The bright lights of the city
Have lured me away
From bushland plains and mulga scrub
from plains of rich red clay
Away from the serenity
to noise and toil and strife
To pay the bills and cure the ills
of living city life
Into a world of buildings
and people crowded round
of cars and fumes and airplanes
a world of ceaseless sound
I long to take my swag again
into the far outback
To walk the trails and feel again
the sun upon my back
To make camp by a billabong
cook dinner by a fire
Lie back and see the stars at night
then silently retire
But here I sit beside a screen
a keyboard and a phone
My time belongs to someone else
my life is not my own
Down below the city sprawls
around and out of sight
But in my mind I'm wandering
my fantasies take flight
And once again I'm on the road
not knowing where I'm bound
I'm off into the wilderness
somewhere I can't be found
From my PDF book "Bush Ballads and Bulldust"
Categories:
mulga, city, dream, freedom,
Form: Ballad
I gave you shelter from the storm,
when it was cold I kept you warm,
from blazing sun I gave you shade,
stopped the wind from blowing you away.
I gave you comfort in the night,
watched over you while you lay sleeping,
through my windows shone the moonlight;
became the mulga perfumes keeping.
Now I'm not wanted any more
dust builds up around my door
there are no footsteps on my floor
I'm not wanted anymore
I'm not wanted any more
no one can hear me crying
no one comes here anymore
I'm not wanted anymore
Pots and pans hung from my wall,
I loved your paintings in my hall,
departed souls I helped you mourn,
I watched your babies being born,
now there's no children running 'round,
I miss the smell of quandong jam,
please come back I am your home,
it hurts so much to be alone.
Departed souls I helped you mourn,
I watched your babies being born,
please come back I am your home,
it hurts so much to be alone.
Categories:
mulga, home, lonely, sad,
Form: Lyric
re: Johnsons Antidote by Banjo Paterson a great poem.....
Yes Good morning sir ...maybe it just worked for old goanna:)
We in the 1950's used condys crystal jammed into the snake bite after cutting and sucking the poison out of the bite area.
one poison to beat another they said...others shot a finger off or used an axe to get rid of the offending bite.
my old man had bull terrier x cattle dogs for bailing up wild Scrubber cattle and then he'd bring tame cattle to them and the wild ones would join the herd for safety...these dogs would go snake hunting in the night often, and some would get bit by the 9 foot long Mulga brown snakes they fought...what to do 30 miles from town no Vet either...so pinch up the obvious bulge of the bite and use sheep shears to cut the lump off the dogs hide? dogs survived this rough treatment if bit only once....but were sick for days after....Don
Categories:
mulga, adventure, old, old,
Form: Ballad
Mulga Mick
The ice was thick round Mulga Mick,
His thoughts were in disorder,
Shiela had gone off with another chick,
Got the “Raw Prawn” bloody sort of,
His car had died when a Roo he tried,
To eat the old cars number plate,
Death slapped down, upon the Roo applied,
Destroyed the water radiator,
So staggering through the ice an snow,
Was poor ole Mulga Mick,
He wore the Roo hide, wrapped you know,
Pocket knife had skinned it quick.
Roo tail soup for Mulga Mick,
Before he walked away,
He staggered back to the township,
Catch a new lady is the only way.
Don Johnson
John, when your girl runs off with another girl,
you feel like you've been given a raw prawn. aussie slang ...
Tony, like mcguyver you have to use what's available to survive....
Categories:
mulga, adventure,
Form: Ballad
Hopkins snakes
Old Hopkins had a rope ladder,
To keep snakes out of the house,
Snake killing sticks under the rain water tank,
In the shower, where a snake ate the mouse,
The fowls all lived up in the trees,
Brownies were sucking eggs down, (deadly mulga snakes, dozens)
The bantams were sitting on eggs in bird nests,
Till the chickens were walking around,
Half wacked Jack, demented, said some,
Went to see a drover come through,
On a grey brumby horse, naked of course,
An was strip bollicky too, (horse riding naked)
Hopkins he said “me two best friends,
Are me shovel an hurricane light,”
He’d be punching holes ,
With crowbar alone ,
And fencing on into the night,
So if ya go near StGeorge ,
where the snakeys do gorge,
dodge death, climb up the rope ladder,
if the brownies don’t get ya,
death adders aint better,
just go to the pub it’s your shout!
Don Johnson 10-sep-11
I like this one because it is true story
Destroyer A Poet ~
Contest Name Your (OWN) favorite poem......
Categories:
mulga, adventure,
Form: Ballad
Squatter Jack
have you lived awhile in west Queensland,
out in the red soil dust,
where the crows will pick your eyes out and,
bore water is a must,
have you seen a thin and starving cow,
not a blade of grass to eat,
the timber`s gone no Mulga now......(13% protein in leaves)
just the deadly summer heat,
the squatter flogged his paddocks out,
too many cattle there,
he thought good seasons were about,
but we know they are rare,
so now he tears his hair out,
and cries poor bloody me.
we`ll have to subsidise the lout
when he whines so publicly
the old cow bogged in the dam today
and there she`ll likely lie
the crows will take her eyes away
before she gets to die
scrub Mulga`s tucker in a drought (Mulga tree)
on the bushy limbs they`ll thrive
where some mugs had it bulldozed out
no cattle left alive
then the rain it comes after years of drought
and the grass is green and sweet
they`ll forget the bad times have no doubt
till dead cows are flyblown meat.
by D H Johnson.
Categories:
mulga, adventure
Form: Rhyme