the bush ballad, bush song or bush poem is a style of poetry and folk music that describes the life, character and scenery of the australian bush. bush ballads usually have a simple rhyme structure. they can be funny or sad. the words used are colourful, colloquial and australian. they tell stories of action and adventure about bushranging, droving, droughts, floods, life on the frontier, and relations between indigenous and non-indigenous australians.