Analysis of Shearing's Coming

David McKee Wright 1869 – 1928



There's a sound of many voices in the camp and on the track,
And letters coming up in shoals to stations at the back;
And every boat that crosses from the sunny 'other side'
Is bringing waves of shearers for the swelling of the tide.

For the shearing's coming round, boys, the shearing's coming round,
And the stations of the mountains have begun to hear the sound.

They'll be talking up at Laghmor of the tallies that were shore,
And the man who broke the record is remembered at Benmore;
And the yarns of strikes and barneys will be told till all is blue,
And the ringers and the bosses will be passed in long review.

For the shearing's coming round, boys, the shearing's coming round,
And the stations of the mountains have begun to hear the sound.

The great Orari muster and the drafting of the men
Like a mob of ewes and wethers will be surely told again;
And a lot of heathen places that will rhyme with kangaroo
Will be named along with ringers and the things that they can do.

For the shearing's coming round, boys, the shearing's coming round,
And the stations of the mountains have begun to hear the sound.

At last the crowds will gather for the morning of the start,
And the slowest of the jokers will be trying to look smart;
And a few will get the bullet, and high hopes will have a fall,
And the bloke that talks the loudest stands a show of looking small.

For the shearing's coming round, chaps, the shearing's coming round,
And the voices of the workers have begun to swell the sound.


Scheme aabb CC ddee CC ffee CC gghh cc
Poetic Form
Metre 101110100010101 01010101110101 010011101010101 1101111010101 101101101101 001010101011101 11101111010101 00111001101011 001110101111111 00100010111011 101101101101 001010101011101 011100010101 10111011110101 00111010111101 111011100011111 101101101101 001010101011101 11011101010101 001010101110111 001110100111101 001110101011101 101101101101 001010101011101
Closest metre Iambic octameter
Characters 1,485
Words 281
Sentences 9
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 49
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 148
Words per stanza (avg) 35
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:27 min read
117

David McKee Wright

David McKee Wright was an Irish-born poet and journalist, active in New Zealand and Australia. more…

All David McKee Wright poems | David McKee Wright Books

1 fan

Discuss this David McKee Wright poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Shearing's Coming" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7935/shearing%27s-coming>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    5
    hours
    14
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What year was "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" originally published?
    A 1761
    B 1773
    C 1789
    D 1701