The Ballad Of Queenie And Rover

Em          G
Queenie was born on the banks of the
D                  C
great Ord River, 1930, maybe
Em             G                    D       C
Her mother was black, her daddy white
Em         G
Papa was a fine horse-breaker
D                          C
Mama sang the songs of the old lawmakers
Em                     G
She used to hide young Queenie in the bush
D                                   C
And rub black charcoal all over her hair and her face
Em               G
Every time the police came around
D                            C
Looking for any blond haired, brown skinned children
Em                    G                 D      C
To round ‘em up and take ‘em on down town

Em         G                 D    C
Shine on, shine on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    C
Shine on, shine on, immortal one, aha

Em          G
Rover was born in the desert,
D                              C
he lived out there ‘til his mother died
Em             G                             D       C
Then he moved around a lot from place to place
Em             G          D          C
Bedford Downs, Bow River, Lissadel, Wyndham
Em              G                     D       C
Building fences, working as a stock man

Em            G
Then he had a series of dreams
D                             C
He started painting what he'd heard and he'd seen\
Em               G            C               D
Rainbow serpent, Krill Krill, Cyclone Tracy, the killing fields
Em              G                 D      C
Everything that lives and breathes

Em         G                 D    C
Ride on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    C
Ride on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G            D    C
Your story will always run

Em                         G
When Rover and Queenie were young
     D                       C
They met out on New Texas Down station
Em             G                             D       C
She worked as a cook there for a long, long time
Em                         G
She said, “Hey, Cowboy” later on she said
D          C            Em         G               D         C
“Nice boy, good worker, top rider, lucky one, that one”

Em                         G
One day a mean horse ripped the scalp from his head
D                          C
She stitched him up with a boiled needle and thread
Em                  G
Good as any doctor, they were friends ever after
D                            C
She said, “I want to paint," he said, “I’ll teach ya”
Em               G                  D         C
They died within months of each other

Em         G                 D    C
Ride on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    C
Shine on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    C
Ride on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    C
Shine on, ride on, immortal one, aha

Em         G            D    C
Your story will always run,
         Em     G
always run,
              D    C
will always run
          Em     G
Forever run,
          D    C
forever run,
          Em     G
forever run
          D    C
Forever young,
           Em          G        D       C      Em