Crow Fly-Over Night
Bring
all the kids on home from school
And
gather the pets in tight,
Send
out and warn the village fool
For
it’s Crow Fly-Over Night.
Stable
the horse, bring in the geese,
Shut
up the chicken run,
We
can’t rely on the local police
So
load me a scatter gun.
Shut
the windows in both the Utes,
Drive
the car in the shed,
Lay
out my anti-vermin boots
And
a helmet to cover my head.
Lock
the shutters and pull the blinds,
We
don’t want to show a light,
Set
the locks on the window-winds
For
it’s Crow Fly-Over Night.
Then
watch for the man in the hood and cape
As
he drifts in, under the Moon,
If I
sight him well, then he won’t escape,
Not
like in the month of June.
He
brings his carrion in to feed
In a
flutter of feathered blight,
If
he’s not dead yet, then he will be soon
For
it’s Crow Fly-Over Night.
And
the widow Raines in her mourning dress
Has
been seen to stray, she roams,
She
scatters seed in the wilderness
But
the Crows will pick her bones.
At
dusk they come in an evil cloud
But
with not a single caw,
Then
settle over the land, and loud
Announce
the word is ‘war’.
So
hide the children beneath their beds
And
bar each door in place,
Block
up the chimney flu with lead
And
call your sister, Grace,
If
she doesn’t come before the Crows
She’ll
find the door locked tight,
And
then she’ll know what the Devil knows,
It’s
Crow Fly-Over Night!
A ute ("utility") is a term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe a 2-wheel-drive passenger vehicle with a cargo tray in the rear integrated with the passenger body (or a similar vehicle) In 1932, in response to a woman in Victoria, Australia, who wanted “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays,” Ford designer Lew Bandt developed the "coupe utility" which was marketed in 1934. When it was displayed in the US, Henry Ford nicknamed it the "Kangaroo Chaser." Since then a ute culture has developed in rural Australia, particularly in the form of Ute musters that feature customized vehicles. The culture has been celebrated by Australian country singers such as Lee Kernaghan:
ReplyDeleteBaptise The Ute
I saw the ute
I heard the voice
I knew I had to make her mine
Shiny and red, on the show room floor
I scratched my name on the dotted line
I'm on a mission, the Grand Tradition
there's only one thing left to do
there's a clay pan, there's a big old mud hole
Gunna take my brand new baby right on through
Baptise the ute
Baptise the ute
You won't be satisfied until you do
Leave ya mark
Break it in
Take it to the edge and back again
When she's in my rig
She feels the rumble
She loves to ride in my machine
She runs her fingers along the console
She says there's no where else she'd rather be
But I'm on a mission, Grand Tradition
And if i play my cards just right
The motors runnin
And things are hummin,
I reckon this could be my lucky night
Baptise the ute
Baptise the ute
You won't be satified until you do
Leave ya mark
Break it in
We'll take it to the edge and back again
Bugs on the bullbar
Fur on the side rails
Mud on the windscreen
Cause we'll baptise the ute
Well I'm on a mission, we have ignition
We gotta do what must be done
When the ceremony has been completed
We'll start her up and do it all again
Baptise the ute
Baptise the ute
You won't be satisfied until you do
Leave ya mark
Break it in
Take it to the edge and back again
Baptise the ute
Baptise the ute
Got to take her out and see what she can do
Leave ya mark
Break it in
Got to take it to the edge and back again
(Colin Buchanan / Garth Ivan Richard Porter / Lee Raymond Kernaghan)