Mopoke Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2022 Well, there used to be a banksia where the mopoke called at night And there used to be a wattle tree full of buzzing bees in flight But the Council said the people needed lots more houses here And it doesn’t matter if a little wildlife disappeared I remember peaceful kangaroos that grazed the grasses here With babies in their pouches and they’d sometimes let us near But the people brought in dogs and cattle and sheep and so we fear Those kangaroos have joined the list of Soon to Disappear CHORUS So it’s goodbye to koalas, to the glossy black cockatoo Goodbye to the mopoke, wallaby and kangaroo Goodbye to echidnas, to the lizards, frogs and snakes ‘Cause the Council said they had to go, they just don’t pay the rates Once there were majestic eucalypts, a wide variety And their gum leaves fed koalas up in the canopy But the people preferred purple and gold for their festivals and trees Elms and jacarandas brought in from overseas [chorus] And there once were ring-tailed possums in hollows in the trees Hidden from the eagle that circled on the breeze But the people needed money so they cut down all the trees Now there’s possums in my ceiling and I just might let them be FINAL CHORUS So it’s goodbye to koalas, to the glossy black cockatoo, Goodbye to the mopoke, wallaby and kangaroo Goodbye to the insects, goodbye the human race ‘Cause the Council said we had to go – that’s how we chose our fate

Genius © Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2021 We are travelling musos, we love to sing and play We practise for hours to hone our skills and we tune our instruments every day When we perform at concerts people clap and smile But as soon as our show is over, up will come someone to say [SPOKEN]: Oh! that was beaut, but there’s something I really have to tell you … CHORUS My grandson is a genius, you ought to hear him play He’s never been taught never needs to practise Just picked it up on his own one day He’s brilliant, really gifted, a wonderful sight to see There’s no one, truly, can play like him, and he does it all for free We travel about the country in our little caravan We make new friends, write new songs, strum and pick our way about the scene Audiences seem to like us, our music makes them smile And just when we think we’re sounding pretty good Up comes someone to set us straight [SPOKEN]: Oh! That was wonderful, but I absolutely have to tell you … CHORUS Well, we love to see the young ones learning music as they grow It’s a labour of love for old and young and deep down every muso knows That the world’s a better, cheerier place with a tune to lift the day But when we bring our songs to you, we’d be happier never to hear you say: [SPOKEN]: All together now, come on, get it off your chest! CHORUS

The River Song © Cathy Welsford 2021 Well I hope that you’ll come with me, when I go, when I go Way down south to Gurnai country where the Mitchell River flows We’ll go and see my family and look up some old friends I haven’t seen them in a while We’ll walk along the river on those old familiar paths I know this place will make you smile With our bags packed full of songs We’ll head for Bairnsdale, my childhood home Down by the river I feel the current and I remember what I’ve known Slippin’ through the morning water, silky on my skin This river touches my soul Mist rises from the water, fish leap in the air It feels like I’ve come home In the reeds and rushes wild birds are nesting Water dragons skitter over logs and rocks Past the Den of Nargun, ancient and mysterious Spreading out in billabongs calm and still We’ll float down the Mitchell River trailing our feet over the side Past the bluff at Eagle Point where the river and lakes collide We’ll make music at Lakes Entrance with that merry band of ukers We’ll pick and strum their favourite songs And a concert for the Bairnsdale mob they’ll bring their ukuleles That place is gonna ring with song Come with me, oh come with me when I go, when I go Way down south to Gurnai country where the Mitchell River flows To the sea, to the sea, we’ll follow that river to the sea Through the lakes, to the ocean, mmm, the river flows

Song of the Sea © Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2021 As I walked on the beach and all ‘round the headland Striations of colours embedded in rock Saw a colony of mud whelks with shells convoluted And mussels and oysters and pipis and clams Oh the sweep of the seascape from headland to sky And the beckoning pools full of glistening light Then holding a seashell up close to my ear I heard the shell singing the Song of the Sea CHORUS Song of the Sea, song of the ocean, song of the wind and the waves It’s the crash of the breakers, the laughter of children Call of the birds wheeling by It’s the swirl of the tide, a glorious chorus and it’s a wild symphony It’s the surging of life, a musical yearning, Song of the Sea Just off the shoreline where the kelp forests grow Turning sunlight to oxygen, swaying to and fro Turtles are feeding on algae and grass, While dolphins are smiling as they’re racing past Oh the tang of the air and the tumbling of waves, The scent of the brine as the tidal flows change And on the horizon where the blue water’s deep The whales are singing the Song of the Sea CHORUS, then INSTRUMENTAL CODA It’s a raucous ensemble, a glorious chorus and it’s a sweet harmony It’s the ocean’s wild rhythms, a musical yearning, Song of the Sea

