Uluru is probably the biggest “rock” in this part of the world, a gigantic sandstone boulder on the other side of the Tasman Sea, in the heart of the Australian Outback. It stands 350 metres high, with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total circumference of nearly 10 kilometres. The remarkable feature of Uluru is its homogeneity and lack of jointing and parting at bedding surfaces. This means that scree slopes and soil have not developed there. These characteristics have led to its survival, while the surrounding rocks were eroded. I have always enjoyed John Williamson’s “Raining on the Rock”, even using it at times in my lectures. The first YouTube clip below is Williamson’s song, the second clip is drone footage of Uluru, and the third clip is Midnight Oil’s “Dead Heart”. Both pieces of music feature impressive guitar playing. Lyrics are at the end of this post.
LYRICS
“Raining on the Rock”
by John Williamson
Pastel red to burgundy and spinifex to gold,
We’ve just come out of the Mulga where the plains forever roll.
And Albert Namatjira has painted all the scenes,
And a shower has changed the lustre of his land.
And it’s raining on the Rock,
In a beautiful country,
And I’m proud to travel this big land
Like an Aborigine.
And it’s raining on the Rock.
What an almighty sight to see!
And I’m wishing on a postcard that you were here with me.
Everlasting daisies and the beautiful desert rose –
Where does their beauty come from heaven knows.
I could ask the wedge-tail but he’s away too high,
I wonder if he understands it’s wonderful to fly.
And it’s raining on the Rock,
In a beautiful country,
And I’m proud to travel this big land
Like an Aborigine.
And it’s raining on the Rock.
What an almighty sight to see!
And I’m wishing on a postcard that you were here with me.
It cannot be described with a picture,
The mesmerising colours of the Olgas,
Or the grandeur of the Rock –
Uluru has power!
And it’s raining on the Rock,
In a beautiful country,
And I’m proud to travel this big land
Like an Aborigine.
And it’s raining on the Rock.
What an almighty sight to see!
And I’m wishing on a postcard that you were here with me.
“The Dead Heart”
by Midnight Oil
We don’t serve your country,
Don’t serve your king,
Know your custom, don’t speak your tongue.
White man came took everyone.
We don’t serve your country,
Don’t serve your king.
White man listen to the songs we sing.
White man came took everything.
We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen.
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken.
We don’t serve your country,
Don’t serve your king,
Know your custom, don’t speak your tongue.
White man came took everyone.
We don’t need protection,
Don’t need your hand.
Keep your promise on where we stand.
We will listen, we’ll understand.
We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen.
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken…
Mining companies, Pastoral companies,
Uranium companies, Collected companies,
Got more right than people,
Got more say than people.
Forty thousand years can make a difference to the state of things.
The dead heart lives here.