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When Coal Seam Gas Was New

from You're Needed Now! by Ecopella

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about

A succinct, come-all-ye musical description of the impact of coal seam gas mining on the land and people it degrades. The original song is over 400 years old. We sincerely hope that the new words Paul has given it will have no such longevity, but soon be out of date!

lyrics

On grazing land that was priceless
A company sought a gas licence
A company sought a gas licence
They’d have a jolly good spree
They quickly came up with a marvellous plan
To frack for gas all over the land
And sell it to China and Japan
When coal seam gas was new me boys

And they called for more wells
And more land and more leases
And oh, the expansion it just never ceases
And nobody mentioned all these increases
When coal seam gas was new me boys

Well at first it’s just exploration, a simple investigation
A simple investigation, if only it were true
For once the company passes the gate
You’re likely to find you’ve left it too late
With all their sweet-talking you’ve taken the bait
When coal seam gas was new me boys

Well the next to come in is the drilling
No chance of anything spilling
No chance of anything spilling, if only it were true
There’s sodium hydroxide, ammonium persulfate
Or muriatic acid or sodium borate
Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate
There’s toluene, napthalene, trimethylbenzene
dodecylbenzenesulfonate isoprop'nolamine
monoethanolamine, xylene and kerosene

So drink your chemical brew me boys

When drilling down past the water
They seal it just like they oughter
They seal it just like they oughter, if only it were true
The water flows out from the basin cracking
And mixes with chemicals used in the fracking
And all of it’s done with government backing
The profits will go to a few me boys

And when the mining is over
The land will go back to clover
The land will go back to clover, if only it were true
We can’t use the water, the poison’s still there
The methane’s still leaking into the air
And the company’s gone with never a care
When coal seam gas is through me boys

credits

from You're Needed Now!, released September 3, 2020
Words: John Spencer & Paul Spencer, 2012
Tune: Traditional English, When Jones’s Ale Was New, c. 1594

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about

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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