GREENHEAD,
DYNAMITE
BAY
Words &
Music Carmel Charlton
Greenhead a coastal fishing village 300 kilometers north of
Perth
is one of my
favourite holiday destinations. Fisherman’s Island is home
to a colony of sea lions.
Chorus
Greenhead,
Dynamite Bay
Fishing off
the jetty at the end of the day
Cray boats
waiting patiently
Before the
dawn they’ll put out to sea
Climbing
ridges, discovering
Flowers where
you think none would survive
Shipwrecks
off the coast, founded on the rocks
With hopes
and cargo they went down
In turquoise
waters the sea lions play
At
Fishermen's Island in the sun
Meet the
characters who live life out here
A special
breed of people with a job to be done at
Pristine
grasses on the oceans floor
Sway gently
to the motion of the waves
Fragile in
their paradise
A place
unspoiled, may it stay that way
Amazing
colours in the sunset sky
Lightning
flashing around
Point Louise
becomes a silhouette
Thunder in
the distance the only sound
Meet the
characters who live life out here
They’re
special people with a job to be done
Before the
dawn
Before the
dawn
Before the
dawn they’ll put out
BACK TO TOP
UP, DOWN
SOUTH
Words by
Patrick O’Leary & Carmel Charlton. Music by Carmel
Charlton
In the Noongar language ‘up’ at the end of a word means ‘place
of’.
I’m going
down to Noggerup, Boyanup, Balingup
On to
Cowaramup, where it’s ‘udderly’ divine
When you get
to Kojanup, more sheep than people there
Old
homesteads and shearing sheds and cool crisp country air
Old
homesteads, shearing sheds and cool country air
Chorus
Everything
ends with up down south means ‘place of’ you know
When I’m
feeling all fed up, off down south I go
On the coast
at Yallingup you’ll find caves and lots of surf
Karri forests
at Manjimup, no price on what they’re worth
Go by train
to Dwellingup on the
Hotham
Valley line
Sweet boronia
at Nannup, I go there all the time
Boronia at
Nannup, I go there all the time
I’m going
down to Myalup, Dardenup, Ongerup
Deep in the
Porongerups, I’ll stop to taste the wine
Frankland
flows through Nornalup fish are biting there
Denmark’s
name was Kurrabup, black swans in the air
Denmark’s
name was Kurrabup, black swans everywhere.
I’d like to
thank the aborigines; the Noongar tribe
For the magic
names that describe the land
Special
places they’d find
Gnowangerup
means ‘Mallee Fowl’ Tambellup ‘place of thunder’
What a
heritage we have in these places filled with wonder
What a
heritage in a land filled with wonder.
Chorus
Everything
ends with up down south, means ‘place of’ you know
When I’m
feeling all fed up, off down south and off down south and
Off down
south I - gotta get down!
BACK TO TOP
SPIRIT OF
MOKARE
Words &
Music Carmel Charlton
In 1829
Aboriginal guide and peacemaker Mokare led explorers through
the bush. They walked from Albany to Denmark on the south
coast. Dr. Collie who was government resident of
Albany
at the time documented customs and language that he had learnt
from his friend Mokare.
In Mokare’s
time the settlers came
Sailed into a
safe harbour
Guiding them
through the bush
They wanted
to explore
See the
wonders of the land
Where no
white man had ever been before
Sunlight
filtered through the karri’s
Past hills
and ancient ranges
Ten days
walking along Noongar tracks
Mokare’s
knowledge of the bush helped the
strangers
survive in 1829
Chorus
Spirit of
Mokare, lead us on
Feel it in
the karri’s so strong
May the
ancient wisodom guide us
As we lean
from each other
So much we
can learn
He taught of
his land and language
Past down
from tribal elders
Albany
won’t forget their peacemaker son
The role he
played in the early days, oh they
remember with
pride
As Dr. Collie
lay dying, he made one last request
That he be
buried by Mokare’s side
He’d learnt
so much from him
They became
best friends
Founding fathers, one black and one white
BACK TO TOP
WHISPERS ON
THE WIND
Words &
Music Carmel Charlton
I wrote this song while sitting on a secluded beach at
Greenhead shortly after
September 11,
2001. I was reflecting upon the final words from many of the
passengers on the hijacked aircraft to their loved ones. It
was simply ‘I love you’. It is a poignant reminder to make
the most of each day.