Seaside Blues © Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2020 I drove into town I was hopin’ for news, Sat on the beach playin’ the blues Feelin’ good ‘cause I can strum those strings just fine You can make a lot of friends playin’ the Seaside Blues The picture of health, and I couldn’t lose Then in came the tide and out went my shoes Still feelin’ good ‘cause I can pick those strings just fine And you can make a lot of friends playin’ the Seaside Blues INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE Well the seagulls were friendly, but I got a hunch That twenty-seven seagulls just ate up my lunch Still feelin’ good ‘cause I can pick those strings just fine Makin’ lots of feathered friends playin’ the Seaside Blues One second my car keys were right in my hand Next thing I know they were lost in the sand Still feelin’ good ‘cause I can pick those strings just fine And you can make a lot of friends playin’ the Seaside Blues OUTRO Well, if you play by the ocean you’ll never be alone But don’t turn your back or you’ll get drenched to the bone Still, you’ll be feelin’ good playin’ those blues just fine ‘And you’ll be makin’ lots of friends playin’ those Seaside Blues

Fairweather Friend Cathy Welsford and Angie Smith 2020 16 BAR BLUES in A It’s never easy to write a friendship off And you know that there’s gonna be a cost But I got expectations and anticipation of a little decency My fairweather friend You sound persuasive but what’s really on your mind? While suggesting that everything is fine But what do you care about anyone else’s peace and harmony? My fairweather friend INSTRUMENTAL In the evenin’ when the sun goes down Feelin’ mellow, good friends comin’ around Well, don’t you bring your lyin’, cheatin’, devious, deceitful Treacherous, dishonest, smilin’ face around here My fairweather friend

Put a Bit o’ Wire on It Mate © Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2020 When the bull’s escaped the paddock, and the chooks have flown the coop When there’s rabbits in the veggie plot and nothing in the soup When the thing-a-me-bob is rusted and the handle’s fallen off You might think the bugger’s busted, but before you rush to the bloody shop CHORUS Put a bit ‘o wire on it mate, that’s the place to start That’s all you need to hold it all together ‘til ya get the proper whatsit part And if some days you find that things are starting to fall apart Just pull out yer pliers, give a little twist, and put a bit ‘o wire on it mate! When the tractor’s starter motor gives a disobliging cough And the f-ing irrigation pipes are always getting blocked When the Southerly Buster’s blowing and your tarp is flapping loose There’s an easy way to fix ‘it, when the shop’s not open We’ll give you a demonstration of how it can be done! [ICHORUS] BRIDGE A little bit of fencing wire will do most any job It’ll hold life broken pieces all together You’ll find it in yer shed outback just hanging from a hook So come on mates and sing this song toge-e-e-e-ther! [ICHORUS] Put a bit ‘o wire on it mate, that’s the place to start That’s all you need to hold it all together ‘til ya get the proper whatsit part And if some days you find that things are starting to fall apart Just pull out yer pliers, give a little twist, and put a bit ‘o wire on it mate! CODA Just pull out yer pliers [pull out yer pliers!], Give a little twist [give a little twist!] And put a bit of wire on it ma – a – ate!

Details Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2022 Working in my garden when I saw my neighbour’s grin I said ‘How are ya Bazza’ He said ‘Where do I begin?’ He said that he was feelin’ good except for his bad back And he’d buggered up his shoulder and left arm a while back Said he had to have the cancers burned off both his legs and face And his dicky heart’d developed a bad tendency to race Said he’d never been a smoker but his cough was somethin’ mean And the doctor said his prostate was the worst she’d ever seen! CHORUS Oh, please, please, spare me all the details Of those stories that some people love to tell (love to tell) ‘Cause I’ve heard ‘em all before and I can’t take anymore Let’s just listen to the music for a spell Conversing with a friend o’ mine, hadn’t seen her in a while I asked what she’d been doing, and she told me with a smile Said she started every morning with slice or two of toast Then she lunched with Merv at the bowlo where she always had the roast Her dessert was raspberry trifle, Merv had apple pie instead And for dinner she had pea soup with a slice of buttered bread Then she told me how tomorrow she have blah-blah bolognaise With some blah-blah-blah-blah coleslaw with a squirt of mayonnaise [chorus] Did you ever try to follow someone’s complicated tale? With a copious cast of characters they’ll cheerfully regale You with a story ‘bout their sister’s boyfriend’s cousin’s uncle’s son At a wedding or a funeral, it’s a bloody marathon Where they met with numerous others (whoever they may be) As the tale meanders on and on you’re longing to break free After many more digressions you actually don’t Give a damn about what happened if they’ll just get to the point BRIDGE And they say: She-said-he-said-we-said-they-said (oh, it’s one of those!) So I-said-we-said-she-said-they-said (that’s how the story goes) So stop me if you’ve heard this one. Did I say this before? You might’ve heard this anecdote but I’ve still got plenty more! Oh! Please, pl …. SPOKEN: Wait! I’ve just written another verse! And I’ve got lots of photos on my phone, I’ll show you all of those Yes, I’ve got 16 grandkids, see this one’s got my nose! And here’s my dog [his name is Blue] and here’s my vintage car And here’s my video footage of a pink and grey galah! (chorus) CODA Let’s just listen to the birdsong, ..... ride into the sunset, ..... just enjoy the silence! Just Listen to the music for a spell!

