Spot the boat, man, ukulele: Strange island times 1

Towards the island:
Taking off from the ferry terminal in Townsville, Queensland
July 9, 2012

night watch at the harbour

Fremantle port, Western Australia, 28 June 2012

And you give me all

CERN, Switzerlard, July 4 2012:
Scientists working at the Hadron Collider think they have finally found the key
to understanding all matter, 'The God Particle'

Walkin' on a dusty road in the countryside of ease
I heard a song driftin' on the gently blowin' breeze
Sunshine through the Autumn, sweet snow to the Spring
Corn by the water of an old mill stream, and you give me home, you give me home

A barrow pushed by a little man came rollin' from the west
He sang a song as he stepped along until we drew abreast
Well hello there my friend, I see you're on the road here just like me
Why don't we stop and rest a while and I'll boil a pot of tea

He said his name was Simple Ben but not what I'd believe
Christened by the way he thought and not the way he lived
I've seen the best and worst that we have here on our earth
And finally decided on the things that I get worth

I asked if he had seen the great jets fly across the sky
He said he'd seen the smallest bird learnin' how to fly
Have you seen the bridges stretched across the bays
I've seen the smallest fish alive dyin' in the haze

Have you seen the massive buildin's reached towards the sun
I've seen the fields of barronness from the work that man has done
What about the dams and weirs that feed the countryside
I've seen the brownness of the grass when the dams and weirs run dry

What about the fertile lands where nothin' once would grow
I've seen the lands to the north and south under tons of ice and snow
Have you seen the jungles so thick that a man can't go
I've seen a farmer plough a field with nothin' but a hoe
You must admit that the motor was a boom to all mankind
The air is sweeter here than a hundred miles behind

What about the time we saved to go from place to place
I've seen my life go by so fast I scarce recall a face
You must have learned a lot by now about your fellow man
I've seen the waves that break upon the beaches made of sand
What about the beauty of great art that men have done
I've seen the shapes of mountains up against the mornin' sun

Ben do you believe in God and the words that preachers pray
I've seen myself in a still, calm pool and I've heard a donkey bray
Don't you need the tender warmth of a lady in your bed
I used to know a pretty woman who liked the stars above her head

Friend, thank you for your company, but I must be on my way
The road is growin' shorter as the sun sets on my day
We'll have to meet again some time to rest and share some tea
If you hear this song when you're walkin' along, you gonna know who it's gonna be

You give me sunshine through the Autumn, sweet snow to the Spring
Corn by the water of an old mill stream, and you give me home,
you give me home.


John J. Frances' Simple Ben from Albert Falzon's 1972 surf classic Morning of the Earth


 

G. Wayne Thomas