as a child I went to a parochial (catholic) school in the bronx (a neighborhod made up of 60 to 70% immigrants (another 20% lived with grandparents who were immigrants, even if their parents had been first generation US)
the school had a Music teacher who came in once a week,
2 weeks we learned music (how to read, notes, g clef's and all sorts of technical stuff)
and 2 week a month, we learned songs.
one year (3rd grade? 4th grade?) we learned folk songs of the world--
french,(au claire du la luna) spanish (i forget) and other countries.
lots of english (many of these we knew) some scots, and some strine
wallsing matilda, and Kookaburra were 2 of them (later i learned more strine songs, like "here we are in New south Wales" )
the version i learned (below) is slightly different--but i still remember it.
the Bronx Zoo (with in walking distance of my childhood bronx home had almost NO animals from autralia.. (no, roo's, no koala's, no wombats, no birds)
so i never saw a kookaberrra till i was married, on my honeymoon and visited the hyde park zoo.
I was thrilled.. (and sang the kookaberra song) my ex (stupidly it took 20 years for that to happen,--what can i say, i am a slow learner) walked away from me.. I was so excited (childlike in my glee) he was embarassed by my reaction.
kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
eating all the gum drops he can see,
Laugh kookaburra, laugh kookaburra,
and leave some there for me.
