A kangaroo and a kiwi
Sat down to dinner one day.
Said the kiwi to the kangaroo,
‘Before we eat we pray.’
They sat there, the national pair,
The kiwi and the ’roo,
Replied the latter to the former,
‘Well, then, go on, cockle-doodle-do!’
But just then up flew a kooka,
Who landed in a tree,
And promptly said to the prior two,
‘How about a prayer, and some food, for me?!’
Well, one and two looked up at him
Perching near the sky,
And said, together, huffily, ‘If you must,
‘But wouldn’t you rather fly?!’
Before an answer came from the leaves
Other voices joined in:
Echidnas, parrots, wombats and frogs!
Clamouring a dinner din.
Birds and beasts and creeping things
Came from near and far.
Even a flock of barrister birds
Looking for a muesli Bar!
Overhead the sky was dark
With more and more arriving,
Our ’roo and kiwi began to kark -
There was now no chance of surviving!
Yes, pretty soon we were all over there,
Shrieking our culinary wishes,
Hundreds, thousands, millions of fable,
Seated, raucously, at kiwi’roo table -
Thank God for loaves and fishes!!
2004
One road leads off to the left, along the ridge.
It climbs slowly, the path lit by the pale moon,
Strewn with stones and an occasional bridge,
Where the palest light is a miracle boon.
Trees along the way become stunted and small,
The path petering out roughly here and there,
But as the way fades the sky grows tall,
And the mountain air grows fair.
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road’s as good, or bad, as another.
The other, broader, road curves gently down hill,
Descending slowly, moonlight useless in trees,
Easy walking, where light and sound stand still:
It all – life, light, sound, shade – seems designed to please.
Descending further, the valley opens wide
With fields and farms, orchards, and life-sending streams,
And houses, with warming fires inside,
Where people begin their dreams.
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road’s as good, or bad, as another.
The first road climbs upward to the highest high,
Reaching past moonwards to Jupiter and Mars.
And as it winds up to beneath the sky
We see stars beyond stars beyond stars.
And there we stand, mind gazing far beyond eyes,
Questing. What is there, past time and past vast space?
What is there causing life to arise?
Are we alone in this place?
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road’s as good, or bad, as another.
In houses and places where those people live,
They and their children, too, do quest and explore.
Is life a thing for us to take or give?
Is this all there is, or just could there be more?
What’s out there beyond our stars, what’s within our minds?
What happens as a wonderful thought explodes
As all mankind finally finds
Truth in the song of the roads:
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road inevitably leads to another.
In the end,
One road inevitably leads
To another.
Oh my god, what’s that?
Looks like blood upon the mat!
Here comes more, and more –
Covering, pardon, the bloody floor!
What shall I do, I’ve got a bloody bum?
Yes, that’s it, call my Mum!
Mum! It’s me! Blood’s all the go!
I’d better ring triple bloody O!
Before they came, a bloody groan,
But, thank goodness, it was Joan!
She lives quite near, not really far
But still she scratched her bloody car!
Never mind, knocks at the door – ambulance men –
One, two, three…and four!!
There, there, sweetheart, we’re not too late…
Just tell us your bloody weight!
What’s that? Seventy-nine?
I think you’re spinning us a bloody line!
Never mind, get in the van,
He’s obviously coming, your latest bloody fan!
Oh, dear, I’m getting thinner while
Bloody Geoff’s out to bloody dinner!
Never mind, it’ll be all right,
Tonight’s gonna be the bloody night!
Let him sit on the bloody sofa
Like all men a bloody loafa!
Like all women I bear the pain –
Here I go a-bloody-gain!
Not for me this time a bloody birth,
A knife across my bloody girth!
Not much more than a bloody nick –
Then out he came, bloody quick!
The moral of all this, I confess, is that
Life’s a bloody, lovely, mess!
2004
You were the lady of my land
When we met.
Reflections in the window, music from the band,
A swirling dancing set.
You were the lady of my land
As we walked along those roads,
Sharing life’s little loads,
You were the lady of my land.
And I love loving you,
I love loving you.
There’s a million things that I can do
But the best is loving you.
You were the lady of my land
When we wed.
Rainbowed glass in the window, as you took my hand,
Then timeless vows were said.
You were the lady of my land,
So we walked back up the aisle –
And I still wear that smile
For you, the lady of my land.
And I love loving you,
I love loving you.
