Forty years have passed away since Johnny drove his team,
And stopped beside an old friend's home to say good-day
t'would seem,
The mother smiled a friendly smile, said, "John, You'll stay for tea,
You drove your bullock team all day, 'tis tired you must be."
She called her men folk on the farm, but they didn't hear her call,
She called and called them once again but they didn't hear at all,
So Johnny took a bullock bell, said, "Here I'll lend you this,
And if you ring it loud and long, it's a sound they'll never miss."
Now forty years have come and gone since Johnny left that Bell,
And yesterday I picked it up, I remember that sound well,
It used to hang on Boomer's neck, it donged as he walked along,
But all the other bullock bells to me it was a song.
But the rusty bell is faded now with initials on one side,
On the other side I put his brand and cherish it with pride,
Away back in the twenties when no trucks where on the road,
From Five Day Creek to Kempsey it took weeks to bring a load.
The bullockies would camp at night on reserves along the way,
At the nooker at Tom's Gully and be off at the break of day,
You can hear the bells a-ringing while the bullocks had their rest,
They're wasn't any hurry and those bye gone days were best.
That's why I cherish this old bell, when I found it I was glad,
I used to hear it ringing, it belonged to my dear old dad,
I still remember Sango, the horse he used to ride,
Jogging a'home at sundown with Smoker by his side.
It's just a simple story and it's been a joy to tell,
But I wouldn't take a fortune for that old bullock bell,
No I wouldn't take a fortune for that old bullock bell.
---------------------------------------------
From his album: "Down the Dusty Road"
Songwriters/Composers: Ivy Waters;
And stopped beside an old friend's home to say good-day
t'would seem,
The mother smiled a friendly smile, said, "John, You'll stay for tea,
You drove your bullock team all day, 'tis tired you must be."
She called her men folk on the farm, but they didn't hear her call,
She called and called them once again but they didn't hear at all,
So Johnny took a bullock bell, said, "Here I'll lend you this,
And if you ring it loud and long, it's a sound they'll never miss."
Now forty years have come and gone since Johnny left that Bell,
And yesterday I picked it up, I remember that sound well,
It used to hang on Boomer's neck, it donged as he walked along,
But all the other bullock bells to me it was a song.
But the rusty bell is faded now with initials on one side,
On the other side I put his brand and cherish it with pride,
Away back in the twenties when no trucks where on the road,
From Five Day Creek to Kempsey it took weeks to bring a load.
The bullockies would camp at night on reserves along the way,
At the nooker at Tom's Gully and be off at the break of day,
You can hear the bells a-ringing while the bullocks had their rest,
They're wasn't any hurry and those bye gone days were best.
That's why I cherish this old bell, when I found it I was glad,
I used to hear it ringing, it belonged to my dear old dad,
I still remember Sango, the horse he used to ride,
Jogging a'home at sundown with Smoker by his side.
It's just a simple story and it's been a joy to tell,
But I wouldn't take a fortune for that old bullock bell,
No I wouldn't take a fortune for that old bullock bell.
---------------------------------------------
From his album: "Down the Dusty Road"
Songwriters/Composers: Ivy Waters;