The Ballad Of Willie Pat Poem by Francis Duggan

I will tell to you a story as the story was told to me
About a man who lived in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory
He was born and raised in Ireland a true blooded Irishman
And the noble blood of Munster through his big and brave heart ran.

He was hark back to Ned Kelly with long black beard and long black hair
Six foot four and weighing sixteen stone he was hard but always fair
He was man of strength and muscle on him not one ounce of fat
And he was much loved in Darwin the likeable Willie Pat.

He worked in town and bushland from laying pipes to jackaroo
And the more that came to know him the more popular he grew
And though he was never troublemaker he'd not back out of a fight
As he proved to all in Darwin on a humid july night.

In a Darwin mid town tavern stomping ground of 'Bulldog blue'
The bully boy of Darwin and a cruel hearted one too
Six foot eight and weighing eighteen stone he had earned his ill renown
As the greatest ever rowdy ever raised in Darwin Town.

Yes the bulldog was a blaghguard and the liquor drove him wild
And he'd done a stretch in prison for punching a twelve year child
He could pick on anybody if he did not like their look
And he'd dropp them without warning with his vicious right hand hook.

The most hated man in Darwin was the bully bulldog boy
And to say he had not one friend would not be a barefaced lie
He was far to much a rowdy and too proud he was so strong
And had hurted far too many who had never done him wrong.

The bulldog was on the batter and he was in fighting mood
And as usual he was boisterous and mouthing loud and rude
And from his side of the bar room people quietly moved away
But Willie Pat the Irishman was the one who chose to stay.

The bulldog approached the Irishman and called him names like lout
And Irish swine and gutless dog and for fight offered him out
And the Irishman he left his stool and walked across the floor
And beckoned to the bully boy to step outside the door.

And the bully boy he followed him out and so did all of those in the bar
To watch the local rowdy take on the one from Land afar
And for once the patriotic Aussies buried their Aussie pride
And the Irishman he had the hopes of Darwin on his side.

The Bulldog blue from Darwin with the instincts of the brute
Was first to draw he lashed out with his vicious right side
boot
But the Irishman proved far too quick he gave the boot the slip
And to Bulldog's unprotected jaw a left hand hook did rip.

The Bulldog toppled backwards and like a log hit the ground
To a huge roar of approval from those gathered around
And he was down and he was out and it only took one blow
From the macho man from Ireland to lay the giant low

The bearded man had triumphed he had truly won the day
To a huge roar of approval a massive hip hooray
In a moment of excitement he had won himself renown
And was shouldered like a hero through the streets of Darwin Town.

Six months later down near Sydney Willie Pat worked on Pipeline
On the second week in january a day of hot sunshine
He was jackhammering hard rock at bottom of shallow trench
When in his uncovered right side arm he felt a prickly pinch

He'd been bitten by funnel web spider and little did he know
That this tiny furtive creature to mankind is fatal foe
Within minutes he lay dying from bite destined to kill
And was discovered two hours later way beyond help 'pulses still'

He was strong and powerful fellow with the best he could compete
And he'd felled a giant in Darwin on a Darwin mid town street
But he was found near Sydney at trench bottom ghostly white
And all it took to kill him was a little spider's bite.