Click Goes The Shears
Traditional Australian Bush Ballad
Traditional Australian Bush Ballad
The song details a day's work for a sheep shearer in the days before machine shears. The enduring popularity of this song reflects the traditional role that the wool industry has played in Australian life. The song describes the various roles in the shearing shed, including the "ringer", the "boss of the board", the "colonial experience man" and the "tar boy". After the day's shearing, the "old shearer" takes his cheque and heads to the local pub for a drinking session. The tune is the American Civil War song "Ring the Bell, Watchman" by Henry Clay Work and the first verse follows closely, in parody, with Work's lyrics as well. It was actually originally named 'The Bare Bellied Ewe' and only became popular in the 1950s, more than half a century later. Source: Wikipedia.org
"Click Goes The Shears" © Free traditional song.
Listen to this song - performed by Martyn Wyndham-Read. Play MP3 light version here
Listen to this song - performed by Martyn Wyndham-Read. Play MP3 light version here
Out on the board the old shearer stands,
Graspin' his shears in his thin bony hands,
His bleary eyes are fixed on a blue-bellied ewe,
Sayin', “If I get you, gal, I'll make the ringer go.”
Chorus (after each verse):
Click go the shears, boys, click, click, click.
Wide is his blow and his hands are movin' quick,
And the ringer looks around and he's beaten by a blow
And he curses that old snagger with the blue-bellied ewe.
In the middle of the floor in his cane-bellied chair
Sits the boss of the board with his eyes everywhere.
He notes every fleece as it comes off the screen,
Paying close attention that it's took off clean.
Graspin' his shears in his thin bony hands,
His bleary eyes are fixed on a blue-bellied ewe,
Sayin', “If I get you, gal, I'll make the ringer go.”
Chorus (after each verse):
Click go the shears, boys, click, click, click.
Wide is his blow and his hands are movin' quick,
And the ringer looks around and he's beaten by a blow
And he curses that old snagger with the blue-bellied ewe.
In the middle of the floor in his cane-bellied chair
Sits the boss of the board with his eyes everywhere.
He notes every fleece as it comes off the screen,
Paying close attention that it's took off clean.
Image 1 - http://square-sparrow.com/sheep-shearing-waltons-shed-competition/
Image 2 - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/544865254898596005/
Image 3 - https://timegents.com/2020/04/04/a-rare-1920s-look-inside-an-outback-pub-the-stuart-arms-hotel-alice-springs/
Image 2 - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/544865254898596005/
Image 3 - https://timegents.com/2020/04/04/a-rare-1920s-look-inside-an-outback-pub-the-stuart-arms-hotel-alice-springs/
Aussie Culture Index
The Great South Land
Advance Australia Fair
Waltzing Matilda
Click Goes The Shears
The Man from Snowy River
Clancy of the Overflow
The Catalpa
Scarborough Snake Pit
The Great South Land
Advance Australia Fair
Waltzing Matilda
Click Goes The Shears
The Man from Snowy River
Clancy of the Overflow
The Catalpa
Scarborough Snake Pit
Defentions for Non - Australians:
"Board" = platform or floor that the shears work on.
"Shears" = Hand held shears used before mechanical driven shears arrived.
"Blue-bellied" = A sheep with little or no wool on the stomach.
"Ewe (Yoe or Joe" = A female sheep.
"Ringer" = The best or fastest shearer in the shed.
"Beaten by a blow" = Beaten by one sweep of the shears.
"Snagger" = The lucky shearer who "snaged" or drew a blue-bellied ewe in his pen of sheep.
"The boss of the board" = The person in charge of the shed.
"Off the screen" = the table where the fleece is tidied up and assesed.
"Took (taken) off clean" = Good shearers do a better job in taking off the wool, making it more valueble.
"Colonial-experience man" = A colonist, but not a convict or former convict. One of the aristocracy and usually the land owner.
"Brilliantine" = A brand of hair oil which was very popular up until the 1960's.
"Tar-boy" = A young lad, who simply has a bucket of melted tar and brush to brush onto any accidental cuts made on the sheep to stop bleeding.
"Swag" = The persons gear tied up in a sheet and carried over the shoulder, used while travelling from one place to another.
"Board" = platform or floor that the shears work on.
"Shears" = Hand held shears used before mechanical driven shears arrived.
"Blue-bellied" = A sheep with little or no wool on the stomach.
"Ewe (Yoe or Joe" = A female sheep.
"Ringer" = The best or fastest shearer in the shed.
"Beaten by a blow" = Beaten by one sweep of the shears.
"Snagger" = The lucky shearer who "snaged" or drew a blue-bellied ewe in his pen of sheep.
"The boss of the board" = The person in charge of the shed.
"Off the screen" = the table where the fleece is tidied up and assesed.
"Took (taken) off clean" = Good shearers do a better job in taking off the wool, making it more valueble.
"Colonial-experience man" = A colonist, but not a convict or former convict. One of the aristocracy and usually the land owner.
"Brilliantine" = A brand of hair oil which was very popular up until the 1960's.
"Tar-boy" = A young lad, who simply has a bucket of melted tar and brush to brush onto any accidental cuts made on the sheep to stop bleeding.
"Swag" = The persons gear tied up in a sheet and carried over the shoulder, used while travelling from one place to another.
The colonial-experience man, he is there, of course,
With his shiny leggins, just off his horse;
Castin' round his eyes like a real connossoor,
Brilliantine and scented soap and smelling like a whoor (Who said that?)
The tar-boy is there and waiting on demand
With his old tar-pot and in his tarry hand.
Sees an old ewe with a cut upon her back,
This is what he's waitin' for: “Tar here, Jack!”
First you take the belly-wool and niggle out the crutch,
Go up the neck, for the rules they are such,
Clean around the horns and the first shoulder down,
A long blow up the back and turn her around.
With his shiny leggins, just off his horse;
Castin' round his eyes like a real connossoor,
Brilliantine and scented soap and smelling like a whoor (Who said that?)
The tar-boy is there and waiting on demand
With his old tar-pot and in his tarry hand.
Sees an old ewe with a cut upon her back,
This is what he's waitin' for: “Tar here, Jack!”
First you take the belly-wool and niggle out the crutch,
Go up the neck, for the rules they are such,
Clean around the horns and the first shoulder down,
A long blow up the back and turn her around.
Chorus:
Click, click, click, that's how the shearin' goes.
Click, clicketty click, oh my boys it isn't slow.
A fellow pulls out a sheep and it lands him a kick,
And still you hear the shears a-goin': Click, click, click.
Now the shearin's over and we've all got our cheque,
Roll up your swags and we're off along the track.
The first pub we'll come to it's there we'll have a spree
And to everyone that comes along it's: “Have a drink on me!”
Down by the bar the late shearer stands,
Graspin' his glass in his thin bony hands,
His eyes are on the barrel which now is lowerin' fast,
He works hard, he drinks hard, and goes to hell at last!
Click, click, click, that's how the shearin' goes.
Click, clicketty click, oh my boys it isn't slow.
A fellow pulls out a sheep and it lands him a kick,
And still you hear the shears a-goin': Click, click, click.
Now the shearin's over and we've all got our cheque,
Roll up your swags and we're off along the track.
The first pub we'll come to it's there we'll have a spree
And to everyone that comes along it's: “Have a drink on me!”
Down by the bar the late shearer stands,
Graspin' his glass in his thin bony hands,
His eyes are on the barrel which now is lowerin' fast,
He works hard, he drinks hard, and goes to hell at last!
.
