Reedy Lagoon, The

DESCRIPTION: "The sweet scented wattle sheds perfume around Delighting the bird and the bee, While I lie and take rest in my fern-covered nest." The rambler relaxes and thinks back on the friends and the girl he has left behind. He misses them, but cares little
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1964
KEYWORDS: rambling Australia separation
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Manifold-PenguinAustralianSongbook, pp. 144-145, "The Reedy Lagoon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Stewart/Keesing-FavoriteAustralianBallads, pp. 52-54, "The Reedy Lagoon" (1 text)
DT, REEDYLAG*
NOTES [106 words]: Although the author of this seems to be unknown, Manifold in his various writings is somewhat sarcastic about how it is treated as a folk song despite a lack of real evidence of traditionality. I agree that it sounds composed.
Gwenda Beed Davey and Graham Seal, A Guide to Australian Folklore, Kangaroo Press, 2003, p. 266, say of the Wattle "Folk name of the native [Australian] plant species Acacia. Wattle is a popular Australian icon, and is also favoured in folksong and popular verse for romantic and sentimental death scenes. Possibly due to this association, some people believe it is unluck to have wattle in the house. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.2
File: PASB144

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