Open Country - Fred Smith

From the album 'Soapbox'

Came in today
Flying over Sydney Harbour
As she sparkled like a diamond
On a Sydney summer's day
Red hot roof tiles
But it's freezing back in China
As the plane wheels hit the runway
It's a long (?) away

Got into a cab
I was talkin' to the taxi driver
He described a land divided
Fingers pointing left and right
On the radio an old man
Selling anger on the airwaves
He was blaming everyone who wasn't middle class and white
And the taxi driver swore
He said "Mate, we're all New Australians
Whether your name be Philippoussis, Smith or Clark or bloody Wong."
And I said "Yeah, you're right, this is not the 1960s
There's far more to being Australian then your esky or your thongs."

And he said "you're not wrong.
Hear my song.
I'm Australian
There's plenty of space in me."

Well he dropped me down on King Street
Where the corporate droids were praying
Not for prophets from the Bible
They prefer there's cash in hand
Took the Bondi bus up Oxford
Saw the pretty boys out walkin'
I saw skin of every colour
Racing Bondi's burning sands

And meanwhile through the countryside
The bushfires were a blazin'
I saw people fight together
Everybody lends a hand
And out in the great dry West I hear the old stockmen a-talkin'
'bout the good times and the hard times
That had fallen on the land

And I say
Understand
It's our land
You're Australian
There's plenty of space in me

Oh Pauline, Pauline
Now do you think you know the answers
Do you even know the question
Are we watching' the same game
Are your politics of fear
Use your politics of anger
But you're not the only one to use the politics of blame

And I'm hearing arguments and fighting
Over reconciliation
When we know a land divided
Is the worst we've got to fear
And there's gonna be more blues
Cause there's so many different viewpoints
If and when the matter's settled
Then let's sit down for a beer

And I say
Have no fear
There'll be tears
You're Australian
There's plenty of space in me

Well the time is now
Cause the winds of change are blowing
We must bend and never break
Like a supple sapling gum
And if you're telling me that we can't change
If you say we're old and rigid
I suggest you learn some yoga
So you learn to bite your bum
So stand up now
Let us look to the horizon
There's still so much space to grow in
We can learn how to succeed
But first things first
We must find the space inside us
Just to understand a complex land
And in it we plant the seeds

And I say
Young and free
You're Australie
Young and free and there's plenty of space in me

Came in today
Flyin' over Sydney Harbour
As she sparkled like a diamond
On a Sydney summer's day

Category:

Music

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• australia
• australian music
• open country
• fred smith
• soapbox
• australian folk
• folk
• political music
• fred
• smith
• open
• country
• soap
• box