THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND - [2nd version] Hugh McDonald The rivers are dry across the land And the farmers’ fields have turned to sand 'Cause the rain hasn't come For two years, almost three The topsoil’s gone with the hot north wind The crops won't grow and rust set in And the cruel south wind of Winter brought no relief. Ch. And the old men in the public bar Talk of floods and droughts before The night goes on and the conversations die But the battlers don't give up It's written on their hands and in their eyes And the spirit of the land survives. On Saturday nights in the Royal Hotel Hank the Dutchman plays guitar He sings Country and Western favorites - and requests It used to be his second job A bit of a laugh for a couple of bob Now it's all he's got 'cause his crops all died from thirst. So he spent his savings on cattle and sheep He got some credit, got in too deep But stock won't graze on pastures turned to salt He tried to get work as a travelling man Selling Rawleighs products from the back of his van But the cockies all shop in town where things are cheap. chorus The school’s all rundown The roof’s rusted and the paint peeling The playground’s just a dustbowl; not a spot of green But kids still kick their footballs Sending dustclouds to the sun And it's good to know that drought can't spoil the fun. And in the cricketers’ lounge late at night Where the cockies talk and the shearers fight And their wives drink shandies 'cause they'll be driving home The talk centres around the price of wheat The lack of rain and the lack of sheep 'Cause credit’s stretched - and it won't stretch any more. Chorus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFIgEIvnL-E The late, renowned, Hugh McDonald, singing at Brisbane’s 1988 EXPO. This song is from the REDGUM album "Spirit Of The Land". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_McDonald_(Australian_musician) R-J
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