ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

This one was inspired by walks along Peel St in Tamworth during the Country Music Festival in January (the first stanza was written in Tamworth 2-3 years ago, second stanza today)

THE BUSKER
© John Peel 24/11/2012

There’s a busker who thinks he can sing that’s polluting the air with his straining
and even a deaf man could tell you his voice hasn’t had any training.
He moves where the crowds are the thickest, until there is no crowd remaining –
the people who hear what he’s singing are walking right past and complaining.
But still, this bloke’s raking in money, earning quite a nice sum in a day –
some people are paying him triple to tell him to just go away.

He feels he’s a great entertainer, he’s belting out song after song,
he’s forgetting the tune and the rhythm and getting the lyrics all wrong.
It’s true that the bloke is persistent, he keeps up with this all day long
and somehow his voice doesn’t falter, as bad as it is, it stays strong.
There’s a reason he’s not on an album, the truth is it just wouldn’t sell.
If he died then I’m sure that you’d hear him deep down in the dark depths of hell!

Meatloaf in Tamworth?

Come to think of it Marty, it might have been Meatloaf singing Slim Dusty songs.

He's doing his best John. now don't condemn him to perdition. He's 'avin' a go. !!

G'day Neville

Many of them are just having a go and should be commended for doing so, there are plenty that wouldn't, I would agree with you on that. They probably don't deserve to go to hell either for singing bad (some might argue the contrary, music/singing teachers, record company heads etc), I am possibly being a little harsh. A bit of the usual poetic exaggeration (or is that license?), as they say.

Regards


John Peel

G'day John,

You have a good point. Not all buskers can sing well. Mind you I firmly believe everyone can sing.... it is just that if they were Gentlemen they wouldn't. I usually say everyone can sing but some do it better.

Members of my Ukulele group have formed a couple of side groups and I am with the ladies (natch) Of the seven or eight who turn up for practice each week there are two who are tone deaf. They never seem to be on key. All we can do is keep them a little distance from the microphone because as I said we all can sing (or think we can). I wonder what they say about me?

I used to sing at our local many years ago Zondrae and the customers liked it so much that they kept asking me to sing louder, or at least that's what I thought they kept yelling.


" TURN IT UP BOB "


Robert Alan.

G/day John,
You see them even around the small shopping centers over here, some aren't bad but others are pretty hopeless.
But as Neville says I suppose they are having a go.

Terry

Bob, if you had shouted the bar a couple of times you would have discovered that your singing had improved greatly.

G'day Zondrae

I guess if someone comes up and gives you a positive comment about your singing after you have done it, you must be doing something right, that is one way to look at it. That is the way I look at it when I sing publicly at least.

To some extent, it comes down to song choice too. Plenty of people like Roy Orbison songs, but not everyone has the vocal range to be able to do them justice, as an example.

G'day Terry

I would agree with you and Neville on the fact that they are at least having a go, there are plenty of people out there who aren't game to do it.

Regards


John Peel