Who'll Wear the Beaten Colours?

Who'll wear the beaten colours–and cheer the beaten men?
Who'll wear the beaten colours, till our time comes again?
Where sullen crowds are densest, and fickle as the sea,
Who'll wear the beaten colours, and wear them home with me?

We closed the bars and gambling dens and voted straight and clean,
Our women walked while motor cars were whirling round the scene,
The Potts Point Vote was one for Greed and Ease and Luxury
With all to hold, and coward gold, and beaten folk are we.

Who'll wear the beaten colours, with hands and pockets clean?
(I wore the beaten colours since I was seventeen)
I wore them up, and wore them down, Outback and across the sea–
Who'll wear the beaten colours, and wear them home with me?

We wore them back from Ladysmith to where the peace was signed,
And wore them through the London streets where Jingoes howled behind.
We wore them to the Queen's Hall, while England yelled "Pro-Boers!"
And sat them over victory while London banged the doors.

We wore them from Port Arthur round till all sunk in the sea–
(Who'll wear the white man’s colours, and wear them home with me?)
I've worn them through with gentlemen, with work-slaves and alone–
Who'll wear the beaten colours, boys, and wear them on his own?

There's one would look with startled eyes and shrink while I caressed,
Came I not with the colours of the conquered on my breast.
And twenty thousand Bushmen would stand with hands behind
And scorn in all their faces for the coward of his kind.

Who'll wear the beaten colours and raise the voice they drowned–
It may be when we march again, they’ll bear some other sound–
Who'll pin the beaten colours on and drive the beaten pen–
It may be other steel and ink when we march out again.

This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:

  • published non-government works whose author died more than 70 years ago (before January 1, 1955),
  • anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published more than 70 years ago (before January 1, 1955), and
  • government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1975).

This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.

Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.

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This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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