I’ve heard so
many stories; I’ve been to many places
I’ve traveled
near and far and far and wide
While sitting
all alone, staring at the ocean
I’ve heard so
many whispers on the wind
People that I
know now, or haven’t seen for years
Come drifting
on the memories of time
Sometimes my
thoughts will linger on one of two of them
I say a
little prayer and hope they’re fine
Chorus
Whispers on
the wind, I don’t know the future
Whispers on
the wind, make the most of everyday
Whispers on
the wind, tell people that you love them
I’ve heard
all this in whispers on the wind
Maybe there’d
be peace in every corner of the world
If people
stopped to listen for awhile
None of us
are here for long when all is said and done
Time we
listened to those whispers on the wind
Stop to smell
the flowers and wonder how they grow
Watching
seabirds homeward fly
Wonder at the
universe, here we are all spinning ‘round
Time we
listened to those whispers on the wind
We need hope
to keep us going, someone to understand
Don’t know
what the future holds
Only know who
holds it in His hands
Repeat ‘Maybe
there’d be peace
BACK TO TOP
GOODBYE
BEETHOVEN
Words &
Music Carmel Charlton
After studying too many Beethoven symphonies at the West
Australian conservatorium of Music
I put my thoughts to music.
Chorus
Goodbye
Beethoven, I’ll see you in the spring
I know that
you’re a genius but I just want to sing
A country
song, it can’t be wrong!
Though your
symphonies are very nice
They’re about
an hour too long
First you’ve
got the exposition
And you think
you know the scheme
But just to
throw you off the track
He adds an
extra theme
Then comes
the development
Of what has
gone before
I try to
listen very hard
But I can’t
take anymore!
Well you
think that it’s all over
‘Cause the
orchestra’s so quiet
Then suddenly
they play so loud
That you
nearly die with fright!
Then the
recapitulation means
The end is
getting near
But wait,
here comes the coda
And now he’s in top gear
BACK TO TOP
THE GHAN
Words by
Patrick O’Leary. Music by Carmel Charlton
The Ghan is a
living legend. It opened in 1929 linking
Adelaide and
Alice Springs. It was named after the Afghan Camel drivers. The
new Ghan now travels on
to Darwin.
A thousand
miles to nowhere on a train that leads to hell
Her boilers
belching fire and the ringing of her bell
Her wheels
are moving slowly on the iron rail below
As she heads
out of the ranges, to the Alice she will go
She stops at
Parachilna, Beltana and Leigh Creek
Steaming up
the Alice, she'll be there in a week
The train
moves on slowly from
Lyndhurst
to Marree
Recalling the
old camel men and set their spirits free
Chorus
She's the
Ghan, she's the Ghan
Rolling on
the northern tracks again
She's the
Ghan, she's the Ghan
Going
forever, if she can
The screaming
of her whistle could wake a graveyards dead
The parched
earth all around her is painted green and red
Her pistons
pushing power back in 1929
As she heaved
and rolled right down the track
On the
Oodnadatta line
Past Spinifex
and gibber plain, all dusty and dry
Past deserts
raked with sandstorm, you can hear the eagles cry
Storms pass
by slowly and turn the earth to mud
As water
rages down the creek to see the fink in flood
The new
Ghan’s a ‘rolling now beneath Australian skies
From Adelaide
to Darwin a dream is realized
The
pioneering spirit keeps running in our veins
I still can
hear the whistle of the old ghost train
Founding
fathers, one black and one white
BACK TO TOP
SPECIAL GIFT
Words &
Music Carmel Charlton
‘It wouldn’t do if we were all the same’. These are words
that I remember my father often saying. It made me appreciate
my own gift of music and each person having their special
gifts.