There’s a million things that I can do
But the best is loving you.
You are the lady of my land
Still today.
I am framed in your window, and the picture’s grand:
Will never go away.
You are the lady of my land,
And when all is said and done,
After the setting sun,
You’ll stay the lady of my land.
And I love loving you,
I love loving you.
There’s a million things that I can do
But the best is loving you.
The best is loving you.
1993
Spoken
Where do you take me, Australia?
Why do you have such a hold?
What makes Australia my country?
My land of the green and the gold.
Sung
It’s the colour of the green
It’s the colour of gold
It’s the heat of the day
And the bite of the cold
It’s brown creeks and blue hills and friendships untold
It’s sights and seas and folks that please:
It’s the land of the green and the gold -
The land of the green and the gold.
Spoken
Where do you take us, Australia?
Why do you have such a hold?
What makes Australia our country?
Our land of the green and the gold.
Sung
It’s the colour of the green
It’s the colour of gold
It’s the never say die
And it’s breaking the mould
It’s splendid achievements and lambs in the fold
It’s towns and plains and flooding rains -
It’s the land of the green and the gold -
The land of the green and the gold.
Spoken
Where do we take you, Australia?
How do we keep such a hold?
What makes our country Australia?
It’s the land of the green and the gold.
Sung
It’s the colour of the green
It’s the colour of gold
It’s the face of the young
And the grace of the old
Explorers and trackers and bushrangers bold
It’s dreams and words and flights of birds
It’s the land of the green and the gold -
The land of the green and the gold.
One road leads off to the left, along the ridge.
It climbs slowly, the path lit by the pale moon,
Strewn with stones and an occasional bridge,
Where the palest light is a miracle boon.
Trees along the way become stunted and small,
The path petering out roughly here and there,
But as the way fades the sky grows tall,
And the mountain air grows fair.
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road’s as good, or bad, as another.
The other, broader, road curves gently down hill,
Descending slowly, moonlight useless in trees,
Easy walking, where light and sound stand still:
It all – life, light, sound, shade – seems designed to please.
Descending further, the valley opens wide
With fields and farms, orchards, and life-sending streams,
And houses, with warming fires inside,
Where people begin their dreams.
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road’s as good, or bad, as another.
The first road climbs upward to the highest high,
Reaching past moonwards to Jupiter and Mars.
And as it winds up to beneath the sky
We see stars beyond stars beyond stars.
And there we stand, mind gazing far beyond eyes,
Questing. What is there, past time and past vast space?
What is there causing life to arise?
Are we alone in this place?
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road’s as good, or bad, as another.
In houses and places where those people live,
They and their children, too, do quest and explore.
Is life a thing for us to take or give?
Is this all there is, or just could there be more?
What’s out there beyond our stars, what’s within our minds?
What happens as a wonderful thought explodes
As all mankind finally finds
Truth in the song of the roads:
You may be on one road, my friend,
And I on the other,
But there’s no doubt that, in the end,
One road inevitably leads to another.
In the end,
One road inevitably leads
To another.
Do I want to be a king?
The only thing I haven’t been.
From soldier to lover, and
Everything between.
A king, a king,
Yes, yes, that’s what he wants to be.
Do I want to be a king?
To live beyond “You cannot do”;
To leave all that behind, and
Always get my due.
A king, a king -
Yes, yes, that’s what he wants to be.
Yes, yes, that’s what he wants: All
To be a king.
2025
Tomorrow
Tomorrow
Tomorrow
Tomorrow
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Ah, yon bird -
Are you there…to be heard?
Is the night your own
Safe world?
While I lie here bent, uncurled,
Not sleeping, knowing that
Tomorrow will be weeping…
So that I can be a king.
A soldier I -
Paid to do or die,
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Ah, yon moon -
Will your light…end so soon?
Can you stay your hand
A while?
As you fall beneath the trees,
Silently blacking out.
Come the sun, please come the bees…
So that I can be a king.
A soldier I -
Paid to do or die,
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Ah, yon stars -
Are you there, odin, thor?
Loki, Freya, Mars?
My lord?
Are you all or are you none?
On whose side: his or mine?
Come the son, please, come the sun…
So that I can be a king.
A soldier I -
Paid to do or die,
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
So that I can be a king.
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow
Today.
2025
I’ve been walking in the shadow’d valleys,
Not sure where to go or what to do;
Found myself alone in darken’d alleys,
All alone, a rendezvous in blue, (but)...
