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.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:27 min read
117

Quick analysis:

Scheme aabb CC ddee CC ffee CC gghh cc
Closest metre Iambic octameter
Characters 1,485
Words 281
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2

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

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