Cockies of Bungaree 2
Now all you blokes take my advice and do your daily toil
But dont go out to Bungaree to work in the chocolate soil
For the days they
are so long me boys, they'd break your heart in two
And if ever you work for
Cocky Bourke, you very soon will know
Chorus
Oh we used to go to
bed you know a little bit after dark
The room we used to sleep in it was just
like Noah's Ark
There were dogs and cats and mice and cats and pigs and poulteree
But I'll never forget the time we had while down in Bungaree
Oh the first
thing Monday morning sure to work we had to go
My noble cocky says to me "Get
up you're rather slow"
The moon was shining gloriously and the stars were
out you see
And I thought before the sun would rise I'd die in Bungaree
Oh he called me to my supper at half-past eight or nine
He called me
to my breakfast before the sun did shine
And after tea was over all with a
merry laugh
The old cocky says to me "We'll cut a bit of chaff"
Now
when you are chaff cutting boys isn't it a spell
Yes by jove it is says I
and it's me that knows it well
For many of those spells with me they disagree
For I hate the jolly night work that they do in Bungaree
Notes
This version collected by Norm O'Connor from Simon McDonald of Creswick, Victoria. In his biography of McDonald "Time Out of Mind" Hugh Anderson was told by the singer "I've been told off a bit by some of the cockies about that song. They dont like it, they're a bit ashamed of it these days, but it's pretty true of my younger days". A.L.Lloyd sings another version - See Cockies of Bungaree in this collection.