It seems like
just the other day that I heard someone say
It wouldn’t
do if we were all the same
I believe
it’s true, though we’re different me and you
We’ll always
need the sunshine and rain
Even though
it’s been a while since I saw him
I remember my
father’s words
Chorus
You love your
music, me I love the plough
While you
mother helps the roses bloom in spring
Some can
paint a picture, others run like the wind
Each one has
a special gift to bring
Farming all
his life, he knew no other way
Worked with
his hands as his father before him
Wheatfield’s
and windmills, canopies of salmon gums
Gave him time
to think, time to work things out
Even though
it’s been a while since I saw him
I remember my
father’s words
Just like a
gift of song
He knew his
heart belonged in the country
I can hear
him say
Chorus
You love your
music, me I love the plough
While your
mother helps the roses bloom in spring
Some can
paint a picture, others run like the wind
Each one has
a special gift to bring
Some can
paint a picture, others run like the wind
Each one has
a special gift, a special song
A gift to
bring
BACK TO TOP
HORSES COMING
HOME
Words by
Frank Smith. Music by Carmel Charlton
In 1915, a small boy at Bakers Hill in saw soldiers and horses
going by train to Albany, Western Australia. The convoys took
160,000 horses to the1st World War. Only one returned. Due to
quarantine regulations they were either put down or left
behind. Frank Smith gave me his poem that I arranged to
music.
I had a dream
the other night, was plain as plain could be
I saw a
thousand horsemen riding home across the
sea.
Those riders
when the war was won shed tears and said goodbye
To leave a
faithful horse behind made many a strong man cry
But we'll be
back to take you home, thought hell should bar the way
And as ghost
riders we will live, to ride and fight another day
Chorus
So never fear
four legged friends
When our
earthly days are through
A thousand
suntanned horsemen
Will be
coming back for you
Wave on wave
of phantom riders, coming in across the sea
To meet their
cobbers on
Mt.
Clarence,
what a marvellous sight to see
And now the
last post's sounded, men and horses home to stay
And lots of
green, green pasture forever and a day
And that's
the scene I saw last night, as plain as plain could be
A thousand
tenth light horsemen, bringing horses home across the sea
BACK TO TOP
LONELY CITY
Words &
Music Carmel Charlton
Christmas can be a lonely time for many people, especially if
there are few relatives or friends to lend a helping hand. I
first sang this song at the launch of St. Vincent de Paul’s
Christmas Appeal in WA.
It’s lonely
in the city when you’ve got nowhere else to go
People all
around, they don’t seem to know
The
loneliness you’re feeling, the pain you try to hide
It’s lonely
in the city especially at Christmas time
It’s lonely
in the city when the night time comes around
Isn’t it a
pity no-one knows you when you’re down
Out of work,
out of hope, just can’t see the light
It’s lonely
in the city especially at Christmas time
Especially at
Christmas that’s the time you feel it most
That’s when
you need a friend,
Someone to
walk with you awhile,
And help to
share the load
Lonely in the
city waiting for a train
Friends have
deserted, family far away
Out of work,
out of hope, just can’t see the light
It’s lonely
in the city, especially at Christmas time
It’s lonely
in the city when you’ve nowhere else to go
People all
around, they don’t seem to know
The
loneliness you’re feeling, the pain you try to hide
Lonely in the
city
It’s lonely
in the city especially at Christmas
BACK TO TOP
BAY OF ISLES
Words and
Music by Carmel Charlton
Beautiful bays and fine white sand that squeaks underfoot -
Esperance is located on Western Australia's southeast coast,
about 725km from Perth. Kepa Kurl is the aboriginal name for
the area. It means ‘place where water lies down like a
boomerang’.
The sun’s
sinking low behind me, there’s an open road ahead
Been
traveling all day, soon I’ll reach the southern shores
The land is
ever changing, banksia turns to mallee
The sign on
the road say; watch for the mallee fowl
I’m gettin’
closer to my destination
When I see
the peaks of Cape Le Grand
Chorus
Esperance,
Bay of Isles,
Kepa Kurl
where the water lies
Like a
boomerang,
Bay of
Isles
Kepa Kurl
where the water lies
In the shape
of a boomerang
Strong winds
fan the ocean and blow across the land
Cooling down
the hottest summer days
A goods train
heading for the port weighed down
By iron ore
Sometimes
comes in with a load from the nickel mine
Oo I’m
getting closer
When I see
the peaks of Cape Le Grand
