1. |
Balance
04:15
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For every act of terror there’s a thousand acts of kindness
For every act of hate there’s a thousand more of love
For every act of vengeance there’s a thousand of forgiveness
This world is full of beauty, this world is full of love
You listen to the TV you’d think the world was full of horror
You listen to the talkback you’d think the world was bent on harm
You listen to the politicians you’d think there’s danger all around us
You wouldn’t just be alert, you’d be alarmed
There’s people who are teachers, there’s people who are nurses
There’s people who are gardeners, there’s people who are kind
There’s people who give everything to make this world a better place
They’re here and there and everywhere, just seek and you will find
So take the time to stop and think, take the time to look around
Take the time to balance things, take the time to smell the flowers
You’ll see peace and tranquillity, you’ll see endless generosity
You’ll see that it’s up to you and me, ’cos you know we’ve got the power
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2. |
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(Well) I’d walk a country mile for you
I’d cross the Great Sandy Desert on my own
There’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do
I’ll love you till the cows come home
I first saw you at the Buckrabanyule Hall
And I knew that I’d just have to take a chance
With a lump in my throat and a pounding in my heart
I asked you, “Would you like to have this dance?”
Well we’ve all heard of love at first sight
Now, that’s something that I’ve never seen
Ah, but I fell for you on that very first night
The way the Sentimental Bloke fell for Doreen
The day we married my heart filled with pride
All those thoughts running round in my head
When the preacher said to me, “Will you take this bride?”
I looked into your eyes and I said …
Now, I know things won’t always be perfect
And I know things won’t always run smooth
But I know that I’ll always have everything I want
Just as long as I’m together with you
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3. |
The Rules of English
04:22
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Now, when I was a boy one was taught English grammar
These days standards have gone down the drain
We had it banged into us, with an unsubtle hammer
Now it’s firmly lodged into my brain
There’s a million mistakes that you see people make
Now and then there’s an absolute whopper
So here’s a few tips to avoid future slips
And help you all speak good and proper
Be sure to never split an infinitive
Don’t use no double negatives
And never generalise, that’s a rule you see everyone break
Be clear as a bell, profread everythnig well
Be more or less specific, don’t be vague
And avoid clichés like the plague!
It’s incumbent upon us to eschew obfuscation
And where feasible to employ the vernacular
Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice
And understatement is really really spectacular
Use language that’s inclusive of all men
And here’s something else you should know
The use of foreign words is just not de rigueur
Nor is it apropos
Always avoid awkward annoying
Unattractive and affected alliteration
Avoidification of unnecessary neologisms
Will strengthenify your prosification
If you see a mixed metaphor take the bull by the horns
And knock it right off of its perch
And vary your words variously
So that you use various words
Exaggeration is a trillion gazillion times worse
Than just stating the plain simple facts
And use words correctly irregardless of what others do
To show you’ve got the language knack
The passive should be avoided at all times
Heed should be taken of that suggestion
And now what I ask of all of you is:
Who needs rhetorical questions?
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4. |
The Struggle
04:35
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Mohammed lives at the end of our street
With Yasmine and the kids
I reckon it’s been a couple of years or more
Since they moved in
He works at Ford in Broadmeadows
He’s on the assembly line
She’s got a job as a teacher’s aid
But at the moment it’s only part time
And he just can’t wait, tomorrow’s the end of Ramadan
Looking forward to getting together with family and friends
They’re saving up to buy a house of their own
At Craigieburn or Roxburgh Park
But have you seen the prices lately?
Well they just don’t know where to start
And that car of theirs just eats money
What with the brakes and now the clutch
That mechanic wanted six hundred Dollars
Well they just can’t afford that much
Well since the events in London
Things just haven’t been the same
It’s nothing you could put your finger on
But there’s those looks he gets on the train
And his youngest one came home crying last week
Well you know kids can be cruel
And he wonders if it wouldn’t be better
If they went to an Islamic school
Year on year, it’s a struggle so much of the time
His hopes and fears, they’re just the same as mine
It’s just a couple of blocks to the Preston mosque
You can see the stars thru the roof
And he helps in their work with the homeless
That’s the least a man can do
And they’re down at the Woolworths in Murray Road
Standing in the checkout line
Kids keep yelling out for a large size Coke
“Well OK, just this time”
And they just can’t wait …
Mohammed lives at the end of our street
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5. |
Wintering Over
04:29
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Last time I saw my wife and son
I was leaving the Hobart docks
I’ve been so long down here at Mawson Base
On these cold Antarctic rocks
Soon that old icebreaker’s due
To carry me back home
We’ll forge a passage through these tall
White mountains through the foam
Summer’s just a memory now
And Winter’s been so long
And those four strong winds sure blow cold out here
Just like in that song
It’s 3,000 miles from Hobart
We might as well be on Mars
There’s weeks we never see the sun
Ah, but you should see those stars!
