Family history across the seas

I just had to include this Aussie Christmas song/carol in a last minute response to FootnoteMaven’s  Blog Carolling event. While it may be Saturday in Australia and we already have the airconditioning on at 8.30am, I’m going with the theory that it’s still Friday in the USA <smile>.

It’s not really my favourite but I thought it might make a change for many of my overseas readers. Personally I much prefer the lyrics and rhythm of The Carol of the Birds but Six White Boomers is kind of fun and besides which my feeble singing copes better with it <wink>.

Here it is on YouTube sung by the iconic Rolf Harris, and the reason for the use of “mommy” instead of the Australian “mummy” is on this website.

And the lyrics are:

In Australia, christmas comes in the middle of a very hot summer
so when Santa Claus delivers his presents
he’s not taken around by reindeer because
they can’t stand the terrible heat

he’s taken around by six big, white, old man kangaroos
called the six white boomers

early on one Christmas day
a joey kangaroo
was far from home and lost
in a great, big zoo

mummy….where’s my mummy?
they’ve taken her away

we’ll help you find your mummy, son
hop up on the sleigh

so up inside the bag of toys
little joey hopped
but they hadn’t gone far when santa stopped
unharnessed all the reindeer
and joey wondered why
then he heard a far off booming in the sky

(boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom)

[chorus]
six white boomers
snow white boomers
racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun
six white boomers
snow white boomers
on his Australian run

pretty soon old Santa began to feel the heat
took his fur-lined boots off to cool his feet
into one popped joey
feelin’ quite okay
while those old man kangaroos kept pullin’ on the sleigh
hey!

[chorus]

then joey said to Santa, “Santa, what about the toys?
aren’t you giving some to these girls and boys?”

“well, they’ve all had their presents, sonny
we were here last night
this trip is an extra trip
joey’s special flight

[chorus]

soon the sleigh was flashing past
right over Marble Bar
“slow down there!” cried Santa
“it can’t be far
hop up on my lap here, son
and have a look around”
“there, there she is!
that’s mummy! bounding up and down!”

[chorus]

 well, that’s the bestest Christmas treat
that joey ever had
curled up in mother’s pouch feeling snug and glad
the last they saw was Santa heading northwards from the sun
the only year the boomers worked a double run

[chorus]