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The Teams Of Yesteryear

Edward S. Sorenson

Where are the teams of yesteryear,
    The waggons of the western roads,
That strung the ways with leagues of gear
    And piled on high their record loads?
The Pride of Bourke and Bonny Jean
    That creaked in company,
With gay Doreen and Eulo Queen
    And spacious Nancy Lee?

A thousand horses plodded through
    The dust and mud to Faraway;
A thousand long-horned bullocks, too,
    Processioned slowly day by day;
With Black-eyed Susan hard in tow,
    The Ladybird and Joan,
All in a row with Kitty Crow,
    The Flirt and Belle Mahone.

The hills resounded with the crack
    Of urging whips, the roar of tongues,
As Jingling Joe and Greenhide Jack
    And other knights of leather lungs
Wound up a pinch by rock and tree,
    Escorting Daisy Bell
With Fancy Free and Sweet Marie
    Close-trailing little Nell.

Old camps by creeks and billabongs
    Were musical with tinkling bells,
While men commingled tales and songs
    With rosy dreams of grassy dells;
Where Molly Riley and The Bride,
    The gem of all her class,
Stood side by side with Bona Fide
    And far-famed Blayney Lass.

What pride was theirs in Saucy Kate,
    Her trusty team and towering load,
The Dancing Fairy and her mate
    When they were monarchs of the road!
But gone are now the toiling throng,
    Mermaid and Pioneer,
That rolled along by right or wrong—
    The teams of yesteryear.

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