The Drovers Wife (Henry Lawson's tale, re-imagined by Nerida Cuddy)
Filmed live on Mt Oxley, Bourke, NSW. The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson was a favourite short story in our house, I had a lovely illustrated version and the kids would hang off every word. I was heading out to Bourke for a 100 yr anniversary remembering Henry Lawson hosted by the Bourke Shire Council, and so I decided to write song versions of a couple of his short stories. I love the sensitivity to and awareness of women's lives displayed by Henry in tales like this. It seemed the drover's wife also had a bit to teach me, as the song took shape - I love her resilience and courage, her realism about what her life cost her, and her sense of humour. The chorus runs through my head sometimes, helpfully. It was such an amazing opportunity to have the song filmed by the excellent Andrew Hull on Mt Oxley as the sun was setting. I'm very grateful to him for putting the time into such a beautiful edit (Hullyjoe.com). Also, big thanks to Paul Colman for improving the sound of this live recording. The Drover's Wife (song) - c. Nerida Cuddy 2022
Filmed live on Mt Oxley, Bourke, NSW. The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson was a favourite short story in our house, I had a lovely illustrated version and the kids would hang off every word. I was heading out to Bourke for a 100 yr anniversary remembering Henry Lawson hosted by the Bourke Shire Council, and so I decided to write song versions of a couple of his short stories. I love the sensitivity to and awareness of women's lives displayed by Henry in tales like this. It seemed the drover's wife also had a bit to teach me, as the song took shape - I love her resilience and courage, her realism about what her life cost her, and her sense of humour. The chorus runs through my head sometimes, helpfully. It was such an amazing opportunity to have the song filmed by the excellent Andrew Hull on Mt Oxley as the sun was setting. I'm very grateful to him for putting the time into such a beautiful edit (Hullyjoe.com). Also, big thanks to Paul Colman for improving the sound of this live recording. The Drover's Wife (song) - c. Nerida Cuddy 2022