The Measure of a Man Colin Buchanan

The autumn sun Warmed the sand Of the river running dry And around the gums Dads and mums Lay with dogs Under open skies And let the days slip by ...

Silver Bullet Colin Buchanan

Set the yards up, dug a hole Rounded up the sheep Picked the ones that had to go It’d make a fella weep Food for dogs and a few loose coins CHORUS It was a simple plan to work this land But

Rocko Colin Buchanan

We searched out a quiet corner of the Middle Bre Hotel A couple of dudes from out of town and it wasn't hard to tell A fella with an old guitar Who'd been playing in the public bar Gave a gappy smile

He Waits Colin Buchanan

They met in the summer of 1958, A hometown girl with stars in her eyes He came from out of town to work in the mill, She found what she was looking for And he, he found a wife.

The Heroes of the Flames Colin Buchanan

The bush was like a tinder-box From a summer free of rain The unrelenting westerlies Quickly fanned the flames And with every passing hour The flames were burning higher Thousands faced destruction

By the Barwon Colin Buchanan

It was a week of weather over 40 The dogs were panting in the peppercorn shade The heat was roasting the little town By the Barwon 2.

The Local District Show Colin Buchanan

Rams and jams, bulls and biscuits Crafts and cattle, sheep and shortbread Brought before the steward’s gaze Stock and produce, craft displays It’s a day when people have a go It’s the local district

Edge of the Kimberley Colin Buchanan

Take the Sunset strip out of Timber Creek Past the boab tree and the rusty peak A couple of hours and you're going to be On the edge of the Kimberley Took a tinny on the Ord to Ivanhoe Barramundi

Kurrajong Colin Buchanan

In his annexe made of besser bricks and corrugated iron I can hear the roar of footy on a Saturday afternoon Kurrajong’s got his slippers on and he sips a mug of coffee And he’s glad to share the

Runaway Train Colin Buchanan

They were still bagging grain when the train pulled in He was a hardworkin' fella with a knockabout grin And the boss' daughter took a shine to him And they were off like a runaway train Close the

Thinking of You Colin Buchanan

The rain drifted onto the range from the west The town took a shower that settled the dust And the last of the sun was just breaking through ... When I started thinking of you ... 2.

Tough Job Colin Buchanan

Heading road trains west of the Warrego River Pigging in the lyginum on the Barcoo Drilling for oil in the Strezleki Desert Or shipping the wool clip out Pokataroo Chorus...

The Bimbi Talent Quest Colin Buchanan

Talent Quest They planned to use the local hall to stage the big event But in the end they had to hire a great big canvas tent The problem was the hall burned down at the last big B & S But that

Sons of the Country Colin Buchanan

He drives a red and yellow taxi down George Street He knows this city like it was his own But he talks about a life beyond the ranges And he dreams about the big sky of home Chorus...

Frank the Scab Colin Buchanan

Frank had 7 kids and a 20 stone wife They lived on the frowned on side of town A simple sort of life He’s had a council job since ‘74 Kept the food in the belly and the wolf from the door And gave

The Birdsville Races Colin Buchanan

Now folk's will tell you Birdsville is a little town You'd miss it if you blink But I took a trip out that way And it's not the sort of town Most people think ....

Singlets Blue Colin Buchanan

Grab your gear - it’s time to take a pen, Working out the western sheds again, From sheep to table, bin to bale Cockies work ‘em tooth and nail To the chuggin’ of the donk and the chattering blade

Out West of the Mighty Darling Colin Buchanan

Out west of the mighty Darling Where the big bomboras blow And turn daylight to the black of night In half an hour or so And you race for the nearest shelter From dust like rusty snow Out west of

That Old Caravan Colin Buchanan

They hitched up that old caravan in 1963 They drove a big black Zephyr They were young and they were free Pointed southwards with a tailwind And no particular plan Just a young bloke and his new

Without You Colin Buchanan

Oh the bed I slip into is empty and frozen No lover have I to hold And my sleep it is fitful but I cling to the dreaming O how can I live one more night without you?

Living in Town Colin Buchanan

You took your bride to the farm The same land your father worked And your grandfather cleared You shared the joy of two sons One day the place would be theirs To share with their brides You took

The House on Fishy Lake Road Colin Buchanan

The house on Fishy Lake Road Stands on the brow of the hill Her timbers are weathered and grey Her rooms are empty and still No warmth from a welcoming fire Beckons this traveller home The wind

North Bourke Bridge Colin Buchanan

There’s sunshine in the south-east There’s rain to the north-westAnd Gundabooka’s brewing up a storm The sleeping Bogan River Winds its gentle track And the locals said they knew that I’d be back

Adelago Colin Buchanan

Cockatoos call in the morning Surf crashes on the golden sand It's 5 hours from the dust and the paddocks On the edge of the big brown land He's missing that farm under Sugarloaf Mountain There's

The Wanaaring Road Colin Buchanan

If you head west beyond the Darling Near the corner country of New South Wales You'll know you've struck the real Australia When your wheels hit the Wanaaring Road 2.

