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Click go the Shears
Last updated: 11.10.23
I've known Click go the shears, boys, click, click, click since childhood and probably learned it at St. Stephen's School, Worcester and it's one of my favourites. The song itself describes with remarkable economy, very many aspects of the life of a shearer both hard at work in the shearing sheds and the rapid manner in disposing of his hard earned money at the pub.
About ten years ago, when really getting involved in songs of the sea, I learned from Roy Palmer's wonderful book, The Oxford Book of Sea Songs that the song was originally written by a certain Henry Clay Work to celebrate the end of the American Civil War under the title of "Ring the bell, watchman". This was taken up by English and Scandinavian seamen as Strike the Bell and by Australian shearers as "Click go the shears".
  Issue Instruments Performer
       
  Midi File(s)   Sequencer(s)
audiomidi15.gif Midi Frank Petersohn
     Performer CD Title Supplier
       
cd15.gif Aussie Bush Band Bush Songs from the Australian Outback: The Aussi CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Rolf Harris Definitive Rolf Harris flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Australia: Our Land Our Music flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Bloodwood: Pubsongs From Down Under flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Waltzing Matilda: Songs of the Australia flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Waltzing Matilda: Songs of the Australian Bush flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Souvenir of Australia CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
     Title Performer Composer
       
youtube15.jpg Click go the Shears (3:14) Slim Dusty