Poem: Wake up Australia ... Be Fair! by Brian Spittle

Wake up Australia...Be Fair !
by Brian Spittle

[A variation on Advance Australia Fair]

Australians all, let us admit
that we were never free
Our soils and wealth are so much shit
(but we do live by the sea)

Our beauty is indeed quite rare
and rather hard to see
So if we must sing let it be
'Live on the periphery !'

Beneath the Southern Cross we stand
but however hard we stare
The cross is lost in a haze of light
cast by the city's glare

The glowing towers which make some rich
pollute the evening air
You migrants lured to share our plains
by all means have a treat
Try living on a desert farm
but don't expect to eat
Camels are our models here
they drink but once a week

Are we so smart ? Are we quite sure ?
that when cheap oil gives out
That when the shortages add up
we'll have the guts to shout
'Come share our boundless bloody plains
we have little else to share !'

Australians all, let us admit
that we were never free.....