There were ten of us there on the moonlit quay                                                                                Tune: Double G

And one on the forward hatch.

And no straighter mate to his mate but he

Had ever said lend us a match.

Will be long old man till our glasses clink

Will be long ‘fore we grip your hand

So we dragged him ashore for a final drink

And the whole wide world was grand.

The port lights glowed in the morning mist

That rose from the waters green.

And over the railing we grabbed his fist

As the dark tide came between.

We cheered the Captain we cheered the crew

And our mate times out of mind

We cheered the land he was going to

And the land he was leaving behind.

    For they marry & go as the world rolls back

    They marry they vanish & die

    But their spirit shall live on the outside track

    As long as the years roll by.

We roared ‘Lang Syne in a last farewell

But my heart seemed out of joint.

I well remember the hush that fell

When t e steamer had passed the point.

We drifted home through the public bars

We were ten times less by one

Who sailed out under the morning stars

And under the rising sun.

Now one by one  &two by two

They’ve sailed from the wharf sine then

And I said goodbye to the last I knew

The last of the careless men

But somehow I think that the times we had

Were the best times after all

As I turn aside with a lonely glass

And drink to the barroom wall.

    But I’ll try my luck for a cheque out back

    And a last goodbye to the bush

    For my heart’s away on the outside track

    The track of the steerage push.

I adapted this from a poem & short story by Henry Lawson - one of Australia's greatest writers. Perhaps the greatest aspect of Lawson's work is how it finds strength within the inconsistencies & inequalities of life.

Lawson's writings have sometimes found criticism for their melancholy. To contradict that I suggest you track down his short story "The Loaded Dog" - one of the funniest things I've ever read.

Click on Henry’s photo to learn more about him.

For the purists if they’re listening, the outro on the recording is a variation on “Handsome Molly.”