The Digger's Song
Scrape the bottom of the hole: gather up the stuff!
Fossick in the crannies, lest you leave a grain behind!
Just another shovelful and that'll be enough —
Now we'll take it to the bank and see what we can find …
Give the dish a twirl around!
Let the water swirl around!
Gently let it circulate—there's music in the swish
And the tinkle of the gravel,
As the pebbles quickly travel
Around in merry circles on the bottom of the dish.
Ah, if man could wash his life — if he only could!
Panning off the evil deeds, keeping but the good:
What a mighty lot of diggers' dishes would be sold!
Though I fear the heap of tailings would be greater than the gold …
Give the dish a twirl around!
Let the water swirl around!
Man's the sport of circumstance however he may wish:
Fortune! are you there now?
Answer to my prayer now —
Drop a half-ounce nugget in the bottom of the dish.
Gently let the water lap! Keep the corners dry!
That's about the place the gold will generally stay.
What was that bright particle that just then caught my eye?
I fear me by the look of things 'twas only yellow clay …
Just another twirl around!
Let the water swirl around!
That's the way we rob the river of its golden fish …
What's that? … Can't we snare a one?
Don't say that there's ne'er a one! …
Bah! there's not a colour in the bottom of the dish!
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
- published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
- anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
- government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse