The Old Bark Hut (The Ultimate Australian Songbook)
Old Bark Hut
Oh, my name is Bob the Swagman before you all I stand And I've had many ups and downs while travelling through the land I once was well-to-do my boys but now I am stumped up And I'm forced to go on rations in an old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut I'm forced to go on rations in an old bark hut
Ten pounds of flour ten pounds of beef some sugar and some tea That's all they give to a hungry man until the Seventh Day If you don't be mighty sparing you'll go with a hungry gut For that's one of the great misfortunes in an old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut For that's one of the great misfortunes in an old bark hut
The bucket you boil your beef in has to carry water too And they'll say you're getting mighty brash if you should ask for two I've a billy and a pint-pot and a broken-handled cup And they all adorn the table in the old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut And they all adorn the table in the old bark hut
Faith, the table is not made of wood as many you have seen For if I had one half so good I'd think myself serene 'Tis only an old sheet of bark God knows when it was cut It was blown from off the rafters of the old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut It was blown from off the rafters of the old bark hut
And of furniture there's no such thing 'twas never in the place Except the stool I sit upon and that's an old gin-case It does us for a safe as well but you must keep it shut Or the flies would make it canter round the old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut Or the flies would make it canter round the old bark hut
If you should leave it open and the flies should find your meat They'll scarcely leave a single piece that's fit for man to eat But you musn't curse nor grumble what won't fatten will fill up For what's out of sight is out of mind in an old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut For what's out of sight is out of mind in an old bark hut
In the summertime when the weather's warm this hut is nice and cool And you'll find the gentle breezes blowing in through every hole You can leave the old door open or you can leave it shut There's no fear of suffocation in the old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut There's no fear of suffocation in the old bark hut
In the winter-time preserve us all! to live in there's a treat Especially when it's raining hard and blowing wind and sleet The rain comes down the chimney and your meat is black with soot That's a substitute for pepper in an old bark hut
In an old bark hut, in an old bark hut That's a substitute for pepper in an old bark hut
I've seen the rain come in this hut just like a perfect flood Especially through that great big hole where once the table stood There's not a blessed spot me boys where you could lay your nut But the rain is sure to find you in the old bark hut
In an old bark hut, in an old bark hut But the rain is sure to find you in the old bark hut
So beside the fire I make me bed and there I lay me down And think myself as happy as the king that wears a crown But as you'd be dozing off to sleep a flea will wake you up Which makes you curse the vermin in the old bark hut
In an old bark hut, in an old bark hut Which makes you curse the vermin in the old bark hut
Faith such flocks of fleas you never saw they are so plump and fat And if you make a grab at one he'll spit just like a cat Last night they got my pack of cards and were fighting for the cut I thought the Devil had me in the old bark hut
In an old bark hut, in an old bark hut I thought the Devil had me in the old bark hut
So now my friends I've sung my song and that as well as I could And I hope the ladies present won't think my language rude And all ye younger people in the days when you grow up Remember Bob the Swagman and the old bark hut
In an old bark hut in an old bark hut Remember Bob the Swagman and the old bark hut
Notes:
Printed in Paterson's Old Bush Songs , 4th edition (1924). Many versions of this song have been collected across Australia.