Misc Traditional - The Overlanders Tabs

The Overlanders       Australian Folk Song    

Transcribed by K Woodgate

Easy melody Version 

The song can be found on records by the Bushwackers, Cobbers, William Clauson 
and many other Australian Folk records.


   Am                 C                   Dm               Em
e|------------------|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|
B|------------------|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|
G|------------------|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|
D|-2-----2----------|-------------------|-0-----0---0-----|-0--2--2----2-----|
A|----------0-----2-|-3---3----3-----3--|---------------3-|------------------|
E|------------------|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|
  There's a trade you all know well, It's bring-ing the cat-tle o-ver. Now 

   Am               C               Dm          Em         C  
e|----------------|---------------|------------|--------------|--------------
B|----------------|---------------|------------|--------------|--------------
G|----------------|---------------|------------|--------------|--------------
D|-2--2-----------|-------------2-|-0-0------0-|-2---2---2-2--|-0--2-----3---
A|--------0-----2-|-3---3--3------|------3-----|--------------|--------------
E|----------------|---------------|------------|--------------|--------------
  lis-ten while I  tell to you How I be-came a  drov-er. I want-ed stock for 

   G              C              G       Am                 C 
e|--------------------|-------------|-----------------|-------------------|
B|--------------------|-------------|-----------------|-------------------|
G|-0-----0------------|----------0--|-0--2------2--2--|-0-----------------|
D|-------------3--2---|-0--2--3-----|-----------------|-----2---2---2-----|
A|--------------------|-------------|-----------------|-------------------|
E|--------------------|-------------|-----------------|-------------------|
  Queens-land, To Kemp-sey I did wan-der Bought a thous-and cat-tle there 

       Em                   Am
e|-------------------|-----------------|
B|-------------------|-----------------|
G|-------------------|-----------------|
D|--0----------------|-----------------|
A|-----3----3------2-|-------0------0--|
E|-------------------|-3---------------|
   And then turned o-  ver - land - er. 

   CHORUS
   C               G               C                 G             Am 
e|---------------|----------------------|------------------|----------------
B|---------------|----------------------|------------------|----------------
G|---------------|-0----0------0--------|-------------0----|-0-----2---2--2-
D|-2---0---2---3-|-----------------2----|-0--2-----3-------|----------------
A|---------------|----------------------|------------------|----------------
E|---------------|----------------------|------------------|----------------
  Pass the bot-tle round boys, and don't you leave it stand there, For
to-night

        C                   Em             Am
e|----------------------|------------|---------------||
B|----------------------|------------|---------------||
G|-0--------------------|------------|---------------||
D|------2-----2---2-----|-0----------|---------------||
A|----------------------|---3--3--2--|-----0----0----||
E|----------------------|------------|-3-------------||
  we'll drink the health of ev-ry o -  ver-land-er 

When the cattle were counted 
And the outfit ready to start, 
I saw the boys all mounted 
With their swags thrown in the cart, 
All kinds of men I had too 
From France and Spain and Flanders 
Lawyers, doctors, good and bad, 
In the mob of overlanders.

From the track I then spread out 
Where the grass was green and young, 
When a squatter with a curse and shout, 
Told me to move along. 
I said, 'Come draw it mild man, 
And don't you raise my dander 
For I'm a regular knowin' card, 
A Queensland overlander.'

We move the cattle fifty miles
And make camp for the day,
We talk about the rich folk's life
And true loves far away.
Our tucker isn't fancy
Beef and tea and damper
But wash it down with Queensland rum
It suits the overlander,

Our clothes are getting dirtier 
And throats they choke with dust, 
We set our tired horses free 
And in the dogs we trust. 
We gaze into the shimmering haze, 
And dream of places grander, 
But, come what may, we know we'll stay
The Queensland overlander

I would scorn to prig a shirt, 
That all my mates can say 
But if we pass a township 
Upon a washing day, 
The dirty brats of kids would shout, 
And quickly raise my dander 
Crying, 'Mother dear, take in your clothes, 
Here comes the overlander.'

In town we dress ourselves up 
And we go and see a play. 
We never think of being hard up, 
Or how to spend a day, 
We steer up to them pretty girls 
That dress themselves in grandeur 
And while they sweat our cheques, they swear 
They love the overlander.