Black+Angus,+Brown+Spuds*

and we’ve built it This Our high sub alpine valley In which we farm and Where our houses sit. A place, our place to work as things around us pass The Green green, green grass A horizontal stretched out ever cloudy sky Our paddocks of worn down old mountains That have become our series of hills, The searching frost ridden winter chills The ever weeping foggy sky Through the long winter With it’s rains that Crash down upon us from upon high. And provide the artesian waters for the dams and for the crop and for the stock. For nine months of every year We live in encircling swirling and blinding fog and drizzly mist That will surround you while you work With thoughts of what you’ve lived Of what you’ve missed. Thoughts of produce, of things that have been won Things and people that have been lost Of things that have gone bust As all farmers, inevitably must. Black Angus/Brown Spuds Black Angus/Brown Spuds We build it up Piece by piece Steady work, quiet peace Steady work, quiet peace The Wombat covered our harsh land In early days, but was cut down by hand Along the ridge, after the timbergetters our forebears made their impermanent stand Half of every year we live in the mist, half in the dancing sky. Hard it is to know at times, which is horizon and which is sky As the tractor and the plow cut brown curling curves in the green winter’s ground Against the profile of the sky and the wind makes it’s whistling sound Black Angus/Brown Spuds Black Angus/Brown Spuds We build it up Piece by piece Steady work, quiet peace Steady work, quiet peace And Black Angus graze They water, they grow, they graze And the herd we tend And push on through Our days Through our days. Onwards through our misty days || G C D – D G A Em C Am C - Bm G Em G
 * Black Angus/Brown Spuds – (For Ross, Barry Denis and Ron Dimond) **
 * Original poem (by Mark Grant) || Song ||
 * We’ve inherited it,

G C G C Here in our valley We live in the fog and the mist G C G C Some days it feels like a burial some days like a kiss D C The winter rain comes crashing down, D C The whistling gales set the trees dancing round G F# F F# G And here we are, here we stay

In the green leaning hall, the old faces still gaze from the walls As firm as the trees they cut down to see out the storms They hunkered down, they built it up They planted their seed, they filled up their cups Here they were, here they stayed

At 15, there wasn’t that much of a choice I recall and learning from books didn’t seems like a real choice at all I left those warm, dry, boxed-in rooms Took to the plough and the wild wind's tune Here I was, here I’ve stayed

//...// Bridge EmCAmC There are some days it's true when I wonder what I might have found EmCAmC If I'd just taken that step and turned away from the life handed down DC I'd've seen the world like my kids I suppose DC Could tell a tale or two of the paths that I chose GDC But you can waste your life wishing for one not your own GCD And I give thanks now for the comforts and love that I've known And here I am, here I'll stay

The paddocks grow empty now the kids all drift off towards town And year by year there's less chance that the place will pass down Sometimes the wind brings the ghosts floating round But for everything lost I guess there's something else found The time'll come when we can no longer stay

media type="custom" key="27335730" || G C G C Here in our valley We live in the fog and the mist G C G C Some days it feels like a burial some days like a kiss D C The winter rain comes crashing down, D C The whistling gales set the trees dancing round G F# F F# G And here we are, here we stay GF#FF#G The water soaks down to the roots and our skin, cattle graze G F# F F# G Steady work, wordless praise

In the green leaning hall, the old faces still gaze from the walls As firm as the trees they cut down to see out the storms They hunkered down, they built it up They planted their seed, they filled up their cups Here they were, here they stayed The water soaks down to the roots and our skin, cattle graze Steady work, wordless praise

At 15, there wasn’t much of a choice I recall and learning from books didn’t seems like a real choice at all I left those warm, dry, boxed-in rooms Took to the plough and the wild wind's tune There I was, here I’ve stayed The water soaks down to the root and our skin, cattle graze Steady work, wordless praise //...// Bridge EmCAmC There are some days it's true when I wonder what I might have found EmCAmC If I'd just taken that step and turned away from the life handed down DC I'd've seen the world like my kids I suppose DC Could tell a tale or two of the paths that I chose GDC But you can waste your life wishing for one not your own GCD And I give thanks now for the comforts and love that I've known And here I am, here I'll stay The water soaks down to the root and our skin, cattle graze Steady work, wordless praise

The paddocks grow empty now the kids all drift off towards town And year by year there's less chance that the place will pass down Sometimes the wind brings the ghosts floating round But for everything lost I guess there's something else found The time'll come when we can no longer stay The water will still soak in the earth as we gaze For now while I can I'll continue to work Through my days Steady work, wordless praise