The shearin' season's over, an' I'm 'umpin' bluey 'ome,
   Fur I've busted ev'ry penny thet I 'ad;
                  (Do ye 'ear?) --
The times wus pretty 'ot, an' I sunk the blessed lot
   In gamblin' an' in drinkin' -- w'ich is bad.
                  (Dam' the beer).
   In poker an' in guzzlin' -- w'ich is bad!
                                       An' it's --
            Comin' 'ome frum shearin',
               Walkin' all the way;
      An' I made enough to 'ave a decent spell.
            'Ome to wife an' kiddies;
               What'll missus say? --
      Comin' 'ome from shearin', stiff as 'ell.
 
I've been to Parachilna, an' up around the Peak,
   An' work was alwa's ready to me 'and
                   (At the board).
I grafted like a nigger, and I never spelled a week,
   An' now I'm comin' 'ome without the sand.
                   (Oh, my Gord!)
   Comin' 'ome without the bloomin' sand.
                                       An' it's --
            Comin' 'ome frum shearin',
               Walkin' all the way;
      An' I made enough to 'ave a decent spell.
            'Ome to wife an' kiddies;
               What'll missus say? --
      Comin' 'ome from shearin', stiff as 'ell.
 
I've bin across the Border, an' I've 'ad a decent shed;
   An' I shore me eighty nearly ev'ry day
                    (Bet your life).
But like a bloomin' jumbuck, I let meself get bled,
   An' now I'm walkin' 'ome without me pay --
                    (To me wife)
   Back 'ome, sweet 'ome, without me pay!
                                       An' it's --
            Comin' 'ome frum shearin',
               Walkin' all the way;
      An' I made enough to 'ave a decent spell.
            'Ome to wife an' kiddies;
               What'll missus say? --
      Comin' 'ome from shearin', stiff as 'ell.
 
One day we started poker, cos it rained too 'ard to shear;
   An' I dropped a fortnight's earnin's by the night --
                    (It's a craze).
An' I spent a bit at Casey's on the pigwash e' calls beer,
   An' I lost a bloomin' fiver awn a fight.
                    (Spare me days!)
   Dropped a fiver on a Sunday mornin' fight.
                                       An' it's --
            Comin' 'ome frum shearin',
               Walkin' all the way;
      An' I made enough to 'ave a decent spell.
            'Ome to wife an' kiddies;
               What'll missus say? --
      Comin' 'ome from shearin', stiff as 'ell.
 
An' when I finished up with 'em - about a week ago --
   I 'ad about enough to pay the rent.
                    (It was wealth!)
But I stopped at Casey's shanty, an' I bust the bloomin' show,
   An' now I'm crawlin' 'ome without a cent.
                    (Ere's yer 'ealth!)
   'Umpin' bluey 'ome without a cent.
                                       An' it's --
            Comin' 'ome frum shearin',
               Swearin' all the way;
      (I've sold me bleedin' 'orse, an' boozed the stuff).
            'Ome a stoney broker;
               I dunno wot to say;
      But I reckon thet I've said about enough!

"E.J.D" (sic)
The Critic, 12 February 1898, p5