Heâd been walking âround
This old southern land
With nothing but a swag and billy can
And âit is comfortableâ youâd hear him tellinâ you
âWhen you donât answer to no one and no one answers to youâ
The places that heâd been ainât never seen much rain
The drought drank for one day a year and then set in again
And the aching hills baked onto the earth
Still know what that one day is worth.
Iâve been waiting like them there hills
For my boots to mend and my tanks to fill
Iâve walked from Darwin to Alice Springs
Oh yeah, Iâve lived like a king
The farmers that he met raised their families there
They lived in modest homes built on hard work and prayer
And on Saturdays you could hear them sing
âTomorrow the resting beginsâ
Theyâve been waiting like them there hills
For their herds to feed and their dams to fill
But their roof donât leak and their children sing
So, oh yeah theyâve lived like kings
On his dying day the sun was beating down
He sang a ramblinâ tune as he rambled along
The driver didnât stop
His body wouldnât work
When his face hit the red sandy dirt
He thought:
âIâll give my body to them there hills
âCause my boots wonât mend and my tanks are empty
And Iâm getting weaker every word I sing
But oh yeah Iâve lived like a kingâ¦
I think Iâll give my body to them there hills
âCause my boots wonât mend and my tanks are empty
And Iâm getting weaker every word I sing
But oh yeah Iâve lived like a kingâ