I heard the most remarkable and amazing Christmas carol this morning. I was in the shower and listening to Macca on Australia all over and I heard 'Carol for the Wheat Country' by Zita Denholm sung by Andria (or Andra) Muhoberac. It was incredible and Australian and described the wonderful Australian Cristmas of walking down hot dusty roads, and the harvest going on and I can't find a link to it anywhere.
Nearly all our carols are about snow and winter and frost and such, and really, Christmas in Australia is not like that. Christmas in Australia is about summer and beaches and prawns and long sunny evenings and chilled champers and flowers and worry about bushfires.
It apparently appears on 'Macca by Request' and I really don't want to buy a Macca album for just one song. But I do want my kids to hear uniquely Australian Christmas Carols. We've done Carol of the Birds and the Australian Jingle Bells which is this one:
Dashing through the bush
In a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust
Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side
Singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs CHORUS:
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER'S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE Engine's getting hot
Dodge the kangaroos
Swaggy climbs aboard
He is welcome too
All the family is there
Sitting by the pool
Christmas day, the Aussie way
By the barbecue! CHORUS Come the afternoon
Grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce
Are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go
We take a family snap
Then pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up
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Anyone know of links to Carol forthe Wheat Country? Hard I know, but just in case.....
14 comments:
I got a hold of a Christmas song book last year with songs by Colin Buchanan and Greg Champion. Came with a CD so you know how they are supposed to sung. Most are sung along to the tunes of well known Christmas Carols. Book is called: Fair Dinkum Aussie Christmas and has "10 Bucko and Champs Christmas Songs for Fair Dinkum Aussies" Going shoppong soon will have a look and see if I can spot it anywhere for you. I don't get out much so it was probably in an A&R or Collins. Will let you know.
Found some info on Andra for you http://www.poparchives.com.au/989/liv-maessen/knock-knock-whos-there
Seems the carol is on a Macca compilation! Wish I had heard it this morning. My favourite carol is the one about the three drovers.
Oh, I should have read your whole post where you mentioned the comilation complicationi. Wish it was on Youtube or something.
But here's a link to Three Drovers for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wqoFg6Vabo
"Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg, Batmobile lost a wheel, Joker broke a leg!"
That one is pretty much universal, yes? Regardless of climate? ;)
I sang your Jingle Bells version to the kids. They didn't get most of it and DS still prefers the Batman version.
As for summertime Christmas songs...don't forget Irving Berlin wrote Dreaming of a white Christmas while sitting poolside at a spa in Arizona.
Don't forget my most favourite of all Christmas songs and its Australian and sung by an Australian (well he was in the beginning) and the kids love it too - Six White Boomers by Rolf Harris. Plenty on YouTube
Found the book at Angus and Robertson $19.95. Let me know if you want me to pick it up and send it to you. Also could scan a couple of pages so you get the gist of the songs.
How cool is that?! Of course it makes sense there should be different carols - I just never thought of it before!
I always wondered if you all down there got tired of carols all about snow and cold. I know I would. I tried googling the title and author (and found out that Ms Zita Denholm is a Deacon.....).
The Old Flame and I sang a rousing rendition of 6 White Boomers on the weekend as we were looking at all Christmas lights on the houses nearby. Not much help in this instance but it annoyed the neighbours - TOF is completely tone deaf!
This is one of the things I love about the internet, eh! Reading about you almost to the summer solstice while the sun is practically sitting on the horizon around here!
I LOVED the Aussie Christmas carol-- six shades of awesome!
Like you, I love Aussie Christmas carols but that one I've never heard!
Hi Tinkingbell, Zita Denholm here. If you send me your postal address I will send you a copy of the words and music of the carol. Glad you liked it!
PS I am not a Deacon!
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