From the recording A Trip To Northern Country
Lyrics
My Dad would never put his father’s medal up for sale
It was like some superstition furthermore
Like if he nursed it closely some good it might prevail
What for?
Now Dad he’s in a grave not far from Grandpa’s in Moree
Closer than they’ve ever been for years
The wartime hero fueled a family dis-functionality
Dinner time would always end in tears
What do I know what do I know what do
I am a conflicted man
What do I know what do I know what do
I am doing all I can
Now the medal’s in a cupboard in the bedroom in a safe
I haven’t pulled it out since he’s been gone
Got a call from a collector with a deal to compensate
And it’s on!
You see the new year it brings with it certain pressures of a kind
A medal sale would set us up instead
We could send the kid to a school with a lab and a pool, a mottoed sign
Somewhere he can get ahead
What do I know what do I know what do
I am a conflicted man
What do I know what do I know what do
I, no I confirm my stand
The medal’s cursed
So says my sister
The Anzac March it puts her ill at ease
Compare my purse
Her strings are tighter
I’m begging you Margie please
Please
My dad would never put his father’s medal up for sale
Sometimes I’d catch him mumbling, looking up
Well I don’t share his belief in life beyond our mortal coil
That’s a crock
But what do I know?