Tall and freckled and sandy,Face of a country lout;This was the picture of Andy,Middleton's Rouseabout.
Type of a coming nation,In the land of cattle and sheep,Worked on Middleton's station,'Pound a week and his keep.'
On Middleton's wide dominionsPlied the stockwhip and shears;Hadn't any opinions,Hadn't any 'idears'.
Swiftly the years went over,Liquor and drought prevailed;Middleton went as a drover,After his station had failed.
Type of a careless nation,Men who are soon played out,Middleton was:—and his stationWas bought by the Rouseabout.
Flourishing beard and sandy,Tall and robust and stout;This is the picture of Andy,Middleton's Rouseabout.
Now on his own dominionsWorks with his overseers;Hasn't any opinions,Hasn't any 'idears'.
Sources, publication & text notesReference details
Canonical recordPOEM-000383
Copy-textIn the Days When the World Was Wide and Other Verses, 1903 lifetime reprint of the 1900 revised edition, print pp. 97–98
Source recordSRC-000060
Rights determinationRGT-000070
Text statusCANONICAL TEXT READY
TranscriptionDIPLOMATIC_D208
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While The Billy Boils · Public-domain text · www.whilethebillyboils.com.au/poems/middletons-rouseabout
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