Sandy Maranoa
The night is dark and stormy and the sky is clouded o'er
Our horses we will mount and ride away
To watch the squatters' cattle through the darkness of the night
And we'll keep them on the camp till break of day
Chorus
For we're going going going to Gunnedah so far
And we'll soon be into sunny New South Wales
We shall bid farewell to Queensland with its swampy coolibah
Happy drovers from the sandy Maranoa
When the fires are burning bright through the darkness of the night
And the cattle camping quiet well I'm sure
That I wish for two o'clock when I call the other watch
This is droving from the sandy Maranoa
Our beds made on the ground we are sleeping all so sound
When we're wakened by the distant thunder's roar
And the lightning's vivid flash followed by an awful crash
It's rough on drovers from the sandy Maranoa
We are up at break of day and we're all soon on the way
For we always have to go ten miles or more
It don't do to loaf about or the squatter will come out
He's strict on drovers from the sandy Maranoa
We shall soon be on the Moonie and we'll cross the Barwon too
Then we'll be out upon the rolling plains once more
We'll shout hurrah for old Queensland with its swampy coolibah
And the cattle that come off the Maranoa
Notes
Printed in Paterson's Old Bush Songs . The tune given is 'Little Sally Waters' With the song in Stewart and Keesing Old Bush Songs is the note: "Mr R. C. Lethbridge, of Clermont, Queensland, has written explaining that the song was composed by A. W. Davis, of Urangan, Queensland (in his eighty-fourth year in 1954), who as a young man was a drover employed by Mr Lethbridge's brother, the late J. C. K. Lethbridge". 'Sandy Maranoa' is also known as 'The Maranoa Drovers'