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SONG LYRICS
We are gradually putting all our lyrics on this page, but at present there is only a selection from each album title.
If you need other lyrics which aren't printed here, email us and we will send them to you

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SUBJECT/SONG INDEX (click here)

SEARCH FOR THE SUBJECT YOU WANT TO COVER AND FIND THE APPROPRIATE SONG
WITH A REFERENCE TO THE ALBUM WHERE IT CAN BE FOUND

 
SONG LYRICS ON THIS PAGE:
(Click on title to go to lyrics).

STAY ON SHORE  *  INJUNE RAILWAY  *  WHERE THE CANE FIRES BURN  * 
 
HEY RAIN!  *  DON'T LET 'EM CLOSE OUR MILL  *  CALL IT FLAMIN' HOT

RIDIN' ON THE FRUIT TRAIN  *  TILL THE CAMELS COME  * 

WERRIS CREEK (THE RAILWAY TOWN) * WHEN THE COOPER'S COMING DOWN *

AURELIA * GOODBYE TO YOUR SCHOOLDAYS

From MOON CALLER PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT (RM138CD)

AURELIA

We sailed out from Southampton one bitter winter's day,
Up and down the bumpy waves of stormy Biscay Bay ,
I walked the decks with rosy cheeks in freezing rain and blow
My family feeling seasick in the cabin down below.

Chorus: Aurelia, Aurelia, sailing to Australia ,
Sailing to Australia - halfway across the world .

We travelled ever southwards & we came to calmer seas,
Watched the washing drying in the Mediterranean breeze,
Standing by the rail all day, I drank in what I saw -
I'd never seen a sea so blue, or any foreign shore.

A brilliant Port Said sunset, a palm tree silhouette,
Suez and then Aden – a long way to go yet.
Next the Indian Ocean – old salts now on the foam
Crossing the equator, Christmas far from home.

Ch:

6 weeks at sea, long days of sun and nights of alien stars,
The scent of eucalyptus, blue smoke seen from afar,
I loved our ship, I loved the sea, but now our trip was done,
And as Aurelia sailed away … a new life had begun.

Ch:

Words: PENNY DAVIES, Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 2007 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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GOODBYE TO YOUR SCHOOLDAYS

It doesn't seem so long ago that you were just a child.
You've made us laugh, you've made us cry, but mostly made us smile.

You changed our lives, you filled our days, you've questioned “how” and “why”,
your schooldays done, the time has flown, it's time for you to fly.

Chorus: It's all the highs & lows you've surfed that make this moment sweet,
It's goodbye to your schooldays - tThe world is at your feet.

We've walked with you and carried you up hills that were too steep,
We played and played the whole day through - then put you off to sleep.
We read you books, we sang you songs, we watched for shooting stars,
We helped you with your homework - now we let you drive the car.
Ch:

We've walked the road along with you, our daughters and our sons,
And as you take this giant step we're proud of what you've done.
Ch:

  Words & Music: PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT © 2006 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

These songs can be found on the CD MOON CALLER along with the following other titles : She's Like A Tree; Four Horsemen; Circle Game; Crazy Weather; O'Mara's Front Verandah; The Goldfield; Wet Season Blues; Song Of The Artesian Water; Pte. Herbert Thomas Scard; Must Have Been The Moon; Armstrong; Peaceful; Storm King Jam.. For extra lyrics email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au and we will email them to you.

From BIG WATER PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT (RM100CD)

WERRIS CREEK (THE RAILWAY TOWN)

Chorus: They built me up, they broke me down,
I'm Werris Creek, the railway town,
They broke me down, but I came back,
And better days are down the track.

1. A railway camp beside the creek, growing quickly week by week,
Laying rails and sleepers down, soon became a railway town.

2. Warragundi looms above a little town her people love,
A station built in '79, the jewel of the northern line .
Ch
3. Tracks branched out on every side, her station was a place of pride,
Railway families flourished here in the train of passing years

4. Now people flock to ride the rails, hear railway workers tell their tales
Of days when railways crossed the land and people worked with heart and hand .
Ch
5. Let sense and sanity prevail to bring again the days of rail,
So towns who've seen the railways go, like Werris Creek will live and grow.