Continuum © Cathy Welsford 2021 When my father died in two-thousand-and-nine It was June 17 but I’d let that date just drift from my mind A generous and a gorgeous bloke, but a tired ninety-three A full life, a tricky life, but that’s another story He had three daughters and we had four more Then the girls had kids and the families grew Then sometime around ’92 or ‘3, He drove his first great granddaughter home to me CHORUS It was an ordinary daily trip and he wondered when he arrived If someday the great granddaughter Would drive the great grandfather, If he survived Jess grew a bit as kids tend to do I in love and music life was sweet Then, at seventeen, she nearly left us, Four teenagers in a car in the night Would we all come through this together? Could we all just hold on to her life? BRIDGE But she overcame all the obstacles to arrive at a time and place Where she drove her most loved great-grandpa Greg around the block On Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, with the trams And the tram tracks, and the taxis, and the cars On L plates, with four generations, In a rented car CHORUS 2 It was an extr’ordinary daily trip and she wondered when she arrived If this day the great granddaughter would drive the great grandfather, Because she survived. Well, it all came to be just as dad had hoped And then, at ninety-three, he left us A space that opens and closes along the seams And Jess has her own child now, a gorgeous little bloke, Born ten years to the day On June seventeen CHORUS 3 It was an extr’ordinary daily trip and we wondered when we arrived If this day the great granddaughter would drive the great grandfather Would hold him in her hands Because they survived.

Goodbyes and Farewells © Cathy Welsford 2021 Life kicks you in the guts so unexpectedly Just when you think you have all under control You realise that it controls you And all your fancy management techniques were just façades CHORUS Goodbyes and farewells are so emotional now Just waiting for the second kick to come Goodbyes and farewells are so emotional now Oo oo oo, oo oo, oo oo ooo You gotta cut out all that unnecessary crap It all seemed so equally important at the time And focus on the core of what’s important to you Try to make your life about that You gotta learn to laugh and cry at these hiccoughs That’s all they are just unexpected hiccoughs You gotta learn to laugh to laugh and cry at life’s hiccoughs Laugh and cry, it’s enough

Not a Feminist Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2020 I went to a party just the oth-er day Chatted with my neighbour from across the way Asked her what she thought about the world today Here is what she had to say Well, you know I’m not a Feminist, but I believe in equal rights In equal pay for equal work and women’s futures looking bright I’m never rude and I always smile because I know that in a while Sexual and other abuses will cease if women are nice and smile to please CHORUS But I am NOT a Feminist! A hairy scary Feminist! Man-hating! Ball-breaking! Disrespectful Feminist! I am dressing for success and hoping dreams come true Won’t call myself a Feminist, I’ll leave that name for you Now you know I’m not a Feminist, but when the merit coin is tossed I think it’s odd that women are rarely CEO or company boss Even though we qualify and our test scores may be high We might get pregnant or go mad! Or display hysteria! Well, I’d never use a nasty word like Feminist myself But do you ever wonder why women earn so little wealth? A tradie’s paid a hundred bucks, women carers no such luck Is it mere coincidence that the income gap is so immense? [Chorus] BRIDGE Now you know I’m not a Feminist and this may be naive ` But did you ever wonder why men kill women who try to leave? And sometimes when divorce goes through fathers kill their children too Fifty women a year are murdered, why does our country bear this burden? Now you know I’m not a Feminist, but I suspect the “princess” thing Is a trick dreamed up by Disneyland designed to clip young women’s wings Body myths keep women poor wondering if we’ll fit through the door Beauty is urged to love a beast, hoping to change him to a prince So I’m CHORUS Off to join the Feminists, the brash uncivil Feminists The rowdy, riotous, raucous, radical, wild unruly Feminists Raging, laughing, cheeky and bold! Brazen Hussies I’ve been told! No submissive smiles from us, we will speak our truth! Ah, women

