Gay Muttonbirder, The

DESCRIPTION: "I am a gay muttonbirder, Come from old Colac and further, I went o'er the sea in the S. S. Wetere...." "We catch all our birds in the torching," then they slaughter in the night. When the season end, they drink and feast until they're broke
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (collected from Haldy Ryan, according to Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ)
KEYWORDS: hunting work hardtimes drink food
FOUND IN: New Zealand
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ, p. 136, "The Gay Muttonbirder" (1 text)
NOTES [68 words]: According to Elizabeth and Harry Orsman, The New Zealand Dictionary, 1994; second edition 1995 (I use the 2003 New House Publishers paperback), p. 176, a muttonbirder is "One who takes the young of muttonbirds for food or sale." A muttonbird is not a particular species; rather, it is any bird whose young is harvested for food. The birds most often molested in this way were shearwaters and petrels. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.2
File: BaRo136

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography