Lawsons Loaded Dog

G C C G7 Henry Lawson told a story so to him it does belong C But I wrapped a tune around it for to tell it in a song G7 It's a tale about three bushmen, prospecting for gold C And the saga of the loaded dog as Henry Lawson told F C They had heard about a reef of gold out near Stony Creek F C G7 And so, they sank a shaft and struck hard rock at seven feet C G7 They had pitched a tent and made their camp, in a patch of scrub C And Dave and Jim were down the shaft while Andy cooked some grub C G7 They drilled a rock and blasted it progress was hard and slow C Still, they persisted with the patience gold prospectors know G7 Dave Reagan, he loved fishing, and Andy Page did too C But now that it was winter, they were catching very few F C So, Dave suggested they blow up the big hole down the creek F C G7 And trade what fish they didn't want to the butcher for some beef C G7 So, Andy cooked some spuds for lunch and put the billy on C And while the chops were fryin' started makin' up a bomb C D D A7 With miner's blasting powder, wrapped up in calico D Then tightly rolled in sailcloth, with whipcord then was sewed A7 A six-foot fuse inserted, with the end split for to light D The bomb was dipped in tallow then, to make it watertight G D They had a big retriever pup with a permanent foolish grin G D A7 And no matter what they threw away he'd fetch it back again D A7 He watched where Andy hid the bomb away from everyone D And when Dave and Jim came up for lunch the dog began his fun D A7 He had the cartridge in his mouth as 'round the fire he came D The fuse began to hiss and spit when the end fell in the flame A7 Well, the three men bolted different ways, through the bracken fern D While Tommy thought it was a game and chased each one in turn G D Jim shinnded up a sapling, Tommy waited underneath G D A7 A silly grin across his face with the bomb between his teeth D A7 The fuse was getting' shorter, so Jim sprang from the tree D And bolted for the pub while Tommy chased him playfully D E E B7 He charged into the bar room, and quickly slammed the door E But when Tommy couldn't get inside, he went under the floor B7 A savage yellow cattle-dog was waiting underneath E He wondered what that big pup had it might be good to eat A E The cattle-dog he chased him out and bit him really hard A E B7 So, Tommy dropped the cartridge there, in the hotel yard E B7 The yellow dog stood over it, and sniffed it up and down E And suddenly the bomb went off and rocked that little town E B7 Some saddlehorses broke their reins and galloped down the street E And pieces of that cattle-dog were blown five hundred feet B7 Well Dave and Jim and Andy, went quietly to their tent E While Tommy grinned his broadest grin, pleased with the day's event A E What could have been disaster in the pub at Stony Creek A E B7 Turned out to be a thing the bush folk laughed about for weeks E B7 And travellers heard the story, and the story got around E The story of a loaded dog that terrorized a town B7 E E