The Complete STHS School Song

Dear Lads,

Michael Kells has provided us with the complete words of the STHS School Song, vintage circa 1924. It seems that we were cheated of two even richer verses, and should have been singing the following. Note the subtle textual changes wrought by time:


THE SCHOOL SONG
(Tune: "Men of Harlech")

See the Tech. High School assembling,
Floors and stairways all a-trembling,
Happy smiles faint hearts dissembling,
As we tramp to school.
Trig. and mensuration,
Atomic calculation;
Homework done,
Or left undone.
And 'Manners Makyth Man" upon our hatbands.
All regard it as our motto
Some forget it too, in toto,
Till they're cautioned, voce sotto:
"Don't disgrace your School."

--------------

See us when we face the Leaving,
There's no time to spend in grieving;
All are bent upon retrieving
Time we lost last year.
Chemistry and History,
All to us a mystery;
Still we plod
Until we nod,
And face the awful paper bright and cheerful.
Some go down, and some go through it;
Some there are who live to rue it.
Masters smile and say, "We knew it,
Now you know it, too."

------------

See us when we're through the Uni.,
Some are wise and some are looney,
Many strong, and many puny
After years of work.
Some have gone a-mining,
Sugar some refining;
All essay
To earn their pay.
Some are building bridges o'er the Harbour.
Hydro-works for irrigation,
Dams enough to drown a nation;
Every fellow to his station,
In this world's great work.
----------------

Mr Geoff Brookes is of the opinion that these verses were constructed by English Master (in our time) Mr 'Tojo' Taylor, who probably didn't give up his day job... If we'd sung this every week in its entirety, assembly might have lasted until mid-afternoon. For those of you who were wondering, construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge began on 18 April 1923, and it was completed in 1932. The book from which Michael coped these verses shows a balance sheet for the school accounts dated Dec. 18, 1925. This helps to fix the era of the song's composition.

Plod until you nod,

Stephen Gard