Words: PENNY DAVIES, Music: ROGER ILOTT © 2005 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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WHEN THE COOPER'S COMING DOWN
I always like the stories of our rivers of renown,
And I feel a real excitement when the Cooper's coming down,
For the land has turned the corner and the pastures will improve,
With old-timers optimistic when the Cooper's on the move.

So I heard it's coming down again if information's right -
And put aside your worries for this watery delight.
It may not be the Ganges, or the Amazon or Nile,
But when the Cooper's on the go you'll see the Outback smile.

Chorus : The Cooper's coming down, the Cooper's coming down,
The pelicans will muster when the Cooper's coming down.

The northern storms are bountiful for Nature's brimming cup
When Huey sends the rain drops down, the Cooper laps it up.
The landscape has a shining face so celebrate the scene -
The kangaroos are spotless, the goannas nice and clean.

Chorus : The Cooper's coming down, the Cooper's coming down,
The pelicans will muster when the Cooper's coming down.

I grow a little weary of the city's frantic theme,
And I feel a sudden yearning for a river reach's gleam.
I will pack my swag and hasten from this petrol-fuming town
And go dancing with the brolgas when the Cooper's coming down.

Chorus : The Cooper's coming down, the Cooper's coming down,
I'll go dancing with the brolgas when the Cooper's coming down.

Words: MAX FATCHEN Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 2006 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

These songs can be found on the CD BIG WATER along with the following other titles: Turn The World Around ,Rusty Dusty Days (R.Ilott), Big Water, The Humpback Whale, Listen To The Wind, The Angler, Pushing It Down, Back To The Sea Again, Johnny, The Hills And Rocks of Home, The Once-Great Railway Family, The Magpies Said, Turn! Turn! Turn. For extra lyrics email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au and we will email them to you.

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From JUST A BIT OF QUARTZ - PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT (RM087 CD)

STAY ON SHORE
I will anchor one day - one shimmering day
Of heat haze, grey smoke and breeze,
And unburden myself of my treasures
Beneath the blue eucalypt trees.
The seas of my youth, the sapphires and shells,
I'll bury them there in the sand.
I'll keep a blue stone to remember them by
And I'll wear it upon my right hand.

Chorus: And all my sails I'll furl and stow
And I'll say goodbye to the crew,
And on the sea no more I'll go,
But stay on shore with you.

The islands and reefs and the tropical moon,
The jewels that I found on my way,
I'll scatter them all on my homecoming shore
For the waves to take as they may.

Chorus and Repeat verse 1

Words: PENNY DAVIES, Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 2001 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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THE INJUNE RAILWAY
Chorus: 60 miles to Roma, it takes you half a day,
It took four years to build, but theyre closin' it today

Cattle, sheep, wool & timber, cream & pumpkins, people too,
For years the locos hauled the trains, at 20 miles an hour they flew!
Traveling with the season's produce - 9 bob is what you pay
Over five hours to Roma on the Injune Railway

Chorus

Out through Komine and Kooragan, stop at half a dozen gates
Fireman opens, guard'll close'em - every time the train just waits.
Slow across the timber bridges - Gum Gully's many spans.
60 miles of railway line, 4 years work for many hands.

Chorus

Over creeks and over gullies crossing roads and stations too
The track was laid by 1920 - 300 in the crew.
Up and down the track from Roma with freight of different kinds
The steam trains ran on the Injune branch line.

Chorus

New Year's Eve, '66, as the last train pulls away.
Nearly 50 years they ran - therell be no train on New Year's Day.
Goodbye Minka, Ona Ona,
Alicker and Yingerbay,
Goodbye Kingull, Blue Lagoon - goodbye Injune railway.

Chorus

Words: PENNY DAVIES Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 2001 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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These songs can be found on the CD JUST A BIT OF QUARTZ along with the following other titles: Dont Let The Murray Run Dry, 60 Miles from Cunninghams Gap, The Light of the Star, My Old Dog And I, The Western Mail, A Nautical Yarn, The Net, Plastic Container Of Plonk, The Long Haul, Love is a Lifeline, The Listening Land, Frost On The Wattle, Just A Bit Of Quartz, Sow the Seeds of Love, Stardust
For extra lyrics email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au and we will email them to you.