We’re so small
We’re so small
We’re so small
You’ll never see such sunsets
You’ll never see such skies
If this place wasn’t hell on earth
It’d surely be paradise!
You’ll never see such darkness
You’ll never see such light
And it’s felt like I’d never see home again
Ah, but soon it will be alright
Well I’ve been fixing tractor-trains
Been fixing up skidoos
I’ve been keeping the power going
The lights and heating, too
It’s not like in the old days
You got all the comforts of home
Got DVDs and email
But you still feel so alone
Now that winter’s over
We can finally go outside
Just one small speck of humanity
In a space so high and wide
And I think of those old explorers
No radio, no GPS
But even now you take your life in your hands
We haven’t conquered this place yet
And they say the ice cap’s melting
The oceans soon will rise
That data just keeps rolling in
For those boffins to analyse
Well, I’ve seen those Emperor Penguins
How they huddle all winter through
To raise their young, well you hope they’ll survive
And you hope that we do too
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6. |
Lament for Pluto
04:16
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It’s tiny and so far away but we love it just the same
It used to be a planet – Pluto is its name
It’s smaller than Uranus but I’m sure it’s bigger than mine
Now it’s just a Kuiper Belt Object instead of Planet No. 9
Because those evil nasty scientists from the evil IAU
(That’s the International Astronomical Union)
Said if Pluto was a planet
You’d have to make Eris and Sedna and Orcus and Haumea
And Makemake and Quaoar and Varuna planets too
Well, you know, I don’t see what’s wrong with that
Just think, a solar system with planets galore!
Ah, but Pluto’s not a planet anymore
No, Pluto’s not a planet anymore
For years they searched for Planet X, the theories they were many
They said Uranus was too wobbly – but I did that joke already
It was discovered in 1930 by a man called Charles Tombaugh
Ah, but Pluto’s not a planet anymore
No, Pluto’s not a planet anymore
Pluto takes 248 years to go once around the sun
Just think of it! If Earth took that long we’d all be really young!
Its orbit is highly eccentric (which I kinda like)
I think that’s something to do with
Newton’s formulation of Kepler’s Third Law or something
Ah, but Pluto is not a planet anymore
No, Pluto’s not a planet anymore
Now some say Pluto’s boring, that it has no atmosphere
But that’s not true! It’s got carbon monoxide, methane and nitrogen
It might kill you – but it’s there!
I’ll admit it’s cold and dark and bleak, but deep down I still deplore
The fact that Pluto’s not a planet anymore
No, Pluto’s not a planet anymore
It’s even got three moons, though it’s true they’re pretty small
But heck, that’s two more than Earth’s got. Yeah, we got one, that’s all
It’s an outrage, it’s a scandal, and it sticks right in my craw
The fact that Pluto’s not a planet anymore
No, Pluto’s not a planet anymore
All certainty is gone, they’ve overturned everything we used to know
Why, even nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, all those years ago
If I had my way I would make things like they were before
Ah, but Pluto’s not a planet anymore
No, Pluto’s not a planet anymore
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7. |
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(Bruce:)
There’s a photo on a wall in a museum in Hobart
It was taken in October of 1903
Of a woman and a man with an Edison phonograph
Recording her songs of the land and the sea
There’s a button on the wall there next to the photo
If you press it you can hear the ghosts of her songs
As they echo through the halls of that museum in Hobart
A scratchy reminder of all we’ve done wrong
CHORUS: (Both)
The man and the woman and the Edison phonograph
Salvaging pieces of song
White man’s black cylinder, the story of progress
The song lives on – but the singers are gone
(Ronnie:)
Not yet fifty years since white man first settled
She was born on an island in Bass Strait’s cruel seas
Where the few who remained of my people were herded
And left there to die of despair and disease
And at seven she was taken from her mother and family
To work as a servant, to be taught about God
But she still learnt the old ways, the songs and the stories
With dear Truganini she’d go bush for food
And after Truganini, the scientists descended
Was Fanny Smith now the last of her race?
