THE LAND WHERE THE CROW FLIES BACKWARDS
(Dougie Young)

I was born in the scrub in a mia-mia
On the river they call the Barcoo
My parents left me when I was quite young
To paddle my own canoe
They took me ‘long to Yundama station
With a stock whip they tanned my hide
Threw me in the saddle of a bucking horse
That’s how I learned to ride

Chorus
Yes, I’m tall, dark and lean, every place I’ve been
The white man calls me Jack
It’s not a crime, I’m not ashamed
I was born with my skin so black
When it comes to riding rough horses
Or working cattle, I’ve mixed with the best
In the land where the crow flies backwards
And the pelican builds his nest

I’ve knocked about a lot of places
In this land called the great outback
Many times I’ve drove a herd of cattle
Along the Birdsville Track
With the mosquitoes and flies comin’ at you
And the sun beatin’ down so hot
You might think it’s a hell of a place
But to me it means a lot

Chorus

They laugh in my face, they say I’m a disgrace
They say I’ve got no sense
The white man took this country from me
He’s been fightin’ for it ever since
These governments and presidents they’re arguin’
Every day they’re tryin’ to start a brawl
If they are going to start a nuclear war
What’s gonna happen to us all
So I’ll just linger on, when from this world I’m gone
This will be my last request
Bury me where the crow flies backwards
And the pelican build his nest

Chorus

Above is my transcription from an EP that Dougie Young recorded in 1964. Young was the first indigenous Australian to record his own compositions. I first heard it on a LP by my friend, Ian White - 'Songs from a Busker's Bag'. Young reached a wider audience when this song was recorded by Gary Shearston.

You tube clip

Gary Shearston cover

Dougie Young bio

--Stewie.