Climbing up towards the top of the world now,
Up to the sky, where I can fly!
Come climbing with me far above all your cares now,
Come on, get out, get rid of your doubts.
There’s a new world for you,
Where we can share the joys of friendship with each other.
At the top of the world there’s sunshine and laughter
Ev’rywhere there’s joy and song in the air.
What’s the point of always feeling sadly?
Why should I let the world get me down?
No matter that things seem to go so badly -
Must dress myself in a diff’rent gown!
Climbing up towards the top of the world now,
Up to the sky, where I can fly!
Come climbing with me far above all your cares now,
Come on, get out, get rid of your doubts.
There’s a new world for you,
Where we can share the joys of friendship with each other.
At the top of the world there’s sunshine and laughter
Ev’rywhere there’s joy and song in the air.
If you make up your mind to take it on,
Doesn’t matter, really, what you choose,
You’ll find those old worries of yours all gone,
And then you’ll find that you cannot lose, (’cos)...
Climbing up towards the top of the world now,
Up to the sky, where I can fly!
Come climbing with me far above all your cares now,
Come on, get out, get rid of your doubts.
There’s a new world for you,
Where we can share the joys of friendship with each other.
At the top of the world there’s sunshine and laughter
Ev’rywhere there’s joy and song in the air.
Doesn’t matter, really, what you choose,
You’ll find those old worries of yours all gone,
And you’ll find that you cannot lose,
It doesn’t really matter, what you choose.
What is a king,
Without a son?
A glorious lineage
Not even begun!
What is a king,
Without a son?
A tired old man, all alone:
A sum of just one.
What is a king,
Without a son?
A sad old man; on a chair:
A dynasty of one.
What is a king,
Without a son? But a
Smart old man, awake and fair?
Perhaps with an heir?
What does it take, my friend,
To begin a dream?
A thought, a whim,
A hazy scheme
Is all that it takes to
Begin a dream.
What does it take, my friend,
To grow a dream?
Commitment and
A pleasant theme
Is all that it takes to
Grow a dream.
What does it take, my friend,
To spread a dream?
The right time and
A proper team
Is all that it takes to
Spread a dream.
Well, that’s all very fine and true,
And if that was all we had to do -
The world would be drowning in
Streams of dreams!
So, what else is there,
Oh, would-be entrepreneur?
Character and courage,
Seeing good in roughage!
Knowing that gain may be
Disguised as pain;
Walking, crawling each extra mile,
All the time with style;
And finally, my friend who dares
To sip this cup,
Give love, and laughter,
And never give up.
That’s what it takes.
2007
Words can tell
Stories of loves;
Words can sing
Of the flights of doves.
Words can help us
Struggle through pain;
Words can bring life
Flowing back again.
Words tell us things that
We didn’t know,
They make all our hearts
Sink or glow:
They tell us when to
Come or go…
You send them where they
Shouldn't go: the
Older, wiser,
Faster or slow -
To live or die,
Where flowers grow.
To live or die,
Where flowers grow.
Where flowers grow.
2025
Leaves of autumn fall
As winter calls.
My hope goes, like a failing tree.
Will I hear the call again,
Calling summer's song down through its leaves to me?
Winds of winter storms,
As cold winter forms.
So hope goes, like an ebbing sea.
Will I feel the flow again,
Flowing music’s soul down through the waves to me?
Tears of sorrow spring,
Salt streams, sad streams, lost streams,
And hope flees like a dying plea.
Will I ever dream again,
Warming sunshine’s rays down through the skies to me?
Leaves begin to fall,
As winter calls.
My hope fades, a lost melody.
Will I never hear again
Calling summer’s song down through the leaves to me?
Will I never hear again,
Calling summer’s song down through the leaves to me?
I will never hear a call again.
I will never hear a call again.
I will never hear a call again.
I will never hear a call again.
Will she wait for me
At the gate?
Will she know that I
Sigh for her?
Will we ever be?
A soldier I -
Paid to do or die,
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Will she be brave for me,
And save for me?
Will she pray for me or
Stray from me?
Will we never be?
A soldier I -
Paid to do or die,
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Will she wait for me?
Will she be brave for me?
Will she pray for me?
Or will she stray from me?
A soldier I -
Paid to do or die,
A man who must plan only for
Tomorrow.
Will she know that I
Died for her?
Tomorrow.
2025
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