NEW ZEALAND
TOPICAL * SONG 		Seddon's Jubilee Song
George Bradley  1898  
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Prime Minister Richard 'King Dick' Seddon was fond of singing the Irish Republican song 'The Wearing of the Green.' So a West Coast miner modified it for this broadside ballad he sung at a dinner for Seddon, who had just returned from Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London.

       
Tune  - The Wearing of the Green

1. Our Premier has landed, Right Honourable you know
To celebrate the Jubilee, our Dick he had to go.
And when he lands home again, he'll have lots to relate
Of all the sights that he has seen, and how he rode in state.

Oh how he rode in state,
He'll have lots to relate
Grand sights he has seen,
There is no mistake.

2. When our Premier was landed, they took him all around,
And they brought in their verdict, that the like was never found.
Then they had a meeting, with Dick the head of all,
To go and kneel before the Queen, the head of them all.

Oh! the head of them all
May he never fall,
When he appeared before the Queen
It was a Royal call.

3. "I hope my noble Richard," the Queen to Dick did say,
"May your life be a pleasure, while in England you stay.
You are now classed as royalty, throughout your natural life,
And may the good Lord guide you, and your loving wife."

Oh! and your loving wife,
Through this world of strife,
May the good Lord guide you,
And your loving wife.

4. And now he is Right Honourable, there isn't any doubt
He's got in ahead of him, I mean Sir Robert Stout.
And well he deserves it, for loyal he has been,
He's stuck to the poor man, and knelt before the Queen.

Oh! and knelt before the Queen
It seems like a dream,
He's stuck to the poor man,
And knelt before the Queen.


5. Then we've Guinness and O'Regan, of these two we can boast,
They are like our noble Richard, they belong to the Coast.
They've stuck to their colours; in everything they've said,
And they've thanked our Richard, for leading them ahead.

Oh! for leading them ahead,
It is truth what I have said,
They have thanked our Richard
For leading them ahead.

6. Where e'er our Premier landed, they shook him by the hand,
And asked about New Zealand, and how did she stand.
It's the best ruled country, that ever yet was known,
And we can thank our Richard, that knelt before the throne.

Oh, that knelt before the Throne,
And saw the Pope of Rome,
We can thank our Richard,
That's now landed home.

7. They talk about the Rulers, we'll let them talk away,
I say we have the champion - Ruler of the day.
What I read in the papers, all seems like a dream;
That our noble Richard should kneel before the Queen.

Oh should kneel before the Queen
It all seems like a dream,
That our noble Richard,
Should appear before the Queen.

8. And now he's got all he needs, the people's confidence,
He'll go on a'ruling; and we know he is no dunce.
We'll leave most of it to him, he knows what he's about,
He's not to call a lawyer, but he knows as much as Stout.

Oh he know more than Stout
There isn't any doubt
He's not to call a lawyer,
But he knows what he's about.

Now our Premier's had to rough it through the bush and mine,
He's not always been a Lord, drinking stout and wine.
He's been through the diggings, right from the Waimea,
And now he rules o'er us, New Zealand's Premier.

Oh New Zealand's Premier,
The one we love so dear,
And now he stands before us;
New Zealand's Premier.

10. And now it is all over, the Jubilee I mean,
We shall soon have our Dick back that knelt before the Queen.
And welcome we will make him, with His royal shout,
God bless our noble Dick, he's higher than Stout.

Oh he's higher than Stout,
There isn't any doubt,
He's not to call a lawyer,
But he knows what he's about.

And now our Premier's landed back, and welcome to his home,
On his tour through Italy, he saw the Pope of Rome.
He's been to many places, grand sights he has seen,
He's not left a stone unturned, since to the Pope he has been.

Oh to the Pope he has been,
As well as to the Queen
He's not another stone to turn;
Since to the Pope he has been.

12. When I meet our noble Richard, I will shake him by the hand,
And ask about old Ireland, and how does she stand.
I am glad to have to sing, to Ireland he has been,
And he'll sing to us that good old song, The Wearing of the Green.

Oh the Wearing of the Green
To Ireland he has been,
And he'll sing to us that good old song
The Wearing of the Green.

Richard Seddon

Born in Lancashire, England in 1845, he acquired mechanical engineering skills and arrived in Hokitika in 1866. He used his great strength and engineering skills to become wealthy by sluicing for gold at Waimea.

He became a local politician, MP and then government leader for 5 terms. He not only led the government, many argued he was the government, thus earning the name 'King Dick.' For 13 years he completely dominated politics, dying in office in 1906 as NZ's longest-serving leader. Te Ara

Although he was a British Imperialist, he was fond of singing the Irish Republican song 'The Wearing of the Green' at events. The Observer in 1897 scathingly remarked that "Mr Seddon has a voice as powerful as a fog-horn, and an obliging disposition, but he labours under certain disadvantages as a vocalist. He has succeeded in mastering only two songs. One is 'The Wearing of the Green' and the other 'Wait til the Clouds Roll By.'

The Wearing of the Green

In 1649, England's Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland. Many Irish were massacred or enslaved, and their land taken by the English. In 1798 there was an unsuccessful rebellion, followed in 1845 by a famine when most of the food grown in Ireland was taken to England. Hundreds of thousands of Irish people migrated, including many who came to NZ's West Coast goldfields. The rebellion is commemorated by these lines, but Seddon probably sang a bowdlerised version. Notice how verses 6 and 12 of George Bradley's song uses phrases from it.
Oh, D Paddy dear and did you hear, the A news that's goin' round?
The G shamrock is by law for-D-bid, to A grow on Irish D ground.
Saint Patrick's Day no more we'll keep, his colours can't be seen
For they're hangin' men and women, for the wearin' of the green.

I met with Napper Tandy, and he took me by the hand
He said: "How's dear old Ireland, and how does she stand?"
"She's the most distressful country, that you have ever seen
For they're hangin' men and women, for the wearin' of the green."

George Bradley

George Bradley was a miner and balladeer on the West Coast, living at Half Ounce, one of the many mining settlements that have since turned into ghost towns (the former site is near Totara Flat). He was presumably a supporter of Seddon. He died in Wellington in 1903.

Songs about other notable New Zealanders

Webpage researched by Ciaran Madden     
Put onto folksong.org.nz website July 2022