Hi... First I'd like to introduce myself, my name's Jean-David, I'm Swiss national living in Norway... I've been busking and playing gigs here for some years... I like to play all traditional tunes and I've lately started to delve into Australian bush music... I play standard tunes like, "Wild Colonial Boy", "Brisbane's Ladies", "Jim Jones" among others...
A few months ago I discovered music of Slim Dusty and been sort of hooked on it.. so I started to learn a couple of tune... My problem is that I'm not a native english speaker, therefore some words can be hard to understand... especially when it comes down to australian idioms or words...
I've been working on "A picture of home" but there are still some parts I can't grasp... can anyone help me... ?
Cheers... Here's what I've got:
A picture of home
My story swings around a bunch of soldiers
Resting close behind the battle scene
There were men from many nations represented
A rugged tough united nations team
They spoke about their own beloved homelands
Resting far from all the tortured battle scene
On this day the lad who claimed the most attention
A young Australian soldier who began :
Oh I’ve never claimed to be an …… jeerer
I have never taken up the paint and brush
But in words, my lads, I’ll paint for you a picture
Of my homeland and the wild Australian bush
Have you ever seen the western plains at sundown
And the fire restricts that scene to blaze across
An’ then later in the evenin’ see a ghost-gum
Standing silently beneath the southern cross
Have you ever heard the wild ……….. and its calling
In the still ………………….. and far away lagoon
……………………………….. to water
They all come at rising of the moon
Have you ever wandered through some ferny “galley”
In spring time when the wattles are in bloom
If you’ve never then you’ll never know the sweetness
That fills the air around with its perfume
Have you ever gazed the ……… peaceful homestead
With the all blue mountains standing in the view
See the homestead cattle grazing by the river
From a hillside bounds an old man kangaroo
In the evening see the smoke rise from the chimney
Tells that day is done and soon it’s time for tea
Hear the jackass laughter ringing through the bush-land
Oh that’s God’s own country and home sweet home to me
Have you ever seen a “weak” field in the morning
When the dawn wane, ripple through the golden grain
I’ve wandered through the farmlands in the dawn-time
And smelt there a healthy sweetness after rain
Oh I’ve never claimed to be an ……….. jeerer
And I said before I’ve never used to brush
But I hope my lands are painted to a picture
Of my homeland and the wild Australian bush
I can provide the chords for this song if requested...