Bush Turkey © Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2021 Looking out my kitchen window when the day has just begun Kangaroos are quietly feeding, browsing in the morning sun Out of the bush comes Turkey Lurkey tail on sideways great big feet Heading for my veggie garden, hey, everyone has got to eat CHORUS Turkey Lurkey scratchin’ scratchin’ for those insects, seeds ‘n fruits Running! Flying! Wait’l I catch you! Diggin’ my plants up by the roots! Father Turkey’s feeling nesty scratches up a great big mound Warm and soft with cozy compost for the Mothers all around ‘Come and lay your eggs inside it you won’t have to sit and brood Out will pop the baby turkeys scratching up their own soft food [CHORUS] INSTRUMENTAL All the world is Turkey’s garden dates back thirty million years They’re protected native fauna, so you see they’re in the clear Fine red head and yellow wattles, compost makers they’re the best Along with crocs and snakes and spiders, sharks and ants and all the rest! Turkey Lurkey scratchin’ scratchin’ for those insects, seeds ‘n fruits Running! Flying! Wait’l I catch you! Diggin’ my plants up by the roots! CODA Turkey’s on the menu, you bet!

The Great Koala National Park Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2023 Time is ticking away for Australia’s koalas, The forests they live in are vanishing fast In the blink of an eye all their food’s disappearing They’ll be joining those thylacine ghosts of the past For millions of years koalas have thrived here In east coastal forests by eating gum leaves But just two hundred years have pushed them to extinction By felling their food bearing eucalypt trees CHORUS 1 Oh, they’re logging the forests! They’re logging the forests! They’re knocking those eucalypts down There’ll be no more koalas by year 2050! They’re knocking those food bearing eucalypts down Well, our government promised that if we elect it It’d make an iconic Great Koala Park But no moratorium then was forthcoming So Forest Corp dozers redoubled their task Now, tourism generates millions of dollars, Koalas and wildlife those tourists attract There’ll be new jobs aplenty and businesses thriving When the Great Koala Park becomes a fact CHORUS 2 So, stop logging the forests! Stop logging the forests! Stop knocking those eucalypts down! Write letters! Send emails! To stop this extinction! Stop knocking those food bearing eucalypts down! BRIDGE They’re wood chipping food trees to export for paper They’re sawmilling hardwoods so cheap and so nice But now we can build houses from plantation pinewoods Do you think koalas should pay such a price? CHANT Habitat is where it’s at, it’s now or never ‘cause they won’t come back! Forestry Corp wants koalas gone, so write it now ‘cause the race is on! No koalas in a logging park, so make that Great Koala Park! Wilderness, not weedy wasteland, restoration not mass destruction Conservation not de-forestation, we don’t want that devastation Don’t let loggers kill it all, let those eucalypts stand tall Food trees need that understory, clear felled land has lost its glory Water security in perpetuity, forests for life and no extinctions [ Stop logging Newry, Orana, Moonpa, Conglomerate, Pine Creek, Oakes and Tamban Join them up in a green corridor, that’s ethical handling of the land! CHORUS 3 So, stop logging the forests! Stop logging the forests! Stop knocking those eucalypts down! ‘Cause we’re driving koalas right into extinction By knocking those eucalypts, food bearing eucalypts, Knocking those eucalypts down

Koalas Need Gum Trees Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2020 Well my town now has hundreds of trees Turnin’ red and yellow and waving their leaves Birches from England and European oaks Maples from America and cottonwood trees But when Australians plant trees from overseas I say stop! Please! I know that you’ll agree that CHORUS Koalas can’t eat them (koalas can’t eat them!) Koalas need gum trees (koalas need gum trees!) F And here in Australia (here in Australia) We need to plant eucalyptus trees Well, people like purple so they plant jacarandas But those big weeds are imported from Brazil And people plant palm trees brought in from Egypt Pencil pines from Italy climbing our hills! F But when Australians plant trees from overseas I say stop and think before you plant that tree, because [chorus] BRDIGE 1 If you want to see koalas in your town With babies on their backs, climbin’ all around You just have to make sure they’ve got something to eat So stop planting cypress from the Middle East, because [chorus] BRIDGE 2 They can’t eat willows from China or pistachio trees Or liquidambars that drop their autumn leaves Or red poincianas brought in from Madagascar Or peppercorn trees from South America, because [chorus] CODA: So go out and plant eucalyptus trees!

