Jolly Swagman. I could do that. As job titles go it's got quite a ring to it doesn't it? Just yer swag [aka Matilda], billy and a tucker bag.
A Gentleman of the Road. Dining on Jumbuck Kleftiko, sleeping in haystacks, harvesting Crawdads, tickling Trout and muttering incomprehensible fly fishing metaphors to tourists for drinks.
Great job, got its own theme song.
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled:
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me?"
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong.
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee.
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag:
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."
More soonSBW
2 comments:
I do miss the quiet dignity of a propper old tweed clad tramp, something the beggars I see these days just don't seem to have.
Once after a few beers in my home market town I gave a tramp a full bag of chips, he tipped his cap and said "thanks lad" before handing me a mallard from inside his coat with the word "fresh" as the only accompaniment, I suspect it came from the local municipal duck pond!
Once asked him why he lived on the road, he replied "peace" before walking away.
Last saw him in the mid 1990s and suspect some do gooder went on to imprison him in a hostel or council flat....
Moel
I was trying to explain this to my son the other day.
He would have none of it, "No dad he's a tramp."
SBW
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