Dying Fettler
A strapping young fettler lay dying
With a shovel supporting
his head
The ganger and crew round him crying
As he let go his pick handle
and said
Chorus
Wrap me up in a tent or a fly boys
And bury me
deep down below
Where the trolleys and trains won't molest me
To show
there's a navvy below
There's tea in the old battered billy-can
Place
the dogs spikes out in a row
And we'll spike to the next merry meeting
To show there's a navvy below
Hark, there's the wail of a trolley
Far, far away it seems
It sounds like the inspector is coming
And hopes
to see us all here
So back to your shovels my boy-lads
And bend your
backs backs with a will
For this inspector has no kind of judgement
To
know there's a navvy below
Notes
In his Big Book of Australian Folk Song Ron Edwards writes "The Dying Fettler was collected at Lappa Junction, N.Q., 21 August 1966. will be readily recognised as a parody on The Dying Stockman. It was sung by Vic Leonard, who in turn had learned it from Frank Stock of Koorboora, a now extinct mining centre". See 'The Dying Stockman' in this collection.