The 100 Year Drought
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:24 pm
The 100 year Drought
(By Alan McCosker 1983 revised 2019)
In a hundred years how far we’ve come
we no longer have to walk and run
there’s motor cars and big jet planes
but drought still prevails on australia’s plains
The cocky stands there in the dust his eyes raised to the sky
if it don’t rain then he’ll go bust and all his crops will die
his grandfather stood on this very plain one hundred years ago
and prayed to his god to make it rain to make his poor crops grow
And when rain came as of course it would
it turned the bull dust into mud
drowned his cattle and his sheep
too weak to escape the swollen creek
And then the seasons would be kind and thoughts of drought were never mind
until the wheel full turned again and drought prevailed out on the land
Factories spring up overnight from where the grass grew green and bright
tall chimneys blot the sun from sight and turn the daylight into night
we have the skills to build great dams to make electricity
but never a thought for our inland rivers what a tragedy
the pollies talk and talk and talk but in the end don’t walk the talk
they wisely nod their heads and squawk,if you can’t make it,take a walk
So,forced to by the mortgage man the cockys’ left his droughted land
he’s moved his family into town and turned into a factory hand
never will his son stand in the dust with eyes raised to the sky
and pray to his god to make it rain so australia will not die
In a hundred years how far we’ve come
we no longer have to walk and run
there’s motor cars and big jet planes
but drought still prevails on australia’s plains
(By Alan McCosker 1983 revised 2019)
In a hundred years how far we’ve come
we no longer have to walk and run
there’s motor cars and big jet planes
but drought still prevails on australia’s plains
The cocky stands there in the dust his eyes raised to the sky
if it don’t rain then he’ll go bust and all his crops will die
his grandfather stood on this very plain one hundred years ago
and prayed to his god to make it rain to make his poor crops grow
And when rain came as of course it would
it turned the bull dust into mud
drowned his cattle and his sheep
too weak to escape the swollen creek
And then the seasons would be kind and thoughts of drought were never mind
until the wheel full turned again and drought prevailed out on the land
Factories spring up overnight from where the grass grew green and bright
tall chimneys blot the sun from sight and turn the daylight into night
we have the skills to build great dams to make electricity
but never a thought for our inland rivers what a tragedy
the pollies talk and talk and talk but in the end don’t walk the talk
they wisely nod their heads and squawk,if you can’t make it,take a walk
So,forced to by the mortgage man the cockys’ left his droughted land
he’s moved his family into town and turned into a factory hand
never will his son stand in the dust with eyes raised to the sky
and pray to his god to make it rain so australia will not die
In a hundred years how far we’ve come
we no longer have to walk and run
there’s motor cars and big jet planes
but drought still prevails on australia’s plains