Saturday, February 11, 2006

Feb 11


Does anyone know the missing words to my song?

Update (Sept 9, 2013)
A lovely reader, Donna Drain, just sent me a link to the words and music for "The Graceful Swaying Wattle." Thank you, Donna!

11 comments:

MD said...

Lovely sketch. Sorry, I csn't help you with the song. Never heard of wattle either!
MD

marieJ' said...

Here's big hello (waving my hand at you)from down under.....
Melbourne weather was glorious today
and same is predicted for most of the next week.
I'll ask some "oldies" next Wednesday at my local U3A about the wattle song.
Until than, may the memories of
land down under make your days happy.

Linda Teddlie Minton said...

Hashi, I'm usually pretty good at internet research, and I searched for almost a half-hour for your song lyrics, to no avail ... sorry! I hope MJ from Melbourne can help.

I had never heard of wattle either (silly American!) but your lovely simple sketch, your delicate background, and your wistful words made me "miss" Australia too ... and isn't that what art is all about!

cheers,
Linda

Anonymous said...

The bush was grey, a week today.
Yellow, green and brown and grey
But now that spring is on its way,
It's wattle... golden wattle.

That's what I thought we always used to sing...
Love, didi.

Hashi said...

Didi! Yes, I remember those words too ... but they don't make sense to me! Why repeat the word "grey" in both lines? Why mention yellow when we're not up to the part about the wattle yet? I wanna know the REAL words!
P.S. So nice to see a post from you!

Anonymous said...

Quite a few Oz websites have various permutations. This one is close to our version...

The bush was grey a week today
Olive green and brown and grey,
But now the Spring has come this way
With blossoms for the wattle,

It seems to be a fairy tree
It dances to a melody,
and sings a little song to me,
the graceful swaying wattle.

(I seem to remember our second verse as: It must have been a fairy queen / Dancing on the grass so green / But now that Spring is on its way / It's wattle, Golden Wattle.)

Thank you for sharing your art. I love it.
Miss you,
didi.

Terri said...

Very poignant drawing and words Hashi, but sorry I don't recognize the song either. Glad to see someone else did though. The words are lovely. I might write them down in my journal too.

Hashi said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hashi said...

Ah, "olive green and brown and grey". Now that makes sense. I also like "winter's day" seeing as how it's building the contrast with spring. And I'd forgotten about the second verse.

So here's a hybrid version that satisfies my soul:

The bush was grey one winter's day
Olive green and brown and grey
But now that spring is on its way
It's wattle, golden wattle.

It must have been a fairy queen
Dancing on the grass so green
For now that spring is on its way
It's wattle, golden wattle.

I actually emailed Sydney Morning Herald's Column 8 about this before I received your comment, didi. If they publish it, it'll be interesting to see what the rest of Australia comes up with!

Sallie said...

Greetings from North Carolina.
The Graceful Swaying Wattle is a favorite on mine and my twin sister Janes.We sang this song in our award winning choir[South Yorkshire, England] in 1960.We have enjoyed singing all of our lives thanks to a wonderful gifted choir misstress who encouraged us at such a young age.

See how it weaves its feathery sheaves
before the wind and maze it weaves,
A misty whirl of powdery leaves ,
The dainty, curtseying wattle.
An elfin gift
A spray of yellow downy drift
through which the sun and sift
their gold dust over the wattle,
The bush was grey a week today
Olive green and brown and grey,
But now its sunny all the way
But now its sunny all the way....
Best wishes.xxx

Sallie said...

Greetings from North Carolina.
The Graceful Swaying Wattle is a favorite on mine and my twin sister Janes.We sang this song in our award winning choir[South Yorkshire, England] in 1960.We have enjoyed singing all of our lives thanks to a wonderful gifted choir misstress who encouraged us at such a young age.

See how it weaves its feathery sheaves
before the wind and maze it weaves,
A misty whirl of powdery leaves ,
The dainty, curtseying wattle.
An elfin gift
A spray of yellow downy drift
through which the sun and sift
their gold dust over the wattle,
The bush was grey a week today
Olive green and brown and grey,
But now its sunny all the way
But now its sunny all the way....
Best wishes.xxx