Now I've listened to tales that the
oldsters told from Bourke to Camooweal
And on dusty tracks in the southern states
from Orbost to Warracknabeal
Some were grave and some were gay
And each of the tellers always swore
that the tale that he told was true
Old Paddy the Dancer a swagman of note
who followed the 'Bidgee run
Found himself on the tucker track and
most of his food was done
So he pondered awhile and thought
at last as far as he could see
That he'd have to catch himself
a cod to cook on the coals for tea
So he rigged a line from binder twine that
he'd scrounged from a farmers hay
And then fashioned a hook from a rusty
nail that got stuck in his foot that day
Well he looked with pride on his fishing gear
and to try he could hardly wait
Then he saw at last as anglers do you must
cover your hook with bait
He remembered a tale that someone
told in the dim and distant past
That frogs were the things that the anglers
used for the fish to break their fasts
But frogs were as scarce as teeth on hens
or that's what he said to me
But he searched around till he found
a frog at the foot of a light wood tree
Well he stalked that frog on hands and knees
But a black snake coming the other
way had the same idea in view
But both of them grabbed together
but the snake was a fraction fast
It swallowed the frog but found itself
held in the swagman's grasp
Well he fished from his pocket a flask
Well he squeezed that wriggling reptile's
neck til its jaws were opened wide
Then with tears in eyes he poured
the lot into the snakes' insides
Well it gave a gurgle and then a gulp
and then quite a twist or two
And there was that old frog in the
light of day almost as good as new
Well he grabbed that frog and hurried
away to bait up his rusty hook
And then lay back on the grassy bank by
the side of that peaceful brook
Then he felt a tap on his shoulderblade and
And there was that snake all bleary
eyed in its mouth was another frog
Well that was the tale that was told to me
at a camp on the reedy flat
Maybe it's true or maybe not
you'd best be the judge of that
But what I can hardly believe is,
is the way that he liked the grog
He would give it away to a worthless
snake for the sake of a useless frog
