[1557] Now I'm Easy
Guest poem submitted by Frank O'Shea <foshea@>:
For nearly sixty years I've been a cockie*
Of droughts and fires and floods I've lived through plenty
This country's dust and mud have seen my tears and blood
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
I married a fine girl when I was twenty
She died in giving birth when she was thirty
No flying doctor then just a gentle old black gen*
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
She left me with two sons and a daughter
And a bone dry farm whose soil cried out for water
Though me care was rough and ready, they grew up fine and steady
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
Me daughter married young and went her own way
Me sons lie buried by the Burma railway*
So on this land I've made me home, I've carried on alone
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
Oh, city folks these days despise the cockie
Saying with subsidies and dole we've had it easy
But there's no drought or starving stock on the sewered suburban block
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
For nearly sixty years I've been a cockie
Of droughts and fires and floods I've lived through plenty
This country's dust and mud have seen my tears and blood
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
But it's nearly over now and now I'm easy
-- Eric Bogle
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[Commentary]
I agree with the comments of Aseem Kaul that the words of songs can be
poetry. I dare you read today's poem without a lump in your throat. It was
written by Eric Bogle, who already features in your list for "The Band
Played Waltzing Matilda". He has written some marvellous lyrics - "The Green
Fields of France", "The Leaving of Nancy", "The Diamantina Drover", "Singing
the Spirit Home".
[Notes]
cockie: Australian term for a farmer, usually small farmer. Often used
pejoratively. Abbreviated from cockatoo, for some reason that escapes me.
gen: Aboriginal woman. A term used affectionately, I think.
Burma railway: hundreds of Australian servicemen lost their lives
constructing it as POWs during the War.
Frank.
[this poem is archived, accessible and awaiting your comments at]
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1557.html
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From: "William Grey" <wgrey2@>
<html><div style='background-color:'><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“gen” sounds like New Zealand pronunciation. Normal spelling (and pronunciation) is “gin”: a word for an Australian Aboriginal woman (19c: from Aboriginal <I>diyin</I> a woman or wife). <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">“cockie” is Australian vernacular for “cockatoo farmer”, used to designate small-scale farmers, presumably originating as bush irony because the majority of the stock on small holdings often appears to be the prolific and extremely voluble sulphur-crested cockatoo.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">William Grey</SPAN></P></div></html>
From: "rita liddle" <ritaliddle@>
Notes]
cockie: Australian term for a farmer, usually small farmer. Often used
pejoratively. Abbreviated from cockatoo, for some reason that escapes
me.
gen: Aboriginal woman. A term used affectionately, I think.
Hi,
At the risk of sounding pedantic and perhaps even collecting egg on my
face since I'm only a "new" Australian:
"Cockie" is actually an affectionate term, although it's sometimes used
by the farmer himself, in that typical (and endearing) Aussie
self-deprecating way.
As to "gen", which I think is spelled "gin": that one is definately
pejorative and used nowadays by red-neck racists only.
Love Eric Bogle.
Regards
Rita
From: "Craig & Yvette Middleton" <themiddletons@>
As an Australian all my life, Rita is correct, the spelling is "gin" for
aboriginal woman and (now I'll sound pedantic) "cocky" for a farmer,
especially one who farms in a small way. Thus "cow-cocky" for a dairy
farmer. Apart from my own general knowledge, I name the Macquarie
Dictionary (Australia's premier and wholly Australian dictionary) as my
source. "Gin" is most definitely NOT used by reasonable people and most
certainly not in an affectionate manner.
YM
From: "rita liddle" <ritaliddle@>
Arrrrgh Arrrrrgh Arrrrrrrgh !
Why am I always so generous with stones, when I go to the glass house?
Hmmmmpfffff.
Of course, it's CockY !!
And you are not pedantic at all to point it out, Yvette, in fact you are
rather generous in gently, and discreetly alerting me to another one of
my eternal spelling mistakes, by simply using the word, spelled
correctly ;-) I'll let the gentle reader find out which one hehehe.
Is Eric Bogle Australian or Scottish and who writes his poignant lyrics?
From: "rita liddle" <ritaliddle@>
Whoops, apologies to you Frank for my question about the author of the
lyrics - you gave the answer in your original commentary.
*I'm going to sit in the corner now, and listen to some Eric Bogle* ;-)
From: Frank O'Shea <foshea@>
I am happy to be corrected on "cocky" and "gin" - after 20 years in the
country, I am still learning the local "language." For an American reader,
please do not think that because the latter word is used, the author is in
any way racist. In fact, my assumption that it was an affectionate term
came from the fact that it was used by such a fearless defender of the weak
and downtrodden.
Eric Bogle was born in Scotland, but now lives in Australia. The Nancy in
his "Leaving of Nancy" is his mother; as one who has been through a similar
situation, I find it hard to listen to that song, especially as it is sung
by Finbar Furey. The Fureys also had a huge success with his "Green Fields
of France", but many other artists have also recorded it. Christy Moore has
recorded "Diamantina Drover" and "Now I'm Easy."
Everyone should have an Eric Bogle CD, for listening to when the lies and
cliches of our political masters appear to be drowning us.
Frank O'Shea
From: "rita liddle" <ritaliddle@>
I agree with Frank about the stand Bogle takes on behalf of the
downtrodden and would add, that his anti-war poetry (which many of his
songs are in my view) also has such a ring of authenticity about it,
that I have seen the eyes of 'diggers', who would sneer at most
so-called "protest songs", moisten when they listened to that song
which says: "he was only 19...".
Speculating on Bogle's mention of "Gin":
Since the 'narrator' of 'Now I'm Easy' was obviously born at the
beginning of the 20th century (having 2 sons die on the Burma Railway) ,
"gin" in the Zeitgeist of that period might not have had the absolutely
negative connotation it has now, in our more "enlightened" times.
Perhaps it's usage was accepted as was the word "wench" in earlier
times...
From: "Craig & Yvette Middleton" <cryvanlu@>
Rita, I agree with you about "I Was Only Nineteen" (Vietnam), which was
a Redgum song (John Schuman wrote it) and Bogle's "The Band Played
Waltzing Matilda"(Gallipoli) as being probably the best two anti-war
songs I've heard. Both move me to tears whenever I hear them.
Particularly when registration for the conscription ballot (sorry,
'National Service') was compulsory from the age of 18; but the poor
fellows couldn't vote until they were 21. Of the 500 plus Australian
men who died in Vietnam, one was a friend's elder brother and another
was my teacher's fiance. My friend's father never recovered and my
teacher never came back to the school.
I have read Eric Bogle had been in Australia only two years when he
wrote "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda". It is just stunning that he
captured the essence of Anzac Day (the Australian national day of
commemoration of all wars - since WW1 - which marks the dawn landing at
Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915)[ANZAC: Australian New Zealand Army
Corps], Gallipoli and war's waste and futility in just a few verses.
He's brilliant. I should try to find the Redgum lyrics for inclusion on
the site, because they're so evocative too.
Rita, I agree that the term "gin" might not be quite as bad then, as
now. I think it was a way of expressing one's own white European
superiority, in referring to aboriginal women as "gins" or "girls" (when
of any age). And I wasn't try to show up any spelling mistakes!!!
That's it from me!
From: "rita liddle" <ritaliddle@>
Hi Yvette :)
>>> "...the best two anti-war songs I've heard. Both move me to tears
whenever I hear them. Particularly when registration for the
conscription ballot (sorry, 'National Service') was compulsory from the
age of 18; but the poor fellows couldn't vote until they were 21..."
I was not aware of that: old enough to be canon fodder, but not old
enough to have a say in who sends me to my death !! :(((
Is it true that they pulled the names for conscription to Vietnam out,
according to alphabetical order?
>>>"... I should try to find the Redgum lyrics for inclusion on the
site, because they're so evocative too..."
Yes, please. I did not know the song "I was only 19" was a Redgum song,
nor did I know it was about Vietnam.
>>>"...And I wasn't try to show up any spelling mistakes!!!"
Hey, that was obvious ! That's why I put a "winky" like so: " ;-) "
in my answer. If anyone looked like a spelling police person, it was
surely me.
Nice talking to you.:)
From: "Roy Worrall" <royworrall1953@>