Brisbane Ladies
Encyclopedia
Brisbane Ladies is an Australia
n folksong and is one of many adaptation
s of Spanish Ladies
. The version given below is the most commonly sung, but the original mentions Nanango
favorably as "that jolly old township".
named Saul Mendelsohn who lived near Nanango
. The place names used in the song were part of the route that cattle drover
s used when returning from Brisbane to the cattle station at Augathella
, which is located in west-central Queensland
. Those place names include Toowong, Queensland
, Augathella, Caboolture, Kilcoy, Collington's Hut, Blackbutt
, Bob Williamson's paddock, Taromeo, Yarraman Creek, Nanango
and Toomancie.
Farewell and adieu, you maids of Toowong
We've sold all our cattle and we have to get a movin'
But we hope we shall see you again before long.
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Queensland
drovers
We'll rant and we'll roar as onward we push
Until we return to the Augathella station
Oh, it's flamin' dry goin' through the old Queensland bush.
The first camp we make, we shall call it the Quart Pot,
Caboolture, then Kilcoy, and Collington's Hut,
We'll pull up at the stone house, Bob Williamson's paddock,
And early next morning we cross the Blackbutt.
Chorus
Then on to Taromeo and Yarraman Creek, lads,
It's there we shall make our next camp for the day
Where the water and grass are both plenty and sweet, lads,
And maybe we'll butcher a fat little stray.
Chorus
Then on to Nanango
, that hard-bitten township
Where the out-of-work station-hands shit in the dust,
Where the shearers get shorn by old Tim, the contractor
Oh, I wouldn't go near there, but I flaming well must!
Chorus
The girls of Toomancie they look so entrancing
Like bawling young heifers they're out for their fun
With the waltz and the polka and all kinds of dancing
To the rackety old banjo of Bob Anderson.
Chorus
Then fill up your glasses, and drink to the lasses,
We'll drink this town dry, then farewell to them all
And when we've got back to the Augathella Station,
We hope you'll come by there and pay us a call.
s.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n folksong and is one of many adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
s of Spanish Ladies
Spanish Ladies
Spanish Ladies is a traditional English naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the British Royal Navy.- Origins :...
. The version given below is the most commonly sung, but the original mentions Nanango
Nanango, Queensland
Nanango is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is the fourth oldest town in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Nanango had a population of 3,083. It is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane...
favorably as "that jolly old township".
History
The song dates back to at least the 1880's and is credited to a jackarooJackaroo (trainee)
A Jackaroo is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia in the Nineteenth Century and is still in use in Australia and New Zealand in the twenty-first...
named Saul Mendelsohn who lived near Nanango
Nanango, Queensland
Nanango is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is the fourth oldest town in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Nanango had a population of 3,083. It is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane...
. The place names used in the song were part of the route that cattle drover
Drover (Australian)
A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in...
s used when returning from Brisbane to the cattle station at Augathella
Augathella, Queensland
Augathella is a town in western Queensland, Australia, and is part of the Murweh Shire. Augathella lies on the Matilda Highway, is north of the town of Charleville, and west of Brisbane . The town lies on the banks of the Warrego River...
, which is located in west-central Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Those place names include Toowong, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Augathella, Caboolture, Kilcoy, Collington's Hut, Blackbutt
Blackbutt, Queensland
Blackbutt is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the D'Aguilar Highway, in the South Burnett Local Government Area, 166 kilometres north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Blackbutt had a population of 572.European settlement...
, Bob Williamson's paddock, Taromeo, Yarraman Creek, Nanango
Nanango, Queensland
Nanango is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is the fourth oldest town in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Nanango had a population of 3,083. It is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane...
and Toomancie.
Australian Folklore Occasional Paper
A 53-page Australian folklore occasional paper entitled "Brisbane Ladies" was written by the late Ron Edwards about the history of this folk song and was based upon the research done by the late Bob Michell.Lyrics
Farewell and adieu to you, Brisbane ladiesBrisbane Ladies
Brisbane Ladies is an Australian folksong and is one of many adaptations of Spanish Ladies. The version given below is the most commonly sung, but the original mentions Nanango favorably as "that jolly old township".-History:...
Farewell and adieu, you maids of Toowong
We've sold all our cattle and we have to get a movin'
But we hope we shall see you again before long.
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
drovers
We'll rant and we'll roar as onward we push
Until we return to the Augathella station
Oh, it's flamin' dry goin' through the old Queensland bush.
The first camp we make, we shall call it the Quart Pot,
Caboolture, then Kilcoy, and Collington's Hut,
We'll pull up at the stone house, Bob Williamson's paddock,
And early next morning we cross the Blackbutt.
Chorus
Then on to Taromeo and Yarraman Creek, lads,
It's there we shall make our next camp for the day
Where the water and grass are both plenty and sweet, lads,
And maybe we'll butcher a fat little stray.
Chorus
Then on to Nanango
Nanango, Queensland
Nanango is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is the fourth oldest town in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Nanango had a population of 3,083. It is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane...
, that hard-bitten township
Where the out-of-work station-hands shit in the dust,
Where the shearers get shorn by old Tim, the contractor
Oh, I wouldn't go near there, but I flaming well must!
Chorus
The girls of Toomancie they look so entrancing
Like bawling young heifers they're out for their fun
With the waltz and the polka and all kinds of dancing
To the rackety old banjo of Bob Anderson.
Chorus
Then fill up your glasses, and drink to the lasses,
We'll drink this town dry, then farewell to them all
And when we've got back to the Augathella Station,
We hope you'll come by there and pay us a call.
Artists That Have Performed "Brisbane Ladies"
"Brisbane Ladies" has been performed and recorded by a number of various Australian artists, including bush bandBush band
A bush band is a group of musicians that play traditional Australian folk music or contemporary folk music played in a traditional Australian style...
s.
- Snake Gully Bush Band
- The Wild Colonial Boys
- John Greenway on the 1959 album "Australian Folksongs and Ballads"
- Gary Shearston on the 1964 album "Folk Songs And Ballads Of Australia"
- Various Artists at the 2004 "Chris Kempster Tribute Concert"