My grandmother was born in 1900
On a farm in New South Wales
She wed a dairyman
Who liked to raise a pint of ale
The first child came when she was twenty
Five more babes in seven years
That first daughter was my mother
They called her Guinevere

Little Gwen would play beneath the willow
"Yes the Queen would love some tea"
Helped with chores that never ended
Tried to mind tried to please
Sometimes she heard the music
Wild and strange in the summer night
"They're dirty people" warned her mother
"Never go near their campfire light"

CHORUS:
"Stay away from the camp of the blackfellas
Little white girls have disappeared
They drink and dance when the moon is red
Better never let 'em see your golden hair"

Came the winter of '27
So cold the milk froze in the pail
Her mum hung the nappies by the hearth
Her dad in town for a round of ale
A spark leapt from the fire that night
Wrapped her mother in a gown of flame
Flailing dancing in a frenzy
Falling down in voiceless pain

Stillness and the stench of burning
Then so soft 'twas like a ghost
"Fetch the Cunninghams" she whispered
"Bring me aid or I am lost"
The Cunningham house was not two miles away
And they the nearest whites
Past the camp of the Aboriginals
Past the demons of the night

CHORUS

"I will run to save my mother
I must go now I must fly"
Still she heard her mother's tales
Of the Devil's drums and the evil eye
Her mother's breathing ever fainter
Gwen frozen in her fright
Seven hours till dawn she waited
For the safety of the light

Now she runs till her feet are bleeding
To the house upon the hill
Now comes the doctor's wagon speeding
To her mother cold and still

They laid her down in the Nowra graveyard
From the Bible read a verse
Children sent to aunts and uncles
Some to Melbourne some to Perth
Gwen packed her canvas satchel
Could not hold the salt tears back
Turned to leave her home forever
Faced a woman gnarled and black

"Child our hearts are heavy
Grieving for your loss
We live so close by you
Why did you not come to us?
We hve salves to heal the burning
We hve herbs to stop the pain
We could have helped had we but known
To make your mother whole again"

CHORUS




» A Dream In The Light
» A Modest Proposal
» A Modest Proposal The Long Underwear Song
» All The Time In The World
» Annie
» At The Elbe
» Big Italian Rose
» Cranes Over Hiroshima
» Crossing The Charles
» Death In Disguise
» Denmark 1943
» Diamonds Of Anger
» Dig A Hole In The Ground
» Every Man
» Everything Possible
» Face At The Window
» Father's Song
» Fathers Song
» Fifty Nine Cents
» Fifty-Nine Cents
» Friends First
» Gonna Get A Grant
» Gravity
» Guinevere And The Fire
» Hot Frogs On The Loose
» Housewarming
» I Didn't Know
» I Will Stand Fast
» If I Were A Moose
» If I Were Taken Now
» Jaguar
» Jimmy Come Lately
» Larry The Polar Bear
» Leslie Is Different
» Letter From May Alice Jeffers
» Lifeboat
» Light In The Hall
» Lost That Pretty Little Gal of Mine
» Lost That Pretty Little Gal Of Mine To Title Ix
» Love's Gonna Carry Us
» Loves Gonna Carry Us
» Mistaken Identity
» No Limit
» No More Vietnams
» Peace Is
» Rodney King's Blessing
» Scott And Jamie
» Scrambled Eggs And Prayers
» Simple Living
» Smile When You're Ready
» Stand Up
» Talking Wheelchair Blues
» The Dancing Light
» The Distance
» The Heart Of The Appaloosa
» The Hills Of Ayalon
» The Hug
» The Hug Song
» The Last Time I Had Autumn
» The Marine's Lament Or The Pink Peril
» The Other Side Of The Wood
» The Peace Dragon
» This Love
» Three Mile Island
» Too Many People
» Warlords
» Willie's Song
» Willies Song

---

All song lyrics and other creative/artistic materials, such as album cover art, found on Platinum-celebs.com are, and remain, copyright and property of their respective owners and song lyrics are subject to all U.S. copyright laws.
This site is intended as an educational resource for music fans interested in learning the lyrics to their favorite songs, limited to circumstances where this complies with the wishes of the legal holder(s) of the property rights to the material in question.
Platinum-celebs.com respects the right of copyright holders to limit or otherwise dictate how, when, where, and if their works are available for reference online. If you hold the copyright to any material appearing on this site, or if you are an authorized agent of the copyright owner, and you would like the material in question to be removed, or if you have specific requirements pertaining to how/if the material may appear herein, please contact the webmaster and this will be addressed immediately.
All logos, trademarks, and creative works such as album cover art contained herein reproduced with permission, per express limited licensing/usage agreements extended by their owners to merchant partners and their affiliates. All such materials remain property and copyright of their respective owners.
Please know that Platinum-celebs.com does not endorse the downloading of copyrighted material. This site simply provide you the opportunity to find downloadable music and educational lyrics on the internet.