1. |
Inner city cool
02:20
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Your inner city cool leaves me freezing
Your well-informed opinions leave me cold
Your passion for Tibet is amusing
And you worry for the planet so I’m told
You enjoy the very best of education
Rising middle incomes are your norm
You travel overseas when takes your fancy
Back packing through favelas is your form
Inner city cool, Inner city fool
Inner city cool, Inner city fool
You proudly boast the best of green credentials
A solar panel sits atop your roof
You ride a bike and avoid popular culture
Football’s so beneath you, that’s the proof
You’ll never know real pain that comes from working
Yet tradies cop the brunt of your disdain
Reality TV is for the masses
Your ipad news and such is your domain
Inner city cool, Inner city fool
Inner city cool, Inner city fool
Violence on the streets you find so shocking
In the inner city lanes you call your own
You despise all the weekend bogan touros
While the factories they once worked is now your home
As for me, I’m a latte sipping lefty
Who agrees at heart with much of what you said
‘cept my heart lies with those banished to the suburbs
A touch green, but my blood flows dripping red
Inner city cool
Inner city fool
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2. |
Salt of the earth
03:37
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I’m just a man of simple means
I’ve never sat, with kings or queens
There’s not one cent, left to my name
But I will love you just the same
I built the roads, I built the towns
I dug the fields, from miles around
I crossed the desert, I crossed the sea
And this whole world, belongs to me
And all the silver and all the gold
Does not compare to what I hold
Would not come close, to what you’re worth
Most precious thing, salt of the earth
My face is lined, my shoes are worn
My hands are hard, my clothes are torn
If I could live my life again
You know I’d love you just the same
I built the cars, and all the trains
I built the ships, and aeroplanes
One day I’m sure, I will be free
For this whole world belongs to me
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3. |
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Tell me where, is that light, on the hill
I’ve been workin’, my life, workin’ still
I know, that I’m, owed my fill
So tell me where, is that light, on the hill
Work hard, all your life, what they say
And you’ll, find rewards, some day
But don’t, be deceived, by such lies
Never hands, just your eyes, on the prize
Things, getting’ harder, each day
No time, to reflect, rest or play
Pressure, oh so heavy, on my back
Struggle, to find, the right track
That light flickers gently, some folks say
But it’s getting dimmer day by day
If somewhere it still shines
Please won’t someone open the blinds
And tell me where is that light on the hill
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4. |
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Grey Skies Over Collingwood, oh oh
It’s a typical summers day
Seems things haven’t been that good, oh oh
And it’s always been that way
Grey skies grey skies, oh oh
Smokestacks competing
Grey skies disguise, yeah yeah
Someone is leaving
Young girl on the 10th floor, oh oh
Such a sadness in her eyes
Wants to know what she lives there for, oh oh
And they answer her with lies
Grey Skies Over Collingwood, oh oh
It’s a typical summers day
On the street where the old house stood, oh oh
You can still hear people say
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5. |
Death in custody
02:33
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There was a young man from the Alice
He had too much to drink
Found him hanging in the dog box
He had too much time to think
From Queensland to Tasmania
We’ll lock you up at night
From the east coast to west Australia
You’d better hope that your skin is white
Why does it take so long to get an in-qui-ry
Who’s gonna be the next, death in custody
They throw you in the wagon
And they kick you in the head
They find you in the morning
And they pronounce you dead
In every town there lurks a bigot
The biggest coward under the sun
He feels safer in his uniform
And he gets off on the power of his gun
They drag you to the station
And lock you in the cell
No-one else to hear you crying
And no-one left alive to tell
They say that it is murder
Some call it suicide
When you put it all together
It all adds up to genocide
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6. |
That old rebel flag
05:13
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Whenever the march of oppression
Reduces a land to despair,
No matter how mighty the victors,
The flag of Rebellion is there.
The might of coercion may triumph,
And Freedom be laid on her bier —
Yet over the graves of the conquered there waves
That Old Rebel Flag in the Rear
A king may be great in a country
That cheers when a monarch is crowned
But still, in his capital city,
The flag of the rebel is found.
A people may boast a Republic,
Where Liberty dies in a year;
But close on their flag comes that old stubborn rag,
The Old Rebel Flag in the Rear
There's a mongrel flag in Australia,
And the "Banner of Britain" is here,
But, to break from the past, we are gathering fast
'Neath the Old Rebel Flag in the Rear.
