COWPER WHARF - Words & Music: Phyl Lobl

Our first troopship to Iraq sailed from Cowper Wharf in 2003. I watched her sail with a heavy heart. This Audio comes from a concert organised by Wayne Richmond with the 'Loosely Woven' concert group.

I went down to the Cowper wharf one day,
To watch the ship Kanimbla in her coat of battle grey,
Raise the anchor to the flag and sail away.

The wheels of war return and turn,
Why don't we ever learn.

The 'strong of arm' and 'bright of eye' stood tall,
I don't know where their thoughts were but mine were with them all,
Did they ever dare to think that they could fall.

The wheels of war return and turn,
Why don't we ever learn.

The gulf lay in between us gaping wide,
Like the flotsam on the sea they were swept up with the tide,
And in the firm belief that God was on their side.

The wheels of war return and turn,
Why don't we ever learn.

Off to defend the system at great speed,
A system that depends upon half truths and guns and greed,
While third world people starve or live in need.

The wheels of war return and turn,
Why don't we ever learn.

Another time and place another day,
Someone watched my father's troop ship as she sailed away,
There were few would protest then about the fray.

The wheels of war return and turn,
But I'll keep marching in the hope that Peace by Peace we'll learn.

Phyl's father was underage when he enlisted, but he was 18 when he was wounded at the Somme. video by Dingo's Breakfast of Phyl's Battle of the Somme. Phyl sang it at 1982 National Folk Festival with Declan Affley on uilleann pipes & they can be heard in the background. One image is of a very young soldier looking at the camera.