In The Shearing Shed (1907)
BY GILROONEY. Oh! Come with me and listen,Where the shearers are astir;
See the bearings, how they glisten!
Hear the grinders, how they whirr!
See the fleeces pushed asunder
As the cutters plough ahead--
Ah! a little world of wonder
Is a western shearing shed! See the rouseabouts careering
Just like mad across the floor.
And the frightened hoggets peering
Thro' the double-folded doors;
See the "tomahawkers" tussle,
And their victims bruised and bled--
Ah! a little world of bustle
Is a western shearing shed! Hear the boss's "Tar quickly!"
With the ringer's "Wool away!"
And the shouts that follow quickly
Thro' a shearer's roundelay!
Hear the universal damner
Cursing all in tones of red--
Ah! a little world of clamour
Is a western shearing shed! But thro' heat, and haste, and humming
Over "floor," and "shoot," and "pen"
Speaks a voice: "Surcease is coming
To ye wearied sons of men;
There'll be cheques to banish sadness
In the 'cut-out' day ahead--
Ah! a little world of gladness
Is a western shearing shed!" Notes From the NSW Newspaper the Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser Wed 27 Nov 1907