SONGS ABOUT ABORIGINALITY – A SELECTION

Overview:

The attitudes expressed in traditional and popular songs referring to indigenous Australians is an interesting, if somewhat depressing, study. Much of the material is outright racist or condescending. This is in line with the general public (misguided) attitude to Aboriginal people for much of the nineteenth century and early twentieth. Not surprising when indigenous people worldwide were considered ‘primitives’ and            (in Australia) not included in the population census until the mid-late twentieth century. As a folklorist I strongly believe that these songs (and poems) should be made available on this site – they are an expression of popular culture and the ugly side of our national identity needs to be accepted.

The racist material is covered elsewhere in this site and much of it details what popular expression described as ‘gin jockeying’ – a term used to describe white men who had sex with Aboriginal women. In truth many European men found successful and long-lasting unions with Aboriginal women but this is rarely indicated in the songs.

The majority of songs about indigenous people fall into the category of ‘quaint’, which really translates as condescending. I call it ‘Witchitty’s Tribe’ music – after the highly successful (and highly condescending) comic strip of the same name. I’m fairly sure cartoonist Eric Joliffe (1907-2001) did not see himself, nor his work as racist, and probably not condescending either. His cartoons were typical of the insensitive times.
In many of his Aboriginal cartoons the joke depends on the incongruity of the Indigenous Australian's two worlds, e.g. woman outside humpy smacking baby while husband with spear is saying, "Now, where's the exponent of child psychology?" (1955).

Popular song also misinterpreted indigenous people. eg ‘My Boomerang Won’t Come Back’ (Rolf Harris). WF

THE GOONDIWINDI SONG

Oh, it's Barefoot Sally are my name.
And Wellshot are my station;
Though it's no disgrace, the old black face—
It's the colour of my nation.

Chorus:
Oh, it's boomeri-eye and mind your eye
And don't kick up a shindy;           
For we'll all waltz in and out again.  
And dance the wild corroboree.       

Oh, it's boomeri-eye and mind your eye.
And don't kick up a shindy,
I've got a boy in Camooweal
And one in Goondiwindi.                     

From the Terry Hie Hie to Mungindi,
And down to Goondiwindi.
We'll dance the fish and drink all night,
And dance the wild corroboree.

My boyfriend down in Tallwood town,
Way down in Goondiwindi,
He dance me round barefoot on the ground
Way out in Goondiwindi.

Oh, Master Sammie a very fine chap,
And also Master Willie,
I send my piccaninny down every day,
To boil his blanky billy.

This song appeared in Singabout from the singing of Mr Leo Dixon. I assume the collectors were John Meredith and Alan Scott as the credit simply says ‘the editors’.. They note ‘Leo picked it up in the northern shearing sheds, and says, “There are many more verses which could easily be got in Queensland.” The tune is a variant of ‘The Rose Tree’. The last verse is from the singing of Arthur Davis of Cullenbone, NSW, and also collected in the 1950s.

Jamie Carlln noted these extra verses from The Goondiwindi Song, from the singing of Lach Robertson:

Away outback on a god-damned track,
Where there are no grass nor water,
I met an old gin with her nose bashed in,
And she asked me to marry her daughter.

Chorus:
So Its Mungindi and mind your eye,
And don't kick up a shindy;
For we’ll all race in and grab a gin,
And roll her in the bindl.

I've got a girl up north and one in Bourke,
And one in Goondiwindi
For they squeal and fight in the middle of the night,
In good old Goondiwindi.

 

A LONG TIME AGO ON THE LOGAN

Oh, a long time ago on the Logan
There were blacks of all sizes and sorts
A meeting was held at Beaudesert
For the purpose of having some sports

First prize was a lovely fat booribi
Of cobbles the number was six
Second and third, no difference.
Two iguana's half dead with the ticks

Chorus
There were nullas, carbuckers and cobbles
Iguanas and yurragangs too
Nullas and spears and burraguns
All thrown by that famous old Blow

Now Blow being the best at the throwing
And Andrews the best at the fight
Old Slab sent down for three bottles
For the purpose of keeping things quiet

Now Billy and Bobby got rowing
When there's drink how those old darkies will
Old Charlie near split his sides laughing
When Bobby upset Old King Bill.

Last verse added by correspondence

Now Blow received many a present
And of churrongs he had quite a sack
The only one there seemed to grumble
Was that quarrelsome Nevertire Jack

Collected from Cyril Duncal by Warren Fahey, 1973.
The song describes an Aboriginal ‘sport’s day’.
Note: Cyril explained that :  cobbles = carpet snake,  Yurragangs = native dog
Booribi = native bear, Nulla = weapon, Churrongs = eels.

 

JACKY-JACKY

Jacky-Jacky was a smart young fellow,
Full of fun and energy,
Yet he sat by the river of his people
Underneath a great gum tree.

Chorus:
Krikita bubla wel dee miah,
Billee niah ging gerrie wah.

Jacky’s people used to chase the emus,
With their spears and waddies too,
They were the only ones cou;d tell you
What the emu told the kangaroo.

White fella come and take Jacky’s country,
Spread their fences across their run,
Now poor Jacky has to pay his taxes,
And his hunting days are done.

But the white man bring to Jacky,
Bottles of plonk, two-up and all,
Now the river-side re-echoes
To their shouts as the pennies fall.

This song published in Singabout.

 

THE BLACKBOYS WALTZING MATILDA

Old fellah bagman, camp along a billabong,
Sitta long shade big fellah tree
Singum, watchum, old billy boiling
You'll come walkabout, tilda longa me.

You'll come walkabout
Big fellah roundabout
You come walkabout, tilda longa me
Leadum dillybag, meat from a tuckabag
You carry plurry swag, tilda longa me.

Up come a jimbuck, drinkin at the waterhole
Bagman tallem comalonga me
Singum, shovum longa tuckabag
You come a-walkabout jimbuck longa me

Bagman benup jumpa longa waterhole
Drown plurry self near big fellah tree
Ghost him bin seen all night by waterhole
You come a-walkabout, tilda longa me.

Collected from Herb Green, St Lucia, Qld, by Warren Fahey in 1973.
Rob Willis subsequently collected a version of this song.

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