As the Black Billy Boils As the black billy boils At the end of the whare, I remember the time When I liv'd in a hurry. With my hand on a line, Tied to a bundle of money And I was a very young new-chum! As the black billy boils At the end of the whare, I look back on the days And how they seem so very funny. Now I've mended my ways And I never have a worry And it's thanks to the Kauri gum! New-chum = newcomer, tenderfoot Whare = house, hut, pronounced here to rhyme with "Sorry" Kauri gum = amber-like solidified sap of the Kauri tree. Gum-digging, like rabbit-shooting and gold prospecting was a solitary subsistence occupation, in the North of the North Island of New Zealand MG oct99
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!