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JIM FRY Gosford Recorded 1973 SITE SOURCE: Folklore Unit - People
The TrampJust let me sit down for a moment,There's a milestone in my shoe, If you give me a diamond as big as your head, I'll tell a sad story to you. I've been tramping for years and I'm tired, For days I've had nothing to eat, Except three pork pies, a dozen loaves, And five pounds of bad old meat. But I wasn't always like this, sir, I was once perhaps as ugly as you, I had houses, carriages and banks on my mind, And a gold and diamond mine too. But that was before I met Lizzie, 'Twas a woman who ruined my life, We were married by special dog license, I was proud when she called me her wife. For ninety years we lived together, As happy as pigs in a tree, When one day a man with a face in distress, Came and stole my poor darling from me. He would take her for walks round the gasworks, And fill her with bad ginger beer, One day whilst I was in prison, He poured his love tale in her ear. From that day I went to the dogs, sir, And the dogs all came after me, And every day, like the fool that you are, sir, I was drowning myself in cold tea. In my temper I knelt on the ceiling, And I swore as I only can swear, That if ever I met that base scoundrel, I'd fly from his sight like a hare. It's a rolling stone gathers no moss, sir, And the early bird catches the lair, But there's one man I'll never forget, or forgive, If he brings back my old woman again! |