Lyrics
The rivers are dry across the land and the farmers
The lack of rain has caused rivers to dry, and farmlands are now covered in sand.
fields have turned to sand
Farmers' fields have turned into sand due to the prolonged absence of rain.
'Cause the rain hasn't come for two years going on three
A description of a severe drought lasting for two years, almost reaching three.
The topsoil's gone with the hot north wind,
The topsoil has eroded with the hot north wind, making it difficult for crops to grow.
the crops won't grow and rust set in
Crops won't grow, and rust (indicative of decay) has set in due to adverse conditions.
And the cruel south wind of winter brought no relief
The cruel south wind of winter has brought no relief to the challenging agricultural conditions.
And the old men in the public bar talk of floods and droughts before
Old men in a public bar reminisce about past floods and droughts.
And as the night goes on the conversations die
As the night progresses, conversations about hardships fade away.
But the battlers don't give up, it's written on their hands
Despite challenges, the battlers (resilient individuals) persist, as evident in their hands and eyes.
And in their eye-eye-eye-eye-eyes, and the spirit of the land survives
The spirit of the land endures despite adversities.
And on Saturday night in the Royal Hotel, Hank the Dutchman plays guitar
Hank the Dutchman plays guitar in the Royal Hotel on Saturday nights.
He sings country and western favourites and requests
He performs country and western songs, taking requests.
It used to be his second job, a bit of a laugh for a couple of bob
What was once a side job for Hank has become his primary source of income due to crop failure.
Now it's all he's got 'cause his crops all died from thirst
All of Hank's crops died due to lack of water.
Then he spent his savings on cattle and sheep,
Hank invested in cattle and sheep, depleting his savings.
he got some credit, got in too deep
He took credit but got in too deep financially.
But stock won't graze on pastures turned to salt
Stock won't graze on pastures turned to salt, further worsening his situation.
And then he tried to get work as a travelling man selling
He attempted to find work as a traveling salesman but faced challenges.
Rawleighs products from the back of his van
Hank tried selling Rawleighs products from his van.
But the cockies all shop in town where things are cheap
Farmers prefer shopping in town where prices are lower.
And the old men in the public bar talk of floods and droughts before
Similar to line 8, old men in a bar discuss past natural extremes.
And as the night goes on the conversations die
Conversations about challenges diminish as the night progresses.
But the battlers don't give up, it's written on their hands
Battlers persist in the face of adversity, as evident in their hands and eyes.
And in their eye-eye-eye-eye-eyes, and the spirit of the land survives
The enduring spirit of the land is reflected in the resilience of the battlers.
The school's all rundown, the roofs rusted and the paint's peelin'
The school is in disrepair with rusted roofs and peeling paint.
The playground's just a dustbowl, not a spot of green
The playground is barren, devoid of greenery.
The kids still kick their footballs sending dust clouds to the sun
Despite the drought, kids still play football, creating dust clouds.
And it's good to know the drought can't spoil the fun
The drought cannot spoil the joy of the children playing.
And in the cricketers lounge late at night where the
In the cricketers lounge, farmers discuss and shearers engage in late-night activities.
cockies talk and the shearers fight
The atmosphere is intense with discussions among farmers and fights among shearers.
And their wives drink shandies 'cause they'll be dri
Wives of the men in the lounge drink shandies, a beverage made of beer and lemonade.
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