The World Beyond BetterMost > Anything Goes

Nature journal

<< < (8/14) > >>

moremojo:
Thanks, Fran! You have been the source of so many wondrous tidbits lately! :D

Interesting how the song obviously migrated at some point out of Australia. Would you happen to know anything of its history?

Fran:
I found this online:

"This song was written in 1936, and introduced at a Scout Jamboree in Melbourne, Australia.  In case you're wondering, a kookaburra is an Australian bird, and a 'gum tree' is what Americans know as a eucalyptus. The 'gum drops' that the kookaburra eats in the song are beads of the resinous sap."

I'm guessing it spread via the Boy Scouts organization.  BTW, I learned it as a Girl Scout.

There's nothing like a blast from the past, right?

Fran

moremojo:
Interesting...I had assumed the song was somewhat older than 1936. That was just six years before my mother was born.

Thanks again for all the info!

Katie77:
Gee thanks Fran.....nothing like learning about an Aussie song, about an Aussie bird, from a Yank........I didnt know the history of the song, but we all used to sing it here as kids.....dont know if the kids sing it still now at school.....i hope they do....

delalluvia:

--- Quote from: Fran on September 15, 2006, 10:08:32 pm ---I found this online:

"This song was written in 1936, and introduced at a Scout Jamboree in Melbourne, Australia.  In case you're wondering, a kookaburra is an Australian bird, and a 'gum tree' is what Americans know as a eucalyptus. The 'gum drops' that the kookaburra eats in the song are beads of the resinous sap."

I'm guessing it spread via the Boy Scouts organization.  BTW, I learned it as a Girl Scout.

There's nothing like a blast from the past, right?

Fran

--- End quote ---

I was a girl scout too and remember singing that song as well.  Thanks for the informational tidbits.

And that was a great pic Katie.

EDITED TO ADD:  I guess I thought that the gum drops in the song were real candy gumdrops, otherwise why would we want to eat eucalyptus resin drops?  Or is that like a delicacy or something done by local folks in  Australia?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page