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An absurd post-apocalyptic western song about a man and his camel.
The Drought
Lyrics by Julian Barrett
Ash motes on the main drag.
My camel looked forlorn and said;
“I’m dead.”
And so I looked around
At this blasted wasteland
And I left him for the birds
On the rust-stained sand
Emaciated mynah birds
Were parched on power lines
Three weeks traversing a dry
And lonely lake bed
And it was cocktail time
I came upon an old tin shed
The sign said saloon
And another smaller sign said
“Coming Soon”
So I spoke to the manager, I said;
“Which way’s the beach?”
Well he just grinned at me and said;
“It’s under your feet.”
Well those were last words that he spoke
I saw incendiary kites and smoke
And the sky turned the colour of Campari
And filled with corroded drones from the army
I got down and gripped the sand
And there were iron crosses and iphones
Running through my hands
And hand drawn death notices
And student debt notices
And an underlying sense of hopelessness
So I turned heel and fled
Back to my lake bed
And grabbed the reins of my camel and said;
“I’ll tow you instead.”