Gum Tree Nobility

Kookaburra sits in
an old gum tree with
the means to maybe a
few lazy millions through
a fortuitous flute riff

There is no shame arguing
Gum Tree Nobility paid
Down Under and Men At Work
a heady compliment
with much deserved 

World-wide acclaim
and we bathed in the
glow of it – not just its
folk-legend notoriety
but a witty, highly
original song with a
great, catchy tune

Until Federal Court
judge Peter Jacobson
disagreed

He says the flute riff shares
the same few bars as those
from a ‘Kookaburra sits’
written by Marion Sinclair
back in 1932 – undeniably
true but she only wrote words
to the music of a Welsh folk song 

"A Ei Di'r 'Deryn Du"
Larrikin Music who owns
‘Kookaburra’ copyright ignores
all that and claims unpaid royalties
with avariciousness out of character
with the old Kookaburra
considering it’s a bloody
Welsh tune anyway
© 14 February 2010, I. D. Carswell

Men At Work Down Under Lyrics
Songwriters: Ron Strykert, Colin Hay
Traveling in a fried-out combie
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said,
"Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."
Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six-foot-four and full of muscles
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
And he said,
"I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."
Lyin' in a den in Bombay
With a slack jaw, and not much to say
I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me
Because I come from the land of plenty?"
And he said,
"Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."
Yeah!
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover!
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover!

Kookaburra
Written By: Marion Sinclair
Copyright © Larrikin Music Publishing Pty Ltd.
International Copyright Secured.
All Rights Reserved.
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gum drops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
That's not a monkey that's me
Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail
Gets a boo-boo in his tail
Cry, Kookaburra! Cry, kookaburra!
Oh how life can be