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The Ballad of The Bricklayers Daughter (1922)

It was a bricklayer in Gulgong did dwell ;
He had but one daughter, a very fine gell.
But alack and alas! oh! what mischief was done
When she captured the heart of the capen's own son.
Slnging tooral bye, ooral 'bye, addlty,
Like wise to tooral eye, cooral bye, day.

When the Capen his father, did come for to hear
That his son was betrothed to a damsel so dear.
He straightway began for to rave and to swear.
And he danced round the village a'tearing 'his hair
Singing tooral bye, ooral bye, addlty,
Likewise tooral bye, oorial bye, day.

He met the bricklayer a-going for to lay
The bricks for a chimney, and to him did say.
My man, do you know what your daughter has done?
She has dared to look sweet on a Capen's own son.
Singing tooral bye, ooral bye, addity.
Likewise tooral bye, ooral bye, day;

No bricklayer's lass since the world was begun
Has ever been wed to a Capen's own son.
You lower-class people your places must keep,
Or the angels In heaven will sit down and weep
Singing tooral 'bye, ooral bye, addlty.
Likewise tooral bye, ooral bye, day.

When sonny did hear what his father did say,
He stuck out his chest, and spake up right away,
That I am a toff does not matter to me,
I will stick to my sweetheart though lowly she be
Singing tooral bye, ooral bye, addlty,
Likewise tooral bye, ooral bye, day.

And now comes a sorrowful story, alack !
For the bricklayer soon he was given the sack,
Then the miners all did the thing that they like,
They paoked up their tools, and they came out on strike
Singing tooral. bye, ooral bye, addlty,
Likewise tooral bye, ooral bye, day.

Now, all you bricklayers who work on the mines,
You must keep all your daughters from cutting up shine ;
you must teach them to keep in their places at once.
And not to go a-mashlng the Capen's own sous
Singing tooral bye, ooral bye, addity,
Likewise tooral bye, ooral bye, day

--Couein Jack.

Merewether.

Notes

From the NSW Newspaper The Newcastle Sun 31 Oct 1922 p. 3.

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australian traditional songs . . . a selection by mark gregory