The Travelling Entertainers

Sweet are the notes the Guitarist play And sweeter still the Songman's lay As he sings the songs of bygone day Of his Homeland many miles away. In the lounge room of this city pub Known as the dog and horseman's club Sit customers sipping their beers And listening with attentive ears The Guitarist's pale and wrinkled face Showed he had been to many a place The dark striped suit and shirt he wore Were relics of a foreign shore. His unkept hair so long and black Seemed to grow along his back His musical fingers long and slight Played music to the heart's delight. The Songman dark haired flecked with gray Told middle age was on it's way His craggy features also showed That he too had travelled many a road. With open necked shirt, brown pants, dark coat He looked just like a travelling poet And his audience learned to their delight That he did write poems and could recite. He'd been around he'd travelled far And he'd sung in many an inn and bar His sweet and mellow singing voice Made all his listeners hearts rejoice. A hushed silence fell o'er one and all In the lounge room of the bar room hall As the Guitarist plucked his guitar strings And the Songman he commenced to sing. He sang of a young beauty queen The lovely brown haired woman Eileen With soft and silky and fair skin Her beauty won the hearts of men. Oh she had beauty, beauty rare A lovely head of nut brown hair A well curved body charm and grace A winning smile and pretty face. But this woman lovely to behold Died young just twenty two years old And with her she took to her tomb Her unborn baby in her womb. Had the babe been born the songman would have been a dad But the paths of life are strange and sad And the song he sang was true to life Because Eileen was the songman's wife. At the song's end there was a short pause Followed by a loud burst of applause And when the applause had ceased the guitarist struck a note For another song from the songman poet. In his next ballad the songman told Of the courageous men so true and bold Who died under gunfire of invader hand Fighting for their native Land. The blood these gallant heroes shed Turned the green, green grass to red, Men who fought and did not cower From the forces of a greater power. Men who had nothing to gain But loved their Country Just the same Their fight to set their Country free Made them a part of history. There was more applause when the song did end For the songman and his guitarist friend His ballad they warmly did applaud And the guitarist backing music laud He next sang of his Homeland in Spring When the little birds commenced to sing With the lengthening day and shortening night And the mild spring showers and sun's warm light. When the mountain hare it left the heath And moved to where the grass was sweet And hedge and tree grew leaves of green And moorhen chirped in peaceful stream. With the green grass growing And the soft winds blowing And pheasants in the meadows crowing And mothers to their young calves lowing. And leggy foal suckled mother mare And gold billed blackbird sang his share And skylark sung his song of joy Between the earth and serene sky. And red haired vixen beast of prey Felt hungry and eager to slay She had to work hard to survive And keep her fast growing cubs alive. And Nature's flowers adorned the meads And wild duck nest midst tall swamp reeds And sparrows busy all the day Building their nest with bits of hay. Under their mothers watchful eye Young lambs in pastures pranced with joy And songthrush piped his sweet, sweet song And robin sang the whole day long. There was more applause for the songman poet And the song that he himself had wrote And the guitarist's heart it got a raise With further words of well earned praise. The songman sang in his next lay Of the Summer days so bright and gay When the sun it spread it's glowing warm ray O'er his Homeland many miles away The dark winged swallows kings of flight Were back home where they first saw light And the old familiar cuckoo sound Of the cuckoo back on his homeground. To his audience it seemed a dream As he sang of flower fringed mountain streams Of trout that wore the rainbow hue And grass sprinkled with morning dew. The blind and naked nestlings eat their fill Of the food their parents brought in bill Whilst the fledgelings busied themselves trying To master the crafty art of flying He sang of sunny days and cloudless skies Full of bees and moths and butterflies Of cool evenings and gentle breeze And birds piping on leafy trees. Fair roses bloomed in sun's warm heat And new mown meadows scented sweet And schoolboys holidaying from school Enjoyed themselves in river pool. By the listeners applause one could easily tell That the song of Summer pleased them well And the Songman showed his appreciation By thanking them for their great ovation. And then he changed from song to rhyme As he told of his Homeland in Autumn time When the cornfields turned from green to gold A sight of beauty to behold. The apples ripe were picked to eat, The juicy pear it tasted sweet And the maiden sang her song so merry As she picked for jam the wild blackberry. And winds less warmer blew more strong And birds indulged less in sing song And though pleasant enough the shortening day One could sense Winter on the way. The swallow flew with family Towards warmer climes beyond the sea And shabby looked the shedding tree With it's leaves parting company. October winds and cold, cold showers Stunted grass growth and killed the flowers The sky turned dull and overcast And Winter was approaching fast. And thus ended the Songman's rhyme Which he told so well of Autumn time And he immediately commenced his final song of the Winter months so cold and long. The leafless trees once green and fair Looked bleak without their leafy hair The gale force winds were blowing violent And the little birds they now were silent. And with the gales came heavy rains To swell the rivers streams and drains And then came frost followed by snow And cold the bitter winds did blow. Many the bird lay in death sleep Amidst the snow so cold and deep Winter with perishing breath Had blown the icy winds of death. The blackbird worked hard with his feet As he scratched by hedge for worms to eat And hungry robin by back door fed on crumbs of after tea time bread. Came rain and sun to melt the snow And signs of Spring commenced to show The daisy's face showed overground A sign that Spring was coming round. Cruel Winter had blown itself out And trees new leaves began to sprout And singing birds were welcoming The death of Winter, birth of Spring. He ended to a loud encore Of we want more please sing some more But the Songman said sorry folk we've got to go it's closing time the clock says so. Tomorrow night these travelling men Will entertain in Holly Inn A fairly well known rural pub Thirty miles from Dog and Horseman's Club.