
Sons of Australia was written by prolific English music hall composer Felix McGlennon in 1900, during the Second Boer War. This was one year before Federation, and Australia’s colonial forces were fighting in South Africa as six separate colonies. The Sydney Stock and Station Journal wrote in May 1900 that the song, ‘bids fair to be as popular as any that has preceded it, for it is strong, martial, and musical…. The words are fiery and the music is suited to it, and the piece is likely to be exceedingly popular.’
During Australia’s participation in the First World War, ‘Sons of Australia’ became popular all over again. This recording, by English baritone singer Stanley Kirkby, was released on the Zonophone label in 1915.
Sons of Australia lyrics:
VERSE 1
Sons of Australia
Hear the Mother calling
Calling to her boys who’re
Scattered far and wide
Sons of Australia
Hear those insults galling
She who bore you wants her offspring
Standing by her side
Bred for fighting, built to stay
Never yielding, never knew the way
When they defied our Mother
Threatened with their guns
Did they think that such a grand Old Mother had no sons?
CHORUS
Did they think that England stood alone?
Have they heard how to her side we’ve flown?
Sons of Australia
Strike for your Empire Grand,
Fight as your Mother taught you to,
For the dear old land
VERSE 2
Sons of Australia
Are your pulses thrilling?
Thrilling at the chance to thrash
Your Empire’s foes
Sons of Australia
How your ranks are filling
As you think of Motherland
Your hearts’ blood quicker flows
Pluck and muscle, blood and brain
Born of heroes linked in Empire’s chain
Proud of your grand old birthright
Glorious and free
Mighty Monarch of the Nation’s ruler of the sea
CHORUS
Did they think that England stood alone?
Have they heard how to her side we’ve flown?
Sons of Australia
Strike for your Empire Grand,
Fight as your Mother taught you to,
For the dear old land
VERSE 3 (not included in this recording)
Sons of Australia
Read your Empire’s story
How your Father’s built it
Shall that Empire wane?
Sons of Australia
Ne’ver must fade their glory
Vow what gallant sires have fought for
Their sons will maintain
Heav’n hath willed it
Tis decreed world wide
Rulers we the grand old breed
We who have fought for freedom
Scorning all things base
Must fulfil our destiny
To be the ruling race
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.