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Murray Darling

from You're Needed Now! by Ecopella

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about

When Clark was asked by Cath Laudine (See Ice Tears) to write a song about the troubled Murray Darling river, he responded with his trademark nerdy off-beat sense of humour. We love it!

lyrics

Oh Murray Darlin’
You’re not so healthy anymore
You know you’re harmin’
Lots of native flora
It’s alarmin’
How you’ve wound back the water to a trickle
Whereas once you used to pour

Oh Murray Darlin’
Irrigation’s irritatin’ me
The sole would hearten
Just to see you flowin’ free
And not to Harden
Just like an artery
And once again to see you see the sea

Delta, oh Delta, you used to be so Goodrem-ember?
Before the embers of your heart were snuffed out
By some sham Poo, a floater on your river
Then he went off to Paris leaving you high and dry
You didn’t think the Scud could aim so low
You should have changed your name to Sandy
When your humour ceased to flow

O Murray Darlin’
It’s as if someone pulled the plug out of the basin
And they’ve siphoned off the lot without replacin’
And now the planet’s gettin’ hot
But all you’ve got is not enough to wash my face in

Now, I know what you’re thinking, the Murray doesn’t have a ‘delta’ as such. Rather the place where the Murray meets the sea is a ... ?
Yes that’s it! A contiguous twin estuarine lake system, but that doesn’t scan well so Clark had to use his poetic licence

O Murray Darlin’
Your love is miles from where you are
I know you’re pinin’ ‘cause you can see him from afar
But I know one day you’ll reach him and savour
Your Younghusband’s long Peninsula (look it up)

And Adelaide poor girl is thirsting
Strains Murrumbidgee mud through clenched teeth
All those broken folk in Broken Hill
Who have to boil their water
And all those narrow minds from places such as
(But not necessarily!) Narromine
Repeating their call, parrot-fashion, to
“Turn the rivers inland” and other unnatural acts
It’s them we should be cursin’
Listen to them and problems will only worsen

O Murray Darlin’
As you meander ‘round the bend
I’ll miss you, and, er
I love you like the farmer’s daughter
Called Miranda
And I’d drink you like rosewater from a tap
Not the sap of an oleander

There are those who say, “go with the flow, make Hay while the sun shines. There is no water problem.” I’ll take that with a dry riverbed of salt. Take heed, the day is not too far off when you’ll be saying
“Hay, remember when we were making a splash in Wee-Waa and the parks in Parkes had grass and Griffith was high and not dry, and there was mildew in Mildura?” When that day comes, Murray, darling, do you think you can ever reclaim your former glory? Wilcannia!?

O Murray Darlin’
I’m not certain but it seems
That certain farmers
Don’t care what goes on downstream
Don’t they know that there is no I in team?
But there is in ‘callous negligence’ indeed

credits

from You're Needed Now!, released September 3, 2020
Words & Melody: Clark Gormley, 2005
Arranged: Miguel Heatwole, 2010

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about

Miguel Heatwole image

Miguel Heatwole Sydney, Australia

Miguel’s a versatile singer, choral director & composer. His interests include folk & world music, political satire, the environment, trade unionism & the responsible enjoyment of alcohol. His songwriting embraces themes like peace & justice, the family cat, & visceral passionate attraction. His enthusiasm for recording community singing has let many people share the power of their songs. ... more

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