Extinction Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2023 Now, we Aussies love koalas and our bouncing kangaroos And we boast of our Tasmanian Devils too We laugh at kookaburras, platypus and cockatoo And our tiny gliding mountain possums really are quite cute But our spiders are so scary! And our paper wasps can sting! And those ants are in the kitchen once again [once again!] Caterpillars eat our gardens, so let’s spray the bloody lot! ‘Cause we never want to see those pests again! CHORUS And no one does extinctions like Australia Our unbeaten record is the best (it’s the worst!) First we terminated thylacines, and now it’s koalas and wallabies There are eighty-seven species on our critically endangered list! Well, we love to swim with dolphins and sail out to see the whales As they travel their migrations every year And our Great Barrier Reef is full of coral and colourful clownfish it’s an Aussie icon that we all hold dear But our Southern Bluefin Tuna make such a tasty treat that we’ve nearly fished them all out of the sea (of the sea!) And our turtles are in trouble, and our disappearing dugongs Are joining whales and sharks on the critically endangered list [So] BRIDGE So, what does the Minister plan today? Extinction! Extinction! And what do the people have to say? Must the wildlife go extinct? And what does the Council plan today? Extinction! Extinction! And what do the tourists have to say? Must koalas go extinct? (chorus) BRIDGE The Minister says we need more mines! Extinction! Extinction! More houses and paper and human food (while koalas starve to death) Council needs people to pay the rates! Extinction! Extinction! There are plenty of trees and habitat left! Let the wildlife go extinct! And you won’t see kangaroos in the city ‘Cause we just can’t have them bouncing down the street! (down the street!) And you won’t see kangaroos in the country ‘Cause they want to eat the grass that the sheep and cattle eat! There’ll be no more budgerigars or bettongs, bandicoots or easter bilbies Only people and dogs and cats fishing out the empty seas LAST CHORUS And no one does extinctions like Australia, our unbeaten record is the best (it’s the worst!) First we terminated thylacines, now it’s curtains for koalas and wallabies There are eighty-seven species, eighty-seven and counting! Eighty-seven species on our critically endangered list

Stinks Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2022 [Spoken] Hey! Local councils! We’re talkin’ to you! You say you’re for the people and environment too But you re-zone our green space with a wave of your hand Just to sell it off to the developer man! Well, our community had a piece of land Reserved for the people and the wildlife here When the town was planned, just to keep some green Now Council’s out to sell it and it’s just plain mean Green green land where the people walk And the wildlife graze, but they can’t talk Read our submissions! Check out our petitions! Stop putting houses on community land! They just see the dollars, it’s a short term gain, Gone is gone forever this community land No more wildlife, what’ll our children say? Is extinction the Australian way? It’s-happening right here and everywhere, Hey local councils, don’t you care? What the people want? If the Wild goes extinct? Well here’s what we’re thinking [Beat, beat] Something STINKS Something stinks! Something stinks! Something stinks!! Something stinks … something STINKS! [Spoken] Hey, local councils, we’re looking at you! Where’s our greenspace? Our wildlife too? Have you sold us out to developers again? Sitting on councils those real estate men Have you sold us out to developers again? Voting on councils those real estate men

Old Tired Cold and Past our Prime Angie Smith and Cathy Welsford 2020 When the sun comes up each mornin’ we step out to face the day Ready for great new adventures as we work n’ sing n’ play Our Wonder Woman capes go on our ukuleles and our songs We’re stridin’ out to save the world and right the many wrongs BRIDGE But when the evenin’ comes along then we sing a different son Our tunes are flat and somehow all the words won’t rhyme All the problems of the planet look too big for us and dammit Now we’re feeling old and past our prime CHORUS We’re feelin’ old tired cold and past our prime All those adventures were exciting at the time We’ll be home in bed before nine o’clock But in the mornin’ it’ll be Wonder Woman time So if you’re feelin’ tired and old and your feet are gettin’ cold You might be thinkin’ that the sun won’t shine again Just start headin’ right for home put on yer Uggs and dressin’ gown And next day you’ll be Wonder Woman again! INSTRUMENTAL CHORUS So don’t you worry don't you frown there’s no need for feelin’ down When you see the sun is sinkin’ slowly in the west You might survive for one more day and you’ll be laughin’ anyway ‘Cause yet to come will surely be your best [CHORUS] CODA Yes in the mornin’ we’ll be feelin’ fit and fine, N’ we’ll be hopin’ that our songs at least will rhyme!