Moving On

Jimmy was a good man, worked all his life
In a town near Broken Hill
Loved the feel of the sun on his back
And the red, red dust that stretched to the outback
End of the day, picking up pay
News breaks, mine closed down
They’re taking his job away
And he’d felt the wind on the Mundi plain
Like a banshee in the storm
There’s no time left for looking back
And it looks like time for moving on

Jimmy despondent, Jimmy depressed
Takes his trouble to the bar
When he’s drinking out in Silverton
He can never take too much, never drive too far
Dark night, truck headlights
‘Roo buckles in fright, dead on the side
He’s been through this before

He fills his days shooting thingyatoos
Out at the reservoir
At fifty-two there’s not much to do
When you’re crippled by your age and they don’t want to know you
Back in town he can take the frowns
He can take the knocks but he can’t stand the fact
That he’s still got two strong hands

Jimmy was a good man, worked for a quid
In a town near Broken Hill
And the wind blows cruel down Argent Street
And his footsteps fall like the pounding of a heart beat
Gotta make a run, gotta get away
Gotta leave this town
It’s gonna break my soul some day

And he’s felt the wind on the Mundi plain
And he’s watched the wedge tail fly
There’s no time left for looking back
And this town’s no place to die