There are some in our ranks who are traitors,
And some who will falter and fear,
Yet on thro' the arch of the morning we march
'Neath the Old Rebel Flag in the Rear.
A spirit calls out of the future,
And bids us to strike in our youth —
And the voice of to-day is appealing
For Liberty, Justice, and Truth;
And the blood that was shed by old rebels,
For rights that shall ever be dear,
Drips down from the red of the flag overhead,
Of the Old Rebel Flag in the Rear.
Listen now all my brothers and sisters!
The banner I sing of is red
With the life-blood of those who were foemen
To wrong, and oppression, and dread.
Then march 'neath the flag of the rebels,
The red days of battle are near,
Let your feet never lag as you march 'neath the flag,
'Neath the Old Rebel Flag in the Rear.
Perhaps there'll be no reformation,
But Oh! for a moment to rise
And ride on the storm of rebellion,
And strike at the things we despise!
And in the city there’s a hymn of defiance
That ends in a desperate cheer,
And on, for a day, they'll remember, hooray
Comes the Old Rebel Flag from the Rear.
It rose from the birth of the lords of the earth,
That Old Rebel Flag in the Rear;
The rebels are bred by the tyrants who dread
That Old Rebel Flag in the Rear.
'Twill never be furl'd while there's wrong in the world,
It never will fall till there's Justice for all,
Dripping down from the red of the flag overhead
THAT OLD REBEL FLAG IN THE REAR!
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7. |
Shoulder to shoulder
03:55
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Did you think that I could leave you
When you needed me the most
Did you think I’d turn my back and walk away
So know I’d not desert you,
now its started getting rough
I want you to know I’m here to stay
Shoulder to shoulder
With courage in our hearts and minds
Shoulder to shoulder
Ever forward with our heads held high
I’ve seen a lot of trouble
And I’ve seen a lot of pain
Seen a lot of people look the other way
But there’s one thing for certain
A time will surely come
When we call in the judgement day
Though we’re separated
by these bars and prison walls
You and I will both do what we must
And you have to remember
While we’re in here for you
You are all out there for us
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8. |
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What happened to my country
What happened to my country
What happened to my country
What happened to my country
There was a time, not so long ago
When people smiled and they stopped to say hello
They’d stop and talk if they saw you in the street
They weren’t afraid of who they’d meet
Do you recall when the place was green
Now there’s deserts where the forests have been
We lose another species every day
And all the soil washed away
You wonder why our youth are fighting mad
You cheated them of any chance they ever had
To build a life that would make them proud
Everybody say out loud
Families fleeing, persecution and war
Are imprisoned, and banished, from our shore
Never thought we would allow, such rule
How did we come to be so cruel
What happened to my country
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9. |
Don't give up
03:21
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When some days the well runs dry
As you gaze at a cloudless sky
When the river has turned to sand
Choked to death in an unfriendly land
Don’t give up find a way to cope
When all else fails you’ve got to live in hope
Find your strength drag your weary feet
Stand and fight don’t accept defeat…no no no
When you start on an icy plain
Not a star shines to guide your way
When the chill of the night sets in
No place to shelter out of the wind
Don’t give up…..
There’s always a chance that a friendly hand
Will turn up when you’re most in need
The world’s always changing so never forget
You haven’t been beaten if you can still bleed
When you’ve just crossed the desert alone
And you’re ambushed by outlaws unknown
You are outnumbered by 4 to 1
Keep a tight grip on your only gun
Don’t give up…. X 2
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10. |
There's a light
03:08
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Well there’s a light, I’ve yet to find it
I know it shines, though I can’t see
And if I’m right, when I stand behind it
Lady luck, she might shine on me
Well I’ve been down, below the bottom
And you would frown, at what I’ve seen
You name the scars, baby I’ve got ‘em
From girls and cars, and everything in between
But there’s a road, I’m gonna take it
You watch me ride, feet off the ground
No heavy load, no chance to break it
I’ll ride so high, I won’t be found
Cheap cigarettes, and cheaper women
Make me forget, how good life can be
My indoor pool, ain’t fit for swimmin’
My dog and cat, they won’t talk to me
My twitter feed, has started thinning
My avatar, seems rather sad
My mobile phone is never ringing
From Facebook friends I’ve never had
But when the dice, start rollin’ my way
And the fans, all gather round
I won’t think twice, I’ll hit that highway
You count the cans, I’ll paint the town
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11. |
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They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job...
