| We pulled in that town by the bypass
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| That you drive past without a second glance
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| She’s had her last dance
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| Yeah we took our chance on a street about four lanes wide
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| Dead quiet seven or eight at night
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| She was the 1985 tidy town winner
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| But now it’s quiet after five you can’t find dinner
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| Potholed roads just as the locals like it
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| Some top spots near by spoken of on a quiet tip
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| And the hire car felt the bumps
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| The only light was at the pub
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| Shrug of the shoulders we headed in for counter grub
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| «Unlucky son the missus has gone off to bed
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| I can do a bowl of chips or some butter on bread»
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| Sweet n' four schooies, three lemon-lime and bitters
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| One for the driver, two for the big hitters
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| And we eat quick as if it’s last drinks
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| «Bar shuts at nine» he said, after I asked him
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| Wind blowing through, ghost in my head
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| This lonely road, has been left for dead
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| Wind blowing through, ghost in my head
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| This lonely road, has been left for dead
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| «A game of darts» the fella asked the only drinker in the place
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| An older bloke with worry lines that made a roadmap of his face
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| Now he could see that we were blow-ins
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| But was showing hospitality
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| Gradually we warmed when he chalked up a tally
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| He stammered a little hammered, but totally balancing
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| He leaned over and added «Hey you up for a challenge?
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| Test your talent, but what you say you tell me a tale»
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| Tried his hand on the land, freight job with state rail
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| He said «This was town of industry so many years back
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| But black years of drought and fire have left some fierce cracks»
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| He says «You youngins probably don’t wanna year that
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| I served in New Guinea, believe me son we adapt»
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| It’s nothing to be sneered at, we all fought
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| It was a busy boom town now become back water
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| It went Telstra, NAB then Australia post
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| But when that bypass went in
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| Thats when we failed the most
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| Formerly a town of bushrangers I felt like a stranger
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| The air thin as the area paper
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| Days feel long as The Hume, few semis through
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| Never thought they’d see the day they give thanks for diesel fumes
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| Just two visits from memory by the local member
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| In the past century, to the war memorial at the cemetery
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| The train stations shut
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| So the only way to get north of the border is by catching a bus
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| But the bastards only stop twice a week
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| Roadhouse, got some yellow postcards of roast and peas
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| And the young mostly being city gives the feeling
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| That a home quickly becomes a house with paint pealing
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| This fellow was jovial
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| It won’t be all over till the last beer’s poured
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| Man, it’s more than ceremonial
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| Our last cheers sure, raised our schooner’s in respect
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| Had to jet full moon, long road ahead |