Author Topic: Add: Maid of Australia

dmcg

 Posted - 13 Feb 04 - 02:12 pm
As I walked down by the Oxborough Banks
Where the maids of Australia do play their wild pranks
Beneath a green shady bower I sat myself down
Where the birds sang so gaily enchanted all round
In the forest of native Australia
In the forest of native Australia
Where the maidens are handsome and gay.

Now she dived in the water without fear or dread
Her beautiful limbs she exceedingly spread
Her hair hung in wrinkles, the colour was black
"Sir", said she, "you will see how I float on my back
On the stream in me native Australia
On the stream in me native Australia
Where the maidens are handsome and gay."

Now being exhausted she swam to the brink
"Assistance, kind sir, for I surely shall sink".
As quick as the lightning I took hold of her hand
My foot slipped and we fell on the sand
Here, on the native plains of Australia
Here, on the native plains of Australia
Just as the sun went down.

Now we frolicked together in the highest of glee
In the finest Australia you ever did see
The sun it went down and the clouds did resign
Then I left the fair maid of Australia behind
Then I left the fair maid of Australia behind
Just as the sun went down.

Now six months being over and nine being come
This pretty fair maid she brought forth a fine son
"Oh where was his father?"; he could not be found
And she cursed the hour that she laid on the ground
In her native the plains of Australia
In her native the plains of Australia
Where the maidens are handsome and gay.


Source: Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Dec 1958


Notes:

Recorded by Peter Kennedy, July 19th, 1956. Transcribed by Micheal Bell. BBC Record RPL 22915 (LP)

The Journal entry is as follows:

This song is apparently not uncommon in Norfolk (this is the third version that has come to my notice) though I believe it has not been reported elsewhere. It does not seem to have persisted in Australia, and one Antipodean folklorist has suggested that this may be because, in at least one of its versions, the song appears to refer to an Aboriginal girl. Miscegenation is a theme that Australian folklore inclines to avoid.

No doubt 'Oxborough' refers to the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales - A. L. L.


Database entry is here.



Edited By dmcg - 13-Feb-2004 02:13:50 PM




Snuffy

 Posted - 13 Feb 04 - 02:21 pm
J M Carpenter collected versions called "Hawksbury Banks" from William Prosser (5 stanzas) and William Gaul (4 stanzas), retired seamen, both of the Royal Afred, Belvedere, London in 1928.






dmcg

 Posted - 13 Feb 04 - 02:25 pm
Thanks, snuffy. Do you have access to those versions?

I have added to the database that this version was from Harry Cox. (I had it in the ABC file, but not in the main database entry.)




Malcolm Douglas
 Posted - 13 Feb 04 - 03:41 pm
Number 1872 in the Roud Folk Song Index, and especially popular in Norfolk, where most known variants have been found; though Roud also lists an example from Arizona and one from Newfoundland. Recordings of Harry Cox singing it have been issued a number of times: for example (and currently available), Harry Cox, The Bonny Labouring Boy, Topic TSCD 512D. Sam Larner and Walter Pardon also sang it. Roud does not at present list any Australian examples.

The index to the Carpenter Collection is available online at The James Madison Carpenter Collection Online Catalogue, but as yet the bulk of the material is unpublished. So far as I know, the two sets of Maids of Australia that he recorded have never been published.


dmcg

 Posted - 13 Feb 04 - 03:49 pm
Here's a map of Belvedere, London, showing the location of 'The Royal Alfred'. (It's within comfortable walking distance of where I live!)



Edited By dmcg - 13-Feb-2004 03:52:16 PM




dmcg

 Posted - 14 Feb 04 - 02:22 pm
In the Journal for the 1959, the following appears:

John Meredith of 47 Chelsea Street, Redfern, New South Wales, writes in reference to A. L. L.'s notes to 'The Maid of Australia' in the Journal, Vol VIII, No 3, 1958, p 150:
I must disagree with A. L. Lloyd's statement the 'miscegenation is a theme that Australian folklore inclines to avoid'. If this is his belief, then his knowledge of Australian folklore must be even sketchier than I had prevously imagined it to be.

There is a group of songs, recitations and yarns, plus quite a few quips, toasts and proverbs which deal exclusively with this subject, and a number of other songs go out of their way to touch briefly on the matter.

The letter then goes on to give a number of examples, including 'Goondiwindi Song', 'The King Billy Song', 'Warrego Lament', 'a bawdy version of Waltzing Matilda', 'Black Alice', 'Black Velvet' and several more. Only 'Warrego Lament' and 'Black Alice' have any quoted lyrics.





Snuffy

 Posted - 20 Feb 04 - 01:50 pm
The version I have on a Folktrax recording is apparently by Robert Yeoman (or Yeaman) of Dundee, and consists of only the first verse. On this recording it is titled "Maid of Australia", and there appears to be a fourth recording by Carpenter from Captain Mark Page of Sunderland. Here is the full Foltrax listing for the song:

MAID OF AUSTRALIA, THE - "As I walked down by the Hawksborough Banks - where the maids of A do play their wild pranks" - Seduction of Aboriginal girl who came down to the river and took off her clothes to bathe in the river and, when a son is born, curses the man who could not be found - ROUD#1872 - JEFDSS 1958 p149 Cox transcr by Michael Bell with comment by Lloyd on the theme of miscegenation not being common in Australia - JEFDSS 1959 p219 contrib by John Meredith, disagreeing with Lloyd, and citing further examples in Australian song - SEEGER- McCOLL SI 1960 p22 Sam Larner 1958 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #183 pp412-3 Harry Cox 1953 - PALMER EBBB 1980 #126 pp239-240 Walter Pardon "The Bush of A" --- PEACOCK SNO 1965 pp276-7: Everett Bennett, St Paul's, Nfl 1959 "The Gay Maid of A" ("As I roved out by those rasperry banks") -- Robert YEOMAN, rec by James Carpenter, Dundee, 1928: 142 (Other recs from Mark Page, Sunderland, William Gaul & William Prosser, Royal Alfred Dock, London) - Harry COX rec by PK, Catfield, Norfolk 1956: RPL LP 22195/ CAEDMON TC-143/ TOPIC 12-T-158/ 017 (with mel/ vs 2,3 & 7 omitted)/ 032/ ROUNDER 11661-1778-2 p2000/ rec by Leslie Shephard 9/10/65: TOPIC TSCD-600/ TOPIC TSCD-512 (D) 2000 - Ewan McCOLL: ARGO ZFB-67 1968 - Walter PARDON rec by Sam Richards, Knapton, Norfolk: FOLKWAYS FE-38553/ CASS-1292 - Tom BROWN (of Caister, Norfolk) rec by PK, Harberton, Devon 1979 134 - Peter BELLAMY with Anthea, Louis Killen, Bill Shute & Lisa Null, Dave Swarbrick, Watersons, Royston & Heather Wood TOPIC 1979/ FLEDGLING FLE-1002 1992 --- Jim CARGILL rec by Warren Fahey: LARRIKIN 007 1976






Snuffy

 Posted - 28 Feb 04 - 03:48 pm
Here is my transcription of Carpenter's recording of Yeoman's first verse:

The Maid Of Australia
(Robert Yeaman, Dundee)

Well I wandered one day on yon Hawksbury Banks
Where the maids of Australia all play their wild pranks
'Twas there that I gazed on those beautiful scenes
Where the flowers grow wild and the grass it grows green
Where a beautiful damsel to me did appear
All glittering in beauty to me she do veer(?)
On the plains of my native Australia
On the plains of my native Australia
Where the maidens are handsome and gay






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