They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time;
Once I build a railroad -- now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower up to the sun,
Bricks and mortar and lime;
Once I build a tower now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once, in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodle de-dum;
Half a million boots went sloggin' through Hell
I was the kid with the drum.
Say, don't you remember, you called me Al?
It was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember? I was your pal.
Brother can you spare a dime?
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12. |
Ira Hayes
03:31
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Call him drunken Ira Hayes, He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian ,Nor the Marine that went to war
Gather round me people there's a story I would tell
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian, A proud and noble band
Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land
Down the ditches for a thousand years, The water grew Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights And the sparklin' water stopped
Now Ira's folks were hungry And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, he volunteered And forgot the white man's greed
CHORUS:
They battled up Iwo Jima's hill, Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived, to walk back down again
And when the fight was over, And when Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high, Was the Indian, Ira Hayes
CHORUS
Ira Hayes returned a hero Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand
But he was just a Pima Indian No water, no home, no chance
At home nobody cared what Ira'd done And when did the Indians dance
CHORUS:
Ira started drinkin' hard; Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it, like you'd throw a dog a bone!
He died drunk early one mornin' , Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch, Was a grave for Ira Hayes
CHORUS:
Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes, But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty, In the ditch where Ira died
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13. |
Only our rivers run free
03:59
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When apples still grow in November,
when blossoms still bloom on each tree,
When leaves are still green in december,
it's then that our land will be free,
I wandered her hills and her valleys,
and still through my sorrow I see,
A land that has never known freedom,
and only our rivers run free,
I drink to the death of her manhood,
those men who would rather have died,
Than to live in the cold chains of bondage,
to bring back their rights were denied,
Oh where are you now that we need you,
what burns where the flame used to be,
Are you gone like the snows of last winter,
and will only our rivers run free.
How sweet is a life but were crying,
how mellow the wine but we're dry,
How fragrant the rose but it's dying,
how gentle the wind but it sighs,
What good is in youth when it's ageing,
what joy is in eyes that cant see,
When there’s sorrow in sunshine and flowers,
and still only our rivers run free.
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14. |
Victor Jara
04:55
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Victor Jara of Chile
Lived like a shooting star
He fought for the people of Chile
With his songs and his guitar
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Victor Jara was a peasant
Who worked from a few years old
He sat upon his father's plow
And watched the earth unfold…..his hands were…
Now when the neighbors had a wedding
Or one of their children died
His mother sang all night for them
With Victor by her side
He grew up to be a fighter
Against the people's wrongs
He listened to their grief and joy
And turned them into songs
He sang about the copper miners
And those who worked the land
He sang about the factory workers
And they knew he was their man
He campaigned for Allende
Working night and day
He sang, "take hold of your brother's hand
The future begins today"
Then the generals seized Chile
They arrested Victor then
They caged him in a stadium
With five thousand frightened men
Victor stood in the stadium
His voice was brave and strong
And he sang for his fellow prisoners
'Til the guards cut short his song
They broke the bones in both his hands
They beat him on the head
They tore him with electric shocks
And then they shot him dead
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15. |
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Once I lived the life of a millionaire,
Spending my money, I did not care,
Taking my friends out, for a mighty good time,
buyin’ bootleg liquor, champagne and wine.
Then I got busted and I fell so low,
I couldn’t find no friends, no place to go
If I ever get my hands, on a dollar again,
I’m gonna hold on to it, til the eagle grins.
Nobody knows you,
when you're down and out,
In my pocket, not one penny,
And as for friends, I haven't any
If I ever get back on my feet again,
And I meet, all my long lost friends,
It's mighty strange, without a doubt,
Nobody wants you when you're down and out
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16. |
Song to Woody
02:34
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I'm out here a thousand miles from my home
Walking a road other men have gone down
I'm seeing a new world of people and things
Hear paupers……and peasants and princes and kings
Hey hey Woody Guthrie I wrote you a song
About a funny old world that's coming along
Seems sick and it's hungry, it's tired and it's torn
It looks like…… it's dying and it's hardly been born
Hey Woody Guthrie but I know that you know
All the things that I'm a saying and a many times more
I'm singing you the song but I can't sing enough
'Cause there's not many men done the things that you've done
Here's to Cisco and Sonny and Leadbelly too
And all the good people that travelled with you
Here's to the hearts and the hands of the men
That come……with the dust and are gone with the wind.
