NEW  ZEALAND
FO LK * SONG

My Man's Gone Now

Anonymous 1930s

Song List - Home

A few months after the 1929 Wall street stock market crash, farm produce prices in NZ collapsed.
Our economy depended almost entirely on farm exports, and so we had massive job losses.
By 1931, over 50,000 New Zealand men were walking, walking - looking for work.





  1. My man's gone now. He had to go.
    He couldn't find no work around this town.
    Not for ages. Used his wages.
    Got up this morning, and he was gone.

  2. Monday morning. It starts to rain.
    Around the curve there comes a south-bound train.
    Under a tarpaulin rides a bum called John.
    He was a strange man, but he is gone.

  3. Morning sunshine. The rooster crows.
    Along the highway walking to where, goodness knows.
    Where's John sleeping? How's he keeping?
    When will he take the homeward road?

  4. My man's gone now. He had to go.
    He couldn't find no work around this town.
    Not for ages. Used his wages.
    Got up this morning - and he was gone.

   Collected from May Simpson by Neil Colquhoun. Tramp at Waiouru railway station 1931


My Man's Gone Now on record

1972, Song of a young country, Kiwi Pacific Records LP
1994, Pioneer Pog �n� Scroggin� Bush Band. Replay Radio CD
2005, Bruce Paine. "Guitar at museum" Manu Plus CD
2007, Felicity Saxby: "Felicity Saxby" Jolly Roger CD



Top - Song List - Home


Published on the web March 5th, 2003, for Maximilian.