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lyrics

Come now, let us not be starry-eyed!
If we look around us, we cannot pretend
That mankind has never set its foot here
But still – it is so beautiful

There is peace and tranquility here
Even with the ravages that we have made
In this state forest, in this urban park,
On this wind-swept beach, in this inner-city backyard

Look how tolerant your mother is
Look how far she can be pushed and yet provide
See how well she covers her scars
See how she hides her cancers and ulcers
Look Child! Look and understand
Because on her we all depend for our survival.

I look at her back and her side as she bends
I look at her and I cannot pretend
That her man has never set his foot here
But still, she is so beautiful

There is love and acceptance here
Even with the ravages that he has made
In the doctor’s waiting room , in the supermarket shelves
In the principal’s office, in her secret self

Look how tolerant your mother is
Look how far she can be pushed and yet provide
See how well she covers her scars
See how she hides her cancers and ulcers
Look Child! Look and understand
Because on her you will depend for your survival.

For 10 years, the warning has been imminent
The roof is dissolving over our heads
It’s all been affected, it’s all going wrong
And it will affect you before too much longer

There’s nowhere to go there nowhere you can hide
From the depths of the ocean to the deep blue sky
It’s more than just poison, it’s more than just heat
The ground is strangling under our feet
But there’s still time to make ends meet
Even with the ravages that we have made
In this eroded pasture, in this urban sprawl
In this beach-front sewer, in this inner-city backyard
In this logged-out forest, in this choked city air
In this sterile carpark, in your TV chair
I beg of you

Look how tolerant your mother is
But how much further can we push and yet survive?
See how well she covers her scars
But we’re the ones, we’re the cancers, the ulcers
Look Child! Look and understand
Because on her we all depend for our survival.

credits

from Between Light and Dark, released September 11, 1993
Penelope Swales - vocals, rhythm and lead guitars
Geoff Hassall - drums
Bob Clark - fretless bass

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Penelope Swales Boolarra, Australia

Penelope Swales has been articulating the human condition with passion and humour for 30+ years. She sings about politics, love, friendship, the unbreakable bond between us and dogs and the impact of the Internet on society. She won the 2019 Alistair Hulett Songs for Social Justice Award with “Cambridge Analytica”. “The Ides of March in Christchurch" was short-listed for the same award in 2020. ... more

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