Australian Folk Songs
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The Glendonbrook Road (1906)
Written and composed by
Martin Farrell
Sawyer Gully
W. Maitland.At a place called "cranky corner",
Not many miles away
I am working with a gang of men
For seven bob a day.We are working for the Government
In a quiet shady nook
On the road that leads from Stanhope
To a place called Glendonbrook.Jack Terry is the overseer
Next to the head she - rang
It was he I believed laid out the work
And organised the gang.He's a man that's well respected
By every class and creed
And always kind and generous
To those who are in need.The men he sent to do the work
Are as good as can be got
This side of the equator
And that's to say a lot.Sam Hedges is our ganger,
And I like him very well
He is a first class workman
And a jolly cove as well.He shows us what we have to do
And tells us when to start
He is getting now ten bob a day
For himself and his horse and cart.The vines are interwoven
Through the branches of the tree
And always underneath them
There's a cool refreshing breeze.There are deep ravines on every side
Where the mountain torrents flow
Over rocky walls and waterfalls
To the Stanhope creek below.Notes
Many thanks to Dale Dengate for alerting me to the recent discovery of this poem.
australian traditional songs . . . a selection by mark gregory