Pull That Saw Down Again

Working in a saw pit
Is like working in a grave
Working in a saw pit
You are treated like a slave
Sweat and sawdust coated
Your body aches and pains
You don’t get time to rest
It’s, ‘Pull that saw down again’.

Chorus:
Pull that saw down again, convict
Keep it straight and true
Keep your mouth shut
Watch your eyes
For the sawdust’s falling on you.

The wood we cut is the red gum,
Around Port Jackson it is found
It’s usually rotten at the heart
It makes a disappointing start
And it blunts our saw as it jars our arms
But we pull that saw down again.

The top-notcher stands above me
And he guides the saw with skill
He pulls it upward through the log
You guessed it, I’m the underdog
It’s a miserable way to pass the day
For it’s, ‘Pull that saw down again’.

© Jim Low