HARD TIMBER

Lyrics: Harry Robertson
Music: Traditional Norwegian

Many years on this land — big timber did stand
With broadaxe the cutters would fall,
As they chopped the trees down — nature grew more around
And the balance was kept by us all.

Chorus
But now power saws — with their hungry chain maws
Are clearing the iron bark run,
Down Mendooran way — hear the old cutters say
The forest will never return.

The sleepers we cut — to railway lines strut
Are graded as ‘squares’ or as ‘rounds’,
Twenty years at a time — iron bark serves the line
And by then we hope more can be found.

Chorus

Many years long ago — to the bush we would go
And work in the forest alone,
Many wives would be sad — for the dangers were bad,
’Til the cutters of sleepers came home.

Chorus

The cutters today — must go a long way
Good timber is harder to find,
Now the forest has gone — while the gullies creep on
And the cutters have left it behind.

Chorus
Repeat Chorus as finale.

© Harry Robertson,
and subsequently ©1995 Mrs Rita Robertson, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Registered with APRA-AMCOS www.apra-amcos.com.au