Tomahawking Fred (Tambaroora Ted)

DESCRIPTION: The singer is "just about to cut for the Lachlan To turn a hundred out...." He shears for the money, not for pleasure: "Give me sufficient cash and you'll see me make a splash, for I'm (Tambaroora Ted), the ladies' man." He boasts of his shearing skills
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: "Tomahawking Fred" printed 1912 by Jack Bradshaw; collected in 1974 from Joe Watson by Warren Fahey
KEYWORDS: sheep work Australia bragging
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Fahey-Eureka-SongsThatMadeAustralia, pp. 138-139, "Tambaroora Ted" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal-OldBushSongs-CentenaryEdition, pp. 198-200, "Tambaroora Ted" (1 text)
Fahey-Joe-Watson-AustralianTraditionalFolkSinger, [p. 13, page headed "When I asked Mr. Watson..."], "Tambaroora Ted" (1 short text)
NOTES [55 words]: To "tomahawk" was to sheer a sheep too close to the skin, and was a common result when a poor shearer tried to shear too fast.
According to Davey/Seal: Gwenda Beed Davey and Graham Seal, A Guide to Australian Folklore, Kangaroo Press, 2003, p. 250, this is a parody of a music hall piece, "Fashionable Fred the Ladie's Man." - RBW
Last updated in version 4.5
File: FaE138

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