WHERE THE CANE FIRES BURN
I've wandered east, I've wandered west,
From the Hamersley Range to the Snowy Crest,
From the Lachlan Plains to the Broken Hill,
But my heart's at the Johnstone River still.
Now the time has come when I must return
Where the vine scrub grows and the cane fires burn.
Where the vine scrub grows and the cane fires burn.

By the Yarra now the cold rain falls
And the wind is bleak from the Bass Strait squalls,
I stand and wonder in the chill
Has the season started at Mulgrave Mill?
For Autumn comes and I must return
Where the harvesters chug and the trash fires burn -
Where the harvesters chug and the trash fires burn.

The smog is thick and stings the eye
Where the Harbour Bridge fills half the sky
And the sirens wail through Sydney town....
But I dream of Tully when the sun goes down
Where the rainforest covers the hills with green
The cane grows tall and the air is clean -
The cane grows tall and the air is clean.

I've been wandering South and West
On land and sea, but the north is best.
Now Autumn comes with its hint of snows
And I must follow where the egret goes
To watch the evening's first faint star
From Flying Fish Point or Yarrabah-
From Flying Fish Point or Yarrabah.

Words & Music: BILL SCOTT Copyright 1999 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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HEY RAIN
CHORUS: Hey rain, rain comin' down
On the cane, on the roofs of the town.

There's rain on me hands and rain on me face,
Oh muddy old Innisfail's a muddy wet place,
Hey rain, hey rain.
And there's rain in me beer and rain in me grub,
And they've just fitted anchors to the Garradunga pub,
Hey rain, hey rain.

Chorus........

There's a Johnstone River crocodile livin' in me frig'
And a bloody great tree on the Jubilee Bridge
Hey rain, hey rain.
And the monsoon sky has sprung a leak
From Flyin' Fish Point to the Millstream Creek,
Hey rain, hey rain.

Chorus.....

And the storm clouds are so black and big
Theres an old flyin' fox in the Moreton Bay fig,
Hey rain, hey rain
It's the worst wet season we've ever had,
And I'd swim down to Tully, but it's just as bloody bad
Hey rain, hey rain.

Chorus.....

Words & Music: BILL SCOTT Copyright 1999 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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OPAL MINER THE SONGS OF BILL SCOTT: other tracks Rain In The Channel Country, The Monkeys Sing Soprano, Trochus Boats, Tanglefoot Harry, Hard On A Lass, The Mungindi Ball, Brisbane Girl, Mount Tully Lullaby, Cullendore Creek, The Darling Bunyip, Silverwood Dam, Tales Of the Wind, Lullaby, Old Mans Song, The Lighthouse Keeper and the Herring Gull, Coal Train, Cane Train
can be found in HEY RAINTHE BILL SCOTT SONGBOOK -
OR email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au a nd we will email the lyrics to you.

From HEART OF TOWN - PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT (RM080 CD)

DON'T LET 'EM CLOSE OUR MILL
Chorus: Don't let 'em close the old mill down -
The sugar mill's the heart of town.
Don't let 'em close our mill.
Don't let 'em close our mill.

We burnt the fields, we cut by hand,
We came here from a hundred lands.
And now we cut with big machines
The cutter's gone the way of steam.
Up here among the ''Bundy snow'',
We've seen our town and families grow
Our kids are tall as sugar cane.
Old days are gone - but we remain.

Chorus

When they said the mill would close
The lifeblood of the town just froze.
Without the mill there'll be no cane,
We'll rust here in the northern rain.
Without the cane the banks will go,
The farms will die, the crows will crow.
The kids will leave or get the dole,
The place will lose its heart and soul

Chorus

We see the future with no mill,
Fields are empty, trains are still.
Don't want to see that day arrive,
We'll fight to keep our town alive.

Chorus

Words & Music: PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT Copyright 2001 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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CALL IT FLAMIN' HOT
In sunny South Australia, it's rather warm outback,
Theyre swimming in mirages along the Birdsville Track.
Its the kind of summer climate that will leave a bloke dismayed,
Where even willy-willies will stay whirling in the shade.
Theres a sundowner sitting in a creek bed with a frown
He hopes the Diamantina will soon be coming down.
There are blistering goannas rubbing sunscreen on their claws,
While they say, at Oodnadatta, it is best to stay indoors.

