ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Knowing how clued up our mob are I am hoping that someone might know the author of this


THE DROVER’S DREAM


One night while droving sheep,
my companions lay asleep,
there was not a star to illuminate the sky,
I was dreaming I suppose,
for my eyes were nearly closed,
when a very strange procession
passed me by.


First there came the kangaroo
with his swag of blankets blue,
a dingo ran beside him for a mate,
they were travelling mighty fast,
and they shouted as they passed,
“We have to jog along, it’s getting late.”

there are more verses but this should be enough if you know it

Cheers

Maureen

The Drover's Dream appears on page 252 of Old Bush Songs, edited by Douglas Stewart and Nancy Keesing ( Angus & Robertson, 1957 )
The author is given under the title as W.Tully. At the bottom of the song there is a footnote which says " Collected by David Campbell and Douglas Stewart from a shearer and a shearer's cook at the Royal Hotel, Gundagai, NSW in October 1953, and reconstructed from other versions collected by Russel Ward and John Manifold "

Good on you Neville - would that be our ABPA David Campbell who collected it do you think??? or the other much older David Campbell who also wrote Bush Poetry - I would think it would be the later for surely our David Campbell would still have had the nappy marks on his backside in 1953

Definitely the latter, Maureen. Although I had graduated from nappies to short pants...much more acceptable at primary school! I do remember going to the MCG in 1954 dressed as a golliwog (not very PC today) to take part in the big display staged by schools for the Queen's visit. A long, long time ago!

Cheers
David

I do know the Bushwhackers recorded a version of this. Any others?

Of course, HL wrote "The Shearer's Dream", but that was a very different kettle of onions.

Thanks Stephen and David

Always understood this to be a traditional folk song with many verses and many versions.
This one of the few songs or poems that attempts to rhyme "swamp" with "damp" and I never fail to shudder when I hear it.

Vic, you're such a sensitive soul...

It's supposedly a 'true story' and first appeared in an English Stage Show in the 1950's called Reedy River and you are right - it was a popular song.

Some frogs from out the swamp
where the atmosphere is damp
came bounding in and sat upon some stones,
they each unrolled their swags
and produced from little bags
the violin, the banjo and the bones.


I just found it really catchy

I'm pretty sure it was Jan Wositzky who sang it on the Bushwhackers record. His voice struck a gentle, whimsical note which suited it perfectly.