I'm leaving tomorrow but I could leave today
Somewhere down the road someday
The very last thing that I'd want to do
Is to say…… I've been hitting some hard travelling too.
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17. |
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Say, there, did you hear the news Sacco worked at trimming shoes;
Vanzetti was a peddling man, Pushed his fish cart with his hands.
Two good mens are long time gone, Two good mens are long time gone
Sacco and Vanzetti are gone, Left me here to sing this song.
Sacco was born across the sea, Somewhere over in Italy
Vanzetti born of parents fine, Drank the best Italian wine.
Sacco sailed the sea one day, Landed up in Boston Bay;
Vanzetti sailed the ocean blue, Landed up in Boston, too.
Sacco's wife three children had, Sacco was a family man;
Vanzetti was a dreaming man, His book was always in his hand.
Sacco earned his bread and butter, Being the factory's best shoe cutter
Vanzetti spoke both day and night, Told the workers how to fight.
I'll tell you if you ask me, 'Bout this payroll robbery;
Two clerks was killed by the shoe factory,On the street in South Braintree
Judge Thayer told his friends around, He would cut the radicals down;
Anarchist bastards was the name, Judge Thayer called these two good men.
I'll tell you the prosecutors' names, Katsman, Adams, Williams, Kane;
The judge and lawyers strutted down, done more tricks than circus clowns.
Vanzetti docked here in 19 8; He slept along the dirty streets,
He told the workers “Organize”, And on the electric chair he dies.
All you people ought to be like me, And work like Sacco and Vanzetti;
And every day find some ways to fight On the union side for workers' rights.
I've got no time to tell this tale, The dicks and bulls are on my trail;
But I'll remember these two good men That died to show me how to live
All you people in Suassos lane sing this song and sing it plain
All you folks that’s coming along, jump in with me and sing this song
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18. |
Don't think twice
03:21
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It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don't matter, anyhow
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
When your rooster crows at the breaks of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm traveling on
Don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in turning on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talking anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
Like you never done before
It ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinking and a-wond'rin' walking down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
Don't think twice, it's all right
So long honey babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye is too good a word, babe
So I just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
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19. |
Last thing on my mind
02:49
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It’s a lesson too late for the learning
Made of sand made of sand
In the wink of an eye my soul is turning
In your hand in your hand
Are you going away with no word of farewell
Will there be not a trace left behind
Well I could have loved you better
I didn’t mean to be unkind
You know that was the last thing on my mind
As I walk alone my thoughts are tumbling
Round and round round and round
Underneath our feet a subway's rumbling
Underground underground
You’ve got reasons a plenty for going
This I know this I know
For the weeds have been steadily growing
Please don’t go please don’t go
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20. |
San Francisco Bay blues
02:15
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I got the blues when my baby left me
Down by the Frisco Bay;
An ocean liner came and took her away
Didn't mean to treat her bad,
She was the best gal I ever ever had;
She said good-bye, made me cry
I wanna lay down and die
I ain't got a nickel, and I ain't got a lousy dime?
She don't come back, think I'm gonna lose my mind
She ever comes back to stay,
it's gonna be a brand new day
Walkin' with my baby down by the San Francisco Bay
Lookin’ from my back door
wonderin’ which way to go;
The gal I'm so crazy about, she don't love me no more
Think I’ll catch me a freight train,
cause I'm feelin' blue
Ride all the way, to the end of the line,
thinkin' only of you
Meanwhile, in another city, Just about to go insane
Sounds like I heard, my baby,
The way she used to call my name
If I ever come back to stay
It’s gonna be a brand new day
Walkin' with my baby down by the San Francisco Bay
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Bruce Hearn Melbourne, Australia
Bruce Hearn has fronted the iconic Melbourne ska band, Strange Tenants, since 1981, with a back catalogue of 8
albums.
At heart however, he is a masterful singer/song writer, guitarist, banjo and harmonica player, and 2020 sees him releasing not one, but 2 double albums of original and iconic folk songs. His motto has always been 'if you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing'!
... more
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