The Dingo’s Breakfast (Lyrics/chords for Loosely Woven – April 2016) Dampier Seven Mile ............................................................................... 2 Mademoiselle from Armientiers ...................................................... 3 Dirty Old Town ........................................................................................ 4 The Lachlan Tigers ................................................................................... 5 Now I’m Easy .............................................................................................. 6 The Diamantina Drover ....................................................................... 7 The Shemlock ............................................................................................. 8 The Gundagai Set – Nine Miles to Gundagai .......................... 9 The Gundagai Set – Lousy Harry’s .............................................. 10 The Gundagai Set – The Road to Gundagai ......................... 12 Dampier Seven Mile . Am G F E Am The sun comes o’er the red rock hills to the east of Dampier Town Am G F E Am It breathes it’s fire upon the earth, turns the dust red brown G Am G Am It breathes its fire up-on the men that work upon the track Am G F E Am Burns their minds, burns their souls, burns their bodies black Into this hell of flies and sweat for money men are driven To work upon the railroad track at a place they call Mile Seven To work upon that railroad track down at Seven Mile To earn their pay, to buy their drinks, to earn a young gin’s smile Down at the camp they share their bunks, just like a prison cell And in the pub they drink and talk of girls they once knew well They drink and talk of girls they knew until their hearts are sore The back into the lonely room, close the lonely door The sun comes o’er the red rock hills to the east of Dampier Town It breathes it’s fire upon the earth, turns the dust red brown It breathes its fire upon the men that work upon the track Burns their minds, burns their souls, burns their bodies black © Alex Green 2 Mademoiselle From Armientiers C G Oh Mademoiselle from Armentiers . Parlez Vous G C Sang the Diggers between their beers . Parlez Vous C F G And the ballad roared by the Diggers gay C F G C F G C Went through that old Estaminet . Inky-pinky-parlez vous There was a Digger long and lean . Parlez Vous From Darling Downs or the Riverine . Parlez Vous Who set her heart in a rapturous whirl, When he vowed she was a dinkum girl . Inky-pinky-parlez vous They lived and laughed in that old French town . Parlez Vous And her heart looked out from her eyes of brown . Parlez Vous But time stood by and there came a day, When he and his cobbers marched away . Inky-pinky-parlez vous Maybe on some field of France he fell . Parlez Vous No word came back to the Madmoiselle . Parlez Vous That pretty French girl with eyes of brown, Prayed for him still in that war-stripped town . Inky-pinky-parlez vous Now quiet is that Estaminet . Parlez Vous No more Diggers come that way . Parlez Vous Her heart grew light with the passing years, Of that Mademoiselle from Armentiers . Inky-pinky-parlez vous The boys from Wagga and Gundagai . Parlez Vous From Perth, the Towerr and Boggabri . Parlez Vous Sydney City and Dandenong, They think of you as they battle on . Inky-pinky-parlez vous 3 Dirty Old Town in G C C I met my love by the gasworks wall F C Dreamed a dream by the old canal F C C Kissed my girl by the factory wall G Am Dirty old town, dirty old town Clouds are drifting across the moon Cats are prowling on their beat Springs a girl from the streets at night Dirty old town, dirty old town Heard a siren from the dock Saw a train set the night on fire Smelled the spring in the smoky wind Dirty old town, dirty old town I’m going to make me a big sharp axe Shining steel tempered in the fire I’ll chop you down like an old dead tree Dirty old town, dirty old town I met my love by the gasworks wall Dreamed a dream by the old canal Kissed my girl by the factory wall Dirty old town, dirty old town 4 The Lachlan Tigers Here we are in New South Wales, shearing sheep as big as whales With leather necks and daggy tails and hides as tough as rusty nails Am G At his gate each shearer stood as the whistle loudly blew, Dm G7 Am With eyebrows fixed and lips compressed the tigers all bent too; Am F C G You could hear the clicking of the shears as through the wool they glide, Am E Am F C E Am You see our gun already turned, he’s on the whipping side. Chorus: A lot of Lachlan tigers it’s plain to see we are Hark to our burly ringer as he loudly calls for tar; ‘Tar here,’ calls one and quick the tar boy flies ‘Sweep those locks away,’ another loudly cries. The scene it is a lively one and ought to be admired, There hasn't been a better board since Jacky Howe expired Along the board our gaffer walks his face all in a frown And passing by the ringer says, ‘You watch my lad, keep down.’ For I must have their bellies off, and topknots too likewise, My eye is quick so none of your tricks or you’ll go down like flies, Curses on the gaffer, he’s never on our side, To shear a decent tally boys, in vain I’ve often tried. I have a pair of Ward and Paine’s that are both bright and new, I’ll rig them up and I’ll let you see what I can really do! For I’ve shorn on the Riverine where they shear ’em by the score But such a mob as this to clip I’ve never shore before. Finish doing Am to A 5 NOW I’M EASY. eric bogle A D A F#m For nearly sixty years I’ve been a cocky, A D A E Of drought & fires and flood, I’ve lived through plenty A D A F#m A And this country’s dust and mud has seen my tears and my blood A E A G D It’s nearly over now, and now I’m easy. e a s y eeeee A I married a fine girl when she was twenty But she died in giving birth when she was thirty No Flying Doctor then, just a gentle old black gin It's nearly over now and now I'm easy She left me with two sons and a daughter And a bone dry farm whose soil cries out for water ‘Though my care was rough and ready, they grew up both fine and steady It’s nearly over now, and now I’m easy My daughter married young and went her own way My sons lie buried by the Burma Railway So on this land I made my own, I carried on alone It’s nearly over now, and now I’m easy.. City folks don't understand the Cocky Say with subsidies and all, we've got it easy But there's no drought nor starving stock, on a sewered suburban block But it's nearly over now, and now I'm easy (repeat verse one . ) 6 The Diamantina Drover G D Em The faces in the photograph has faded... C G C And I can't believe he looks so much like me... D Em Bm Am Em For . it's been ten long years since I left for old Cork Station... Am G C D Em Saying I won't be back ‘til the droving’s done... Chorus: D C G Am Em For the rain never falls on the dusty Diamantina... Bm C The drover finds it hard to change his mind... D G Bm For the years have surely gone C Em Like the drays from old Cork Station... Am G C D Em And I won't be back ‘til the droving’s done... Well it seems like the sun comes up each mornin' Sets me up and takes it all away For the dreaming by the light of the camp fire at ni-ight Ends with the burning by the day For the rain never falls on the dusty Diamantina Sometimes I think I'll settle back in Sydney But it's been so long it's hard to change my mind For the cattle trail goes on and on And the fences roll forever And I won't be back till the drovin's done For the rain never falls on the dusty Diamantina 7 SHEMLOCK I dreamed last night that the Shemlock Train came down it's rusting right-o'-way, Clanging across the Mulga Plain,running against the break of day.. It was a frenzied thing of steel spraying the murk with lurid light, Rending the hush with siren peal,Shemlock-bound at dead of night . Kerbing stones where the streets went down & pepper trees in a long straight row Are all that's left of Shemlock Town that flourished fifty years ago. Poppet heads on the wind-swept rise sentinel each forsaken mine, Only the flooding moonlight lies in the lanes where lost lamps used to shine...... Em G D G Em All that's left of Shemlock Town are the kerbing stones where the street went down. G D C G D Em Poppet legs of the Shemlock Mine , pepper trees in a long straight line ############ E D Veiled in drowsy noonday haze, the Shemlock dreams of golden days. E D C Em When men came up and men came down, all the land knew Shemlock Town ############ Em G chorus .