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Alma WHO????
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Alma WHO? Alma Cogan - only the most successful UK female singer of the 1950's!! - Alma who..indeed!

But apart from her version, there was also a UK charter from Jimmy Parkinson, who also had the first UK hit version of "The Great Pretender" - can't find too much about the guy, but he was an Australian based here at the time...

It is an American song - I have copies by Rosemary Clooney and Rusty Draper as well as Alma's...cover versions were all the rage in the 1950's...

Quoting:
Let me abos go loose, Lew
Let me abos go loose
They're of no further use, Lew
So let me abos go loose
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So that's why we never hear this song on the radio anymore! I bet Rolf is pretty embarrassed by these lyrics today.

I actually like a lot of Rolf Harris songs - Jake the Peg and The Court of King Caractacus spring to mind. I used to enjoy wathcing his TV show when I was a kid as well...can you tell what it is yet?

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I actually like a lot of Rolf Harris songs - Jake the Peg and The Court of King Caractacus spring to mind. I used to enjoy wathcing his TV show when I was a kid as well...can you tell what it is yet?
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I just recently downloaded 'The Court of King Caractacus' by Rolf Harris. I am so impressed that he sang the song in one breath! I first heard it in Duporth, St Austell at a Butlins-style holiday camp.

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So that's why we never hear this song on the radio anymore! I bet Rolf is pretty embarrassed by these lyrics today.

I actually like a lot of Rolf Harris songs - Jake the Peg and The Court of King Caractacus spring to mind. I used to enjoy wathcing his TV show when I was a kid as well...can you tell what it is yet?
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I first heard it in Duporth, St Austell at a Butlins-style holiday camp.
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Did they teach you a dance to it as well?  We've got this song on CD somewhere cos my daughter learnt a dance to it on holiday  ::)

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I just recently downloaded 'The Court of King Caractacus' by Rolf Harris. I am so impressed that he sang the song in one breath! I first heard it in Duporth, St Austell at a Butlins-style holiday camp.
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This was one of our favourite songs on school bus trips.  I'd forgotten about that song! :D

Quoting:
The verse can be modified so as to be politically acceptable,
Why don't we have a go at it?


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Gosh! I'm sorry Poet. Reading back ...
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athistime - don't worry about it.  Karen is right besides, This string has taken some various twists from the first request anyway.

"athistime" interesting handle.  If it infers what I think you may enjoy my poems of faith at www.FoolBay.com .

Quoting:
Don't worry about it atthistime.  Happens all the time to me!

Perhaps by bumping this up again we might get some other suggestions for new verses for tie me kangaroo down?
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I think its sacraligious to allow you all to continue to brutalise an Australian classic :(   ;)

I still have my original Rolf tape from 1968.  Its got Sun Arise, Court of King Caractacus (which I too can do in one breath), Nick O Teen and Al K Hall, Big Dog, Kangaroo (with correct lyrics) and more - not to mention my all time fave "I WANT MY MUMMMMMMY".
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BMG

We were only trying to make Kangaroo politically correct.

'I want my mummy' is one of my daughters favourite songs (after Jake the Peg).  I did start a parody of it called 'I filled my nappy' but wasn't sure if anyone else knew the song.  Maybe I'll give it another look.

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Crikey - I didnt think ANYONE would have heard of I Want My Mummy !!!!  I always figured that most UK people knew the main hits like Two Little boys etc (cos my pommy hubby always sung it).   But I didnt expect that any of his littler songs were known of !!!!End Quote

Yeah I know 'Two little boys' by Rolf Harris (Jarvis Cocker did a Rolf Harris impression on celebrity Stars in their eyes singing this song a few months back.

I know 'The Court of Count Caractus' as well. I first heard it on a holiday camp in Duporth. I downloaded the song and I thought it was brill - I can't do the whole thing with one breath though.

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I think its sacraligious to allow you all to continue to brutalise an Australian classic :(   ;)

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Brutalise or not, it is a tribute to it's popularity that othes would attempt to immulate even in poor rhyme.
Your Austrialian Classic is also an American Classic.
- Gud dy Gurl !

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Political correctness just tends to get a wee bit silly sometimes.  Why not just accept Abo's were - are still are - called Abo's.  
All of my aboriginal friends refer to themselves as Abo's.
And they live in Bassendean where Rolf was born !!  And none of them have ever had an issue with the lyrics of the song.  Actually come to think of it - I know not one single person who has ever had an issue with it !!

