THE STREETS of FORBES is a unique Australian song. From bluegrass to brass bands to Paul Kelly and even a rock rendition by well-known band ‘Weddings, Parties, Anything’ the song is certainly well covered and well recognised as a leading Australian folk song. Please read the notes below for further explanation. Our version is performed by a choir of local school children and was recorded for a CD produced with the assistance of Forbes Council in 1996. Naturally the CD was called THE STREETS OF FORBES. The song was supposedly based on a poem published in the memoir of John McGuire who was Hall’s brother-in-law. We include segments of this poem from its original publication in The Truth, April 30th 1911. Many thanks to my partner in crime, Professor Graham Seal, for making me aware of this poem.
Other poems were also written on the subject of Hall’s demise and we have included two of our favourites. The first is by Will Ogilvie and illustrated by Stan Cross and was published in Smith’s Weekly Nov 27th 1924. The second poem was written out for me by Paddy Godden of Forbes as passed down from his mother. This is Paddy’s original manuscript given to me in 1987 when he was just over 90 years of age. Take the time to read it, I believe it gives an indication of the feelings of many of the population of this era. The final image is Rankin Street, Forbes, in the 1890s. In John Manifold’s 1964 publication, The Penguin Australian Folk Song Book he gives the following comment. "The poem was written - or at any rate written down - by Hall's brother-in-law John McGuire, an eye witness of the ghastly procession. This version, differing in a few lines (for the better I think) was sung to me in the back room of a Brisbane pub by a Mrs Ewell, late of Bathurst. McGuires manuscript has been reprinted by Clune and by Stewart and Keesing." Both Graham Seal and I believe it is a truly wonderful folk song, unlike anything else that has been collected in Australia. My personal belief, along with that of John Meredith, is that Manifold had a strong hand in the ‘putting together’ of this ballad both lyrically and musically. Rob Willis, May 5th 2024