The futile debates it seemed never ended
They took her dimensions and examined the shape of her face
(Bruce:)
And the man in the photo was born to an immigrant
He married a woman of inherited wealth
He lived in a mansion overlooking the harbour
Worked hard for their business, did well for himself
And in time he became a gentleman of leisure
He developed an interest in the native folks’ ways
He collected and catalogued those cultural treasures
Archived and referenced for future display
He was a member of the Royal Society
Propertied wealth, a man of propriety
She and her people were torn from their land
Betrayed, dislocated, dissected – according to plan
But they came together through song
(Bruce:)
There’s a photo on a wall in a museum in Hobart
It was taken in October of 1903
Of a woman and a man with an Edison phonograph
Recording her songs of the land and the sea
And the man had a son
Who in turn had a son
Who in turn had a son
Who was me
(Ronnie:)
And the woman had a son
Who in turn had a daughter
Who in turn had a son
Who in turn had a son
And the next one was me
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8. |
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Ngunawal, Gunditjmara, Burduna, Kuring-gai,
Wathawurrung, Gayiri, Bunurong, Manangkarri,
Jiwarli, Kuyani, Nuenonne, Dhuduroa,
Peramangk, Birladapa, Wakaya, Taungurong,
Wadi Wadi, Damala, Yaralde, Ngawun,
Bidjigal, Yorta Yorta, Warungu, Plangermaireener,
Kaurna, Binikura, Nauo, Djabwurung,
Daruk, Gugu Muluriji, Amangu, Eora,
Ladji Ladji, Awabakal, Garawa, Yangman,
Nukunu, Bandjin, Nyawaygi, Darkinjung,
Parnkalla, Ayabadhu, Paredarerme, Jardwadjai,
Tyerrernotepanner, Worimi, Duulngari, Gulidjan,
Bidjara, Angkamuthi, Doolboong, Walgalu,
Mingin, Barrow Point, Djiru, Djadjawurrung,
Nganyaywana, Yukgul, Dharawal, Nhuwala,
Warnarrang, Ngarigo, Kalaamaya, Dhirari,
Tatungalung, Muruwari, Thiin, Yaburarra,
Lairmairrener, Wanamara, Bidawal, Bangerang,
Kwat Kwat, Brabralung, Bugurnidja, Jurruru,
Djilamatang, Djirringany, Woiwurrung.
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9. |
Murrumbidgee Morning
04:10
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I’m camped by the Murrumbidgee
River red gums sprawled out tall above me
An hour before the dawn and there’s
A thousand birds in chorus and they wake me
The river’s still, it’s green and brown
The water level’s so far down
So many trees have fallen from the drought
I sip my morning coffee
As the buzzing insects bother me
There’s nothing much I have to think about
On this Murrumbidgee morning
Murrumbidgee morning
Murrumbidgee morning
Murrumbidgee morning
The irrigation channels run like patchwork
To the vast horizon empty
The Riverina’s called the rice bowl
Water flows through fields as though there’s plenty
The export contracts beckon
But the experts these days reckon
That our rivers just can’t take the strain much more
And meanwhile down the road
You see the sheep as thin as scarecrows
Staggering in pastures dry and poor
This land is now in mourning …
Repeat Verse 1
On this Murrumbidgee morning …
This land is now in mourning …
On this Murrumbidgee morning …
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10. |
Down at the Pool
03:35
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When the weather’s pushing forty degrees
There’s nothing better than just lying in the shade of the trees
I know the place to go where we can stay cool
I’ll meet you down at the pool
Down at the pool – such beautiful weather
Down at the pool – all my friends together
Down at the pool – wish it could last forever
Down at the pool
There’s nothing like that feeling when you first dive in
As that cold clear water wraps around your skin
It’s better than work, it’s better than school
I’ll meet you down at the pool
Down at the pool – with all my best friends
Down at the pool – diving into the deep end
Down at the pool – I’ll be there the whole weekend
Down at the pool
You can swim a few laps, you can soak up the sun
Splishin’ and splashin’ is so much fun
So leave that computer, put away those tools
I’ll meet you down at the pool
Down at the pool – splishin’ and splashin’
Down at the pool – never goes out of fashion
Down at the pool – love the pool with a passion
Down at the pool
Repeat Verse 1
Down at the pool – such beautiful weather …
Down at the pool – with all my best friends …
Down at the pool – splishin’ and splashin’ …
Down at the pool
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11. |
Lake Pedder Again
05:12
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For years beyond counting, since time past all memory
Before human footsteps when the earth was still young
In the heart of Tasmania Lake Pedder sparkled
A diamond of beauty where clear waters run
Oh – to see Lake Pedder again
Then one generation blinded by power
Who saw not the wonder of nature’s pure gifts
Built dam walls and turbines and pipes for diversion
They drowned all dissent, cut nature adrift
But oh – to see Lake Pedder again
So now ’neath the water lies the path of the Serpentine
That wandered for eons through the buttongrass plains
And that beach like no other, once revealed every summer
In its heartbreaking grandeur sleeps hidden ’neath the waves
But oh – could we see Lake Pedder again?
