Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we take a trip to the Land Down Under where country legend John Williamson sings about the untold riches lying beneath the vast, remote, inland territory known as the Australian Outback.
In his 2002 song called "Sing You The Outback," Williamson pays homage to generations of miners who have toiled in harsh conditions to extract precious metals and valuable gemstones...
"I'll sing you the miners, steel and coal / Opals and diamonds, silver and gold / Emeralds and sapphires, I wish for you / Holes in the outback, down below."
Williamson emphasizes the vital role The Outback has played in Australia's history and the impact it will have on its future. He contrasts the territory's harsh and unforgiving environment with its incomparable beauty. The Outback encompasses 2.5 million square miles, but is inhabited by only 60,000 people. He describes The Outback as "impossible," while also acknowledging that "there is no way he can find an end to what it means to me."
"Sing You The Outback" is the first track from Williamson's studio album, Gunyah, which means "home" in the traditional Aboriginal language.
Over the course of a career that has spanned nearly five decades, the 71-year-old singer-songwriter has earned a reputation of being a vocal advocate for the people of the bush. He has also been a prolific recording artist and commercial success. He's credited with releasing 40 albums, with sales tallying more than four million in Australia alone.
He has received 26 Golden Guitar trophies at the Country Music Awards of Australia and, in 2010, was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. In 2000, he performed at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.
We hope you enjoy the audio track of Williamson performing "Sing You The Outback." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...
"Sing You The Outback"
Written and performed by John Williamson.
I'll sing you the desert, where black men sailed
Waterhole to water, where white men failed
See the face of dreamers, forgotten souls
Hear the voice of cattlemen crackle in the coals
Maybe we will learn what's written in the sand
A thousand generations living off the land
I'll sing you the waters, runnin' through the town
Wildflowers and Wattles when it settles down
The Outback is impossible, forever and it's free
No way can I find an end to what it means to me
The Outback
I'll sing you the miners, steel and coal
Opals and diamonds, silver and gold
Emeralds and sapphires, I wish for you
Holes in the outback, down below
There's lakes and there's rivers, caves to be found
And there's another landscape underground
I'll sing you the waters runnin' through the town
Wildflowers and Wattles when it settles down
The backbone of the women who fight on and on
The healing of the sunset when all is said and done
The Outback is impossible, forever and it's free
No way can I find an end to what it means to me
To what it means to me
The Outback (4X)
Credits: Screen capture via YouTube.com.
