TERRY LAZY, An Animated Vision of a disillusioned Bushwalker
Words: John Turier, Newcastle NSW, 1982 tune McNamara’s Band

G’day me name is Terry Lazy
I sit in a 4 wheel drive
I expose meself to the elements
I can rough it and still survive.
I’m as tough as they come
As I sit on me bum
I’m king of the tracks and trails
Superior by far to all natural things
Especially lizards and snails.

CHORUS
Get out of me way, I’ll run you over
I’m in the bush to prove I’m in the bush.

Any hill or gully or mountain or valley
Where someone else has been
You’ll here the hum of me engine revving
And smell me dieseline.
Any bird or wombat or bunyip or lizard
Who tries to get in me way
I’ll blast him deaf as a post with me truckies horn
And then you’ll hear me say.

CHORUS

When you face the elements like a man
There’s essentials you must provide
That’s why I’ve got 4 dozen KB
In an esky by me side.
Now there’s rocks and boulders and stumps and bumps
and hills as big as walls
I once did meself an injury
When a tinny fell on me balls.

CHORUS (sung high!)

Now the scenery’s boring
‘Cause all there is to see is bloody trees
And all them mangy wildlife things
They’ve all got lice and fleas.
All the ‘roos are good for is Pal petfood
And trees take up the land
So I squash the odd fat wombat
And knock down saplings when I can.

CHORUS
Get out of me way, I’ll run you over
I’m in the bush to kill the bloody bush.

When a convoy leaves at the break of day
To tackle the mountains high
We all blast our horns in unison
And give the CB cry (10-4!)
There’s Toyotas, Range Rovers, Landrovers and trailers
In parties of 4s and 5s.
We all stay in close proximity
Keeping CB talk alive.

CHORUS
Get out of me way, we’ll run you over
We’re in the bush to prove we’re in the bush.
We all want to be just like our heroes
Up the Leyland up the Leyland
Up the Leyland brothers.


INSPIRATION FOR THE SONG
One weekend in 1982 John, his partner Chris, Shayne Kerr and Roz Uren (now Kerr) hiked up to Barrington Tops via The Corker, a very steep 900 metre climb up a 9 km track from Lagoon Pinch to Carey’s Peak. Back then, the track was open to 4WDs. As we tramped up the mountain with backpacks we were passed frequently by large vehicles who forced us to jump out of their way, annoying us profusely.

On returning home, John wrote the song. At the time, Shayne, Roz, John Turier and Sandra Tate played as Bushfire Band, then from 1983 without Sandy as Bantam Bush Band till 1985. John often sang his song at our bush dance engagements in the Hunter Valley.

Fortunately and wisely, NPWS has since closed the popular bushwalking track to vehicles.

The NSW Folk Federation Newsletter number 15 of 1982 published the words of the song.

John Turier has since become a well-known artist and sculptor.

Shayne now sings ‘Terry Lazy’ at appropriate functions.

Notes by Roz Kerr, 2013.