CHORUS: They can quote their fine statistics, they seem to have a lot!
But Celsius or Fahrenheit - just call it flamin' hot!
The driest and the hottest state will win your thirsty votes,
And on the pub veranda, you will find the driest throats.
And the barman said he served this mob - it seemed the only course,
Four camels, half a dozen 'roos, the drover's dog and horse.

Chorus

I'm told the flocks of cockatoos beside the River Finke
Are loud with their entreaties of ''Cocky Wants A Drink!''
But who will switch the sun off, or dim its dreaded glare?
So what about Antarctica and how's the weather there?

Chorus

Words: MAX FATCHEN, Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 2001 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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These songs can be found on the CD HEART OF TOWN along with the following other titles: The GST Calypso , Caboolture Days , On Top Of High Peak , Whenever You Come My Way, If I Could, A Fisherman Bold, The Lighthouse, Out Of Sight, Here And Now, Old Nugget, We'll Meet On The Shore, Ups And Downs, The Southern Cross, The Marree Line, Who Knows Where The Time Goes, The Brandy Tree, Turn Again. For extra lyrics email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au and we will email them to you.

From OUTBACK CAFE - PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT (RM067CD)

RIDIN' ON THE FRUIT TRAIN
When I was young I used to wait down by the railway gates,
And when the fruit train came along I'd jump on with me mates.
The drivers knew our faces, and they'd let us shovel coal,
But the coal would end up on the plate we'd miss the firebox hole.

Chorus: Cottonvale, Fleurbaix, Pozieres,
Bullecourt and Passchendaele,
Baupaume, Messines and Amiens on the 42 pound rail,
For 12 miles and 25 chains through orchards, scrub and pines,
Ridin' on the fruit train on the Amiens branch line.

We'd pass the golden orchards, and we'd whistle through the pines.
There used to be six sidings, but now they've closed the line.
There's not a trace of track from Amiens to Cottonvale,
But I remember golden days on the 42 pound rail.

Chorus

Words: PENNY DAVIES Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 1997 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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Notes: A chain is 22 yards (or 20.1168 metres) the length of a cricket pitch! The 42 pound rail is a light rail, weighing 42 pounds per foot.

TILL THE CAMELS COME
From Cooper Creek to Alice Springs,
The Afghan rides with the camel strings.
Raisin' dust on the beaten track, everything comes on the camel's back.
For the railway camps - a case of nails, sleepers, food and a load of rails.
They carry tools to the copper mines, and wire for the overland telegraph lines.

Chorus: From Hergott Springs on the Queensland Road
The camels plod with their heavy loads.
We squint through the dust & the sinking sun,
watch and wait till the camels come.

A letter from home, a bolt of lace,
kero tins in a packing case,
gear for the men in the shearing game,
picks and shovels for the diggers' claims.

Chorus

Pots and brooms and a keg of ale,
flour and a book of fairy tales.
The child who lives in a distant place
looks to the track with a hopeful face.

Chorus

From Cooper Creek to Alice Springs, the Afghan rides with the camel strings.
We run through the dust in the sinking sun - cheer as the line of camels come.

Chorus

Words: PENNY DAVIES Music: ROGER ILOTT Copyright 1997 Restless Music APRA/AMCOS

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These songs can be found on the CD OUTBACK CAFE along with the following other titles: Beside A Railway Line, The Flying Gang, Mrs Thomas Moore, Send Her Down Hughie! Bullocky Bill, Balmain, Down The Track, Girraween, Where The Rivers Rise, Up In The Queensland Mountains, The Cubby Tree.
For extra lyrics email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au and we will email them to you.

PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT

SONG SUBJECT INDEX

Subjects of songs/Track Listings

ALBUMS: MOON CALLER, BIG WATER, JUST A BIT OF QUARTZ, HEART OF TOWN, OPAL MINER, OUTBACK CAFE

Number following album title is track number (e.g. OUTBACK CAFE3 is Track 3, Outback Café)