Requiem for the Leaning Tree of the Yass River by Daniel Kelly 2022
G D G Sometimes I feel like a tree, C G Standing down by the river, Am D So happy and free, G Am I watch as the water, G Bm C Drifts slowly by, G Bm And I drink in the sun, D G From the blue summer sky, My roots they reach deep in the soil, of the river’s broad bank, Where the platypus toils, In times of the drought, There is always a drink, From the free flowing river, Where I stand on the brink. C G I’m leaning out into the river, C D G I lean a bit more every year, C D When the flood water comes, G down the next time, C D G I fear, I’ll no longer be here, I’m not old like the elm in the park, Not exotic at all, With plain sliver bark, Eucalyptus, like me, Dime a dozen you see, But I cherish my spot, While my roots will hold me, The river has risen once more, The torrent comes down, Higher than ever before, My roots cannot hold me, I’m starting to fall, But let me lie in the water, Where I once stood so tall,