Here One Moment Colin Buchanan

I love this house I built this house We raised our children here The walls have shared the tumult In the passing of the years But we lost it all last Saturday In the crackle and the roar Our home

Come What May Colin Buchanan

all farewell Cos there’s been fire before in Illabo And there’ll be fire again And come what may, There’s been worse things in the way It’s our home and we won’t leave Without a fight There

Uncle Viv Colin Buchanan

Just what got me in I’m not quite sure, The hat with the Legacy badges Or the tales about the war?

Progress Colin Buchanan

I’ve seen the struggle of the daring ones Seen the work wrought with calloused hands Seen a world that clung so desperately In days that now have passed I’ve seen the rusting iron once so proud

When it rained Colin Buchanan

He moved away to college And he made some city friends Who’d only seen in picture books What he’d done on the land And the lazy small-town goings-on Seemed to lose their glow But once it’s in your

Chook Colin Buchanan

Caught the train to Cootamundra Headed over to the waiting bus Twenty minutes to stretch the legs When this bloke rides up to us Twelve speed pushbike, kung-fu jacket The kiosk girl said, "Here comes

Paradise Colin Buchanan

It was a long drive over 200 k's of dirt We watched the country change from slopes to plains Stands of yellowbox Turned to Mallee green and grey And her beauty kept unfolding that day Chorus She

In His Blood Colin Buchanan

It’s an early start but that’s nothing new Making tracks through the heavy dew He’s got black dog Betty Man’s best friend Get the ewes in the yard Get the wethers penned CHORUS Tony sees the

At Kalulah Colin Buchanan

It grew darker at Kalulah I could see the rain on Flat Rock Biggest storm in such a long time Birds were flying to their nests Chorus We've had some big storms lately There've been dark clouds

No Place like Home Colin Buchanan

The moon lit the mountains bathed them in light The patchwork of paddocks spread forth in the night And whatever it was that had drawn him away Was forgotten, was gone...

Fields of Green Colin Buchanan

Let it be our little secret, my love This pledge that no witness shall see This promise of love that will live though we part Declared in these fields of green Let only these clouds cast their shadows

Harvest Colin Buchanan

The crops have just started to turn golden brown, Patches of green on retreat The last of the spring rains have swollen the grain Harvest will soon be here Ron took delivery of his header last

Handyman Colin Buchanan

So he rebuilt the cupboards Ripped up the floor Smashed up the sink re-hung the door Now it’s 10-times worse than it was before. Anyone can be a handyman ...

Jingle Bells Colin Buchanan

Dashing through the bush In a rusty Holden ute Kicking up the dust Esky in the boot Kelpie by my side Singing Christmas songs It’s summertime and I am in My singlet, shorts and thongs CHORUS

Hard Times Colin Buchanan

Nearly broke old Dom’s heart To choose the sheep And set them apart He heard the shots He just couldn’t watch Hard times on the land Ian ploughed the cabbages in Prices were bad He just couldn

Smaller Every Year Colin Buchanan

There were young folk In the church hall In the old days They packed them in There was laughter There was singing It's a different story now ...

Farm Cars Colin Buchanan

Packed so tight, chippers hanging out the windows.

Tears On The Phone Colin Buchanan

You dropped me off You turned away I asked should I leave or should I stay You didn't know The baby cried No more to say We kissed goodbye Both trying so hard not to show The desperation just

Jincumbilly Colin Buchanan

There's no train into Jincumbilly There's no cattle in the yard There's no shearers standing Smoking on the platform Taking in the sunshine with the guard There's no work gang there at Jincumbilly

Missin' Slim Lee Kernaghan, Colin Buchanan

Davey has a photo From the day they met Slim Dusty It hangs beneath the longhorns in a simple timber frame And I dont know who is prouder Davey or his old man But you can see in in their faces and the

Colin Zeal Blur

Colin Zeal knows the value of mass appeal He's a pedestrian walker, he's a civil talker He's an affable man with a plausible plan Keeps his eye on the news, keeps his future in hand (And then

Colin Zeal Blur

Colin Zeal knows the value of mass appeal He's a pedestrian walker, he's a civil talker He's an affable man with a plausible plan Keeps his eye on the news, keeps his future in hand (And

The Story Of Isaac Roy Buchanan

He said, "I've had a vision And you know I'm strong and holy, I must do what I've been told." So we started up the mountain, I was running, he was walking, And his axe was made of burning gold.

Haunted house Roy Buchanan

was a gonna drive me away When I seen somethin that gave me the creep Had a one big eye and two big feet I stood right still and I did the freeze And he did the stroll right up to me Made a sound

Voodoo Thing Colin James

Way down south, where the mangroves grow Deep in the swamp down in the Bayou There's a little story that's never been told About a pretty widow who never grows old And how she buried her soul with her