-Twas merry when the hut was full
Of jolly girls and fellows.
We danced and sang until we burst
The concertina-s bellows.
From distant Darling to the sea,
From the Downs to Riverina,
Has e-er a gum in all the west
Not heard the concertina?

-Twas peaceful round the campfire blaze,
The long white branches o-er us;
We-d play the tunes of bygone days,
To some good old bush chorus.
Old Erin-s harp may sweeter be,
The Scottish pipes blow keener;
But sing an old bush song for me
To the good old concertina.

-Twas cosy by the hut-fire bright
When the pint pot passed between us;
We drowned the voice of the stormy night
With the good old concertina-s.
Though trouble drifts along the years,
And the pangs of care grow keener,
My heart is gladdened when it hears
That good old concertina.