diary/Mitchell 05 Twinkle TwinkleTwinkle twinkle little starWent for a ride in a yankee car Hat she did I ain’t admittin’ But what she’s knittin’ Ain’t for Britain From Tropo Topics RA 1943 Nellie NellieNellie NellieJust look at your belly You’re needing new steppins, I see Nellie Nellie Your wobbly belly It certainly fascinates me That motor tyre for a girdle Sure makes my blood pressure curdle It’s absurd’ll So bugger your belly And blame it on the rice< Not on me. From ‘Titbits’ POW revue Djarkarta 1942. From ‘G String Jesters’ by Norman Carter ------------------------------------------------ Tattooed LadyI paid ten pounds to seeA tattooed French lady She was a sight to see Tattooed from head to knee On her jaw was the Anzac Flying Corps And on her back was the doog old Union Jack While across her hips was a fleet of battle ships But on her ‘deaf and dumb’ was the Digger’s rising sun And drawn upon her kidney\was a picture of dear old Sydney Then around the corner, upon her horner Was a map of my old home town in Tennessee SMH Thur 11/Nov 2004 Article by Johnathon King about old digger (106 year’s of age) Peter Casserly. THE GERMAN OFFICERS CROSSED THE RHINEThe German officers crossed the Rhine, Parlay vousThe German officers crossed the Rhine, Parlay vous The German officers crossed the Rhine, Parlay vous The German officers crossed the Rhine, Parlay vous They raped our women and drunk our wine Inky pinky parlay vous They came across a wayside inn etc They marched across and marched right in I think there's a verse missing here Up the rickety stairs they went etc When they came down their knees were bent. They threw her on the feathery bed etc Fucked her 'till she was nearly dead. Now she's working up the Cross* Selling herself for a hell of a loss Inky pinky I DON"T THINK!! (Sydney's red light district is King's Cross) EMU PARADEAustralian schools refer to organised rubbish collection in the playground as an ‘emu parade’ where the kids – stooping up and down – resemble emus pecking at the ground. It originated with soldiers who cleaned up their camps in the same way and used the same description. THAT’S NOT ITyarn told by John Dengate (to WF 3/05)This bloke in the second world war was trying to get out on an insanity discharge. Every day he’d walk around the camp picking up any scrap of paper and then throw it down saying “That’s not it”. This went on for over a year until he was finally handed his discharge papers to which he responded “This is it! This is what I’ve been looking for!” CHICKENSMy father, George Fahey, served in the pacific campaign and he told me about a man who spent every day and night acting as if he were a chicken. He would cluck cluck chirp all around the camp, scratch at the ground etc so the doctors would certify him as crazy. He was known as the ‘chicken man’WILD MAN OF COOTAMUNDRADuring the post WW2 period a deserter hid in the Cootamundra hills in NSW and became known as The Wild Man of Cootamundra. There were regular sightings. The man became a well-known rabbit-trapper and would sell the pelts every few months for tobacco and other necessities. He eventually was driven by hunger and cold to approach the station owned by the (Phillip) Ashton family, one of the wealthiest graziers in NSW. The Ashton’s took him in and immediately notified the police who took the poor man away to a detention centre.From John Dengate, interview March 2005 NLA |
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