Bridge: If we cast a stone in the water
The ripples spread so far
If we raise our voice in the wilderness
The impossible may come to pass
The wonder of Pedder, is drowned but not broken
The beach, dunes and rivers, are stronger than our greed
The dam walls will grow old, the power plant will weary
It’s then we must fight, to make those waters recede
And oh – we could see Lake Pedder again
We can move beyond exploitation, as a far wiser nation
The Gross National Product is not the sum of life’s worth
There’s value in beauty, there’s wonder in nature
It’s time to right wrongs, to make peace with the earth
And oh – we could see Lake Pedder again
Repeat Bridge
And oh – we will see Lake Pedder again
Repeat Verse 1
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12. |
As Good As New
04:07
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This is a song of the old lights
That came to my heart like a hymn
And this is a song for the old lights
The lights that we thought grew dim
They came to my heart to comfort me
And I pass it along to you
And here is a hand to the dear old friend
Who turns up as good as new
This is a song of the campfire
Out west where the stars shine bright
Oh, this is a song of the campfire
Where the old mates yarn tonight
Where the old mates yarn of the old days
And their numbers are all too few
And this is a song for the brave old times
That will turn up as good as new
Oh, this is a song for the old foe
We have both grown wiser now
And this is a song for the old foe
And we’re sorry we had that row
And this is a song for the old love
The love that we thought untrue
Oh, this is a song of the old true love
That comes back as good as new
Oh this is a song for the black sheep
For the black sheep that fled from town
And this is a song for the brave heart
For the brave heart that lived it down
And this is a song for the battler
For the battler who sees it through
And this is a song for the broken heart
That turns up as good as new
Ah, this is a song for the brave mate
Be he bushman, Scot or Russ
A song for the mates we will stick to
For the mates who have stuck to us
And this is a song for the old creed
To do as a man should do
Till the Lord takes us all to a wider world
Where we’ll turn up as good as new
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13. |
How to Tune the Ukulele
01:19
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Oh, I’ve got a little ukulele
I take good care of it, I play it every day
I’m kind to my little ukulele
And it’s so good to me
I love to stroke my little ukulele
I kiss and cuddle it, I take it in my car
People think that I’m crazy
But when it grows up it’ll be a guitar
It’s fun to try and tune a ukulele
It’s not like the bagpipes, it’s not like the violin
When I tune my little ukulele
This is how I begin:
My dog has fleas
My mouse eats cheese
My cat does wees (on the carpet)
G C E A
Strange notes to play
But they made it that way, So …
When I’ve tuned my little ukulele
I take it in my hand and I play and smile and sing
’Cos there’s nothing like a little ukulele
It’s just the best-est thing!
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14. |
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If you can walk you can dance
If you can talk you can sing
If you can walk you can dance
If you can talk you can sing
If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk
You can sing
Don’t tell me that you can’t dance
Don’t tell me you got two left feet
’Cos every body can move to the music
Everyone can feel the beat
You don’t have to be Rudolph Nureyev
You don’t have to be Margot Fonteyn
You just gotta let the music flow through you
Like cascading glasses of champagne
Don’t tell me that you can’t sing
That at school they didn’t want you in the choir
Our voice is the instrument everyone plays
You’ve been playing it all your life
You don’t have to be Pavarotti
You don’t have to be K D Lang
You just gotta have a song in your heart
Just let yourself do your thang!
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe
From Havana to Berlin
From Guatemala out to Galway
Everybody wants to dance and sing!
Don’t tell me that you can’t dance
Don’t tell me that you can’t sing
’Cos music is a part of what we all are
It just a very human thing
It’s water in the desert, it’s salt in the sea
It’s a blazing fire in the cold
It’s our flesh and blood, it’s the air we breathe
It’s food for the hungry soul
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Bruce Watson Melbourne, Australia
Joyful, hilarious, thought provoking and totally engaging original songs from one of Australia's foremost songwriters and performers in the folk style.
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