The Ballad of Queenie and Rover
Queenie was born on the banks of the great Ord River, 1930, maybe
Her mother was black, her papa white
Daddy was a fine horse-breaker, mama sang the songs of the old lawmakers
She used to hide young Queenie in the bush
And rub black charcoal all over her hair and her face
Every time the police came around, looking for any blonde-haired brown-skinned children
To round ‘em up and take ‘em on down town
Shine on, shone on, immortal one
Shine on, shone on, immortal one
Rover was born in the desert, lived out there ‘til his mother died
Then he moved around a lot from place to place
Bedford Downs, Bow River, Lissadell, Wyndham,
Building fences, working as a stockman
Then he had a series of dreams
He started painting what he heard and seen
Rainbow serpent, Krill Krill, Cyclone Tracy, the killing fields,
Everything that lives and breathes
Ride on, ride on, immortal ones
Ride on, ride on, immortal ones
When Rover and Queenie were young they met out on New Texas Downs station
She worked as a cook there for a long long time
She said “Hey, Cowboy!” later on she said
“Nice boy, good worker, top rider, lucky one, that one”
One day a mean horse ripped the scalp from his head
She stitched him up with a boiled needle and thread
Good as any doctor, they were friends ever after
She said “I want to paint, he said “I’ll teach ya”
They died within months of each other
Ride on, ride on, immortal ones
Shine on, shone on, immortal ones
Your story will always run
Forever run
Forever young
[ Back to lyrics by alpha / by album, other lyrics]
