Song of the Digger

DESCRIPTION: "This is the lay of the digger, The song of the keeper of gum, Sung in a kerosene twilight." It's a year-round job, done in the dark, always scraping away. The singer had to learn the trade himself, working by candlelight with a bottle by his side
AUTHOR: Words: probably William Satchell (1860-1942) (Source: J. C. Reid, _A Book of New Zealand_)
EARLIEST DATE: 1902 (Satchell, Land of the Lost, according to Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ)
KEYWORDS: worker hardtimes courting drink
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ, p. 128, "(no title)" (1 excerpt)
Colquhoun-NZ-Folksongs-SongOfAYoungCountry, p. 41, "Song of the Digger" (1 text, 1 modern tune) (p. 24 in the 1972 edition)
Garland-Z, p. 193, "(Song of the Digger)" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: J. C. Reid, _A Book of New Zealand_ (Collins National Anthologies), Collins, 1964, pp. 58-60, "The Lay of the Digger" (1 text)
RECORDINGS:
Jonathan and David Flaws, "Song of the Digger" (on NZSongYngCntry)
NOTES [16 words]: For background on the digging of kauri gum, see the notes to "The Old-Time Kauri Bushmen." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: BaRo128A

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