The wonderful Kath Tait in a reflective autobiographical mood:

CHILDLESS MOTHER
(Kath Tait)

I was born way down in a valley
I was born in a valley so small
Far away from civilisation
Hardly knew the wide world at all
When I was a child I played by the river
Played by the river so wild
I grew up to be a childless mother
Childless mother and a motherless child

The raging waters of Waitaki
Sing your song to me
I’ll come back when I’m old and cranky
Come back when I’m ninety-three
Come back to drown in the river
Float down over mossy stones
I’ll be a spirit of the water
The river it will guide my bones

Ancestors are all dead and buried
Ancestors are dead and gone
It’s generations since they travelled
Far from their Scottish home
History has been forgotten
Got no stories, got no songs
They lost touch with where they came from
I know where I belong

Repeat stanza 2

I grew up to be a childless mother
Lived a life so free and wild
Years went by and as it happens
I became a motherless child
I got no roots, I got no branches
Got no ties to keep me here
When I’m gone there’ll be nothing left
Just a ripple in the atmosphere

Instrumental break

I was born way down in a valley
I was born in a valley so small
Far away from civilisation
Hardly knew the wide world at all
When I was a child I played in the hills
I roamed the hills so wild
I grew up to be a childless mother
Childless mother and a motherless child

The rugged hills of North Otago
Are the hills that made me wild
Where the wind sings like a ghostly spirit
To the young and undefiled
I’ll go back to die in the hills
And lie down in the rocks and stones
I’ll be a spirit of the land
The hills will guide my bones

The above is my transcription of the YT clip. I was unable to find the lyrics on the Net. Corrections welcomed.

Youtube clip

Here is an article about Kath from an old issue of 'Living Tradition':

Diva of the Dysfunctional

--Stewie.