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BMG

It's not the Abo's name that is the problem here but the other line

Let me abos go loose, Lew
Let me abos go loose
They're of no further use, Lew
So let me abos go loose
Altogether now!

Sort of implies they were being used as slaves or something to my mind.

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Crikey - I didnt think ANYONE would have heard of I Want My Mummy !!!!  I always figured that most UK people knew the main hits like Two Little boys etc (cos my pommy hubby always sung it).   But I didnt expect that any of his littler songs were known of !!!!

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hubby and I like Two Little Boys. I saw the Stars in Their Eyes thing that Bobby was talking about with Jarvis Cocker.  He did an excellent impression of Rolf and a good rendition of the song.  He even had a Stylophone to play at the end (Rolf advertised these on British telly in the 70's).

I don't think I have a copy of Two Little Boys in fact but we have a CD with Jake the Peg and I Want My Mummy on it and another CD with Court of King Caractacus by another singer.  My daughter knows all the words to all three but can't sing the last one fast enough!

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OMIGOD are you serious ?  thats how you guys read that line ?

I am literally rolling on the floor laughing.

He is talking about dying - he has no further use for his stockmen, his staff, yes they happen to be aboriginals.  Like on practically every farm or station here !!  He is basically saying "let the staff go".  As any dying boss would rightly do !!  personally I never worked out how he happened to also have a platypus on the property !!
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I guess that people only look at each verse in isolation.  It isn't until you get to the last verse that you realise he is dying (or already dead).  Also since most people aren't farmers or whatever then letting the staff go and making other arrangements probably won't occur to them?

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See this is what happens when political correctness gets too far ingrained in peoples minds.  Suddenly the Gollywogs disappear from Noddy books, Big Ears isnt allowed to sleep over anymore - and Rolf gets rewritten !  Next thing George in Famous Five wont be allowed to be called George !!!!!

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My husband kept all his old Noddy books from when he was a child and now we read them to our children.  He happened to end up with two versions of the same book (Noddy and Father Christmas).  One has the Golliwog in and one doesn't.  Mr Golly isn't a bad character here, he sings in Noddy's choir and proposes a toast to Noddy at a meal.  In the second book Mr Golly is replaced by a teddy in the choir and Mr Tubby Bear proposes the toast.

I had a golliwog as a child that I loved literally to bits.  I never thought it was a caricature of a black person it was just a cuddly toy.

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I guess that people only look at each verse in isolation.  It isn't until you get to the last verse that you realise he is dying (or already dead).  Also since most people aren't farmers or whatever then letting the staff go and making other arrangements probably won't occur to them?

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Quoting:
BJ26 - to tan a hide means to skin a body, then prepare the hide (skin) with tanning solution (generally a tanner does it at a tannery) so that it is preserved.
My mum does it regularly to sheep skins to make rugs for the floor and ugg boots and sheepskin vests  etc.  
Hence the line "and thats it hanging on the fence" - it would have been getting dried out.
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Actually I am sure that if Rolf thought people were taking such a deep analysis of each and every flaming verse of what is simply a novelty song he wrote in about 3 minutes in the early 60's - he would thing they were basically insane.  He is a pretty laid back guy who has never forgotten Perth - where he was born - he returns every few years for school reunions etc.End Quote

Yeah, Rolf Harris always seemed to be a very easy-going person. I loved Rolf's Cartoon Time. I think he would laugh at this analysis. Did he really write the song in 3 minutes? That's well quick!

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Platypus is a monotreme - and animal that lays eggs but suckles its young - only two monotremes in the entire world and both are in australia - the other is an echidna.  Originally named the Duck Billed Platypus due to the shape of its bill - unusual animal that Billy Connolly states was put together while God while he was stoned.  Webbed duck feet, a ducks bill, and a beavers body - and what th heck - it can lay eggs but produce milk.



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Quoting:
Thanks JPT.  Is Rosemary Clooney American then?  I don't think I've heard of her at all
karen
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Rosemary Clooney was a great singer from the 40s and 50s.  Showed up most notably in "WHite Christmas" opposite Bing Crosy, and sang "Count Your Blessings" and is also well known for "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (I like her version better than Judy Garland's).End Quote

I think she is George Clooney's aunt or something like that.