Misc Traditional – The Broken Down Squatter (Guitar)

[Intro]
           G7                              C
e|--------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|--------------|
B|--------|---0-----------|---------------|-----------------|--------------|
G|---0----|-------2---0---|---------------|-----------------|--------------|
D|--------|---------------|---3---2---0---|-----------------|--------------|
A|--------|---------------|---------------|---3-------------|--------------|
E|--------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|--------------|

C               Am          C              G7
Come Stumpy old man, let us shift while we can,

         C            F           C
All your mates in the paddock are dead.

G7     C                       Dm
Let us wave a farewell to Glen Eva's sweet dells,

        G7                             C
And the hills where your lordship was bred.

C           Am            C                G7
Together to roam from our drought stricken home,

     C               F              C
It's tough that such things have to be.

G7       C                       Dm
And it's hard on a horse to have nought for a boss,

  G7                        C
A broken down squatter like me.

        F                         C
For the banks are all broken they say,

        Am                     G7
And the merchants are all up a tree;

         C           Am
When the bigwigs are brought

       C       F  C
To the bankruptcy court,

     G7                       C
What hope for a squatter like me.

C                Am         C         G7
No more shall we muster the river for fats,

   C            F            C
Or spiel on the Fifteen Mile Plain,

G7                  C           Dm
Or rip through the scrub by the light of the moon,

   G7                    C
Or see the old stockyard again.

C                     Am       C                 G7
Leave the slip-panels down, it won't matter much now,

          C            F             C
There are none but the crows left to see,

G7       C                            Dm
Perching gaunt on yon pine, as though longing to dine,

     G7                        C
On a broken down squatter like me.

        F                         C
For the banks are all broken they say,

        Am                     G7
And the merchants are all up a tree;

         C           Am
When the bigwigs are brought

       C       F  C
To the bankruptcy court,

     G7                       C
What hope for a squatter like me.

C                    Am              C              G7
When the country was cursed with the drought at its worst.

        C           F        C
And the cattle were dying in scores.

G7     C                 Dm
Though down on my luck I kept up my pluck,

         G7                       C
Thinking justice might temper the laws.

C                      Am              C          G7
But the farce has been played, and the government aid

        C         F              C
Ain't extended to squatters, old son;

G7      C                     Dm
When my money was spent, they doubled the rent

    G7                           C
And resumed the best half of the run.

        F                         C
For the banks are all broken they say,

        Am                     G7
And the merchants are all up a tree;

         C           Am
When the bigwigs are brought

       C       F  C
To the bankruptcy court,

     G7                       C
What hope for a squatter like me.

C                  Am          C           G7
'Twas done without reason, for leaving the season

    C             F            C
No squatter could stand such a rub,

G7       C                          Dm
For it's useless to squat when your rents are so hot

         G7                           C
That you can't save the price of your grub;

C                       Am                C             G7
And there's not much to choose 'tween the banks and the screws,

       C           F        C
Once a fellow gets put up a tree;

G7 C                            Dm
No odds what I feel, there's no Court of Appeal,

      G7                        C
For a broken down squatter like me.

        F                         C
For the banks are all broken they say,

        Am                     G7
And the merchants are all up a tree;

         C           Am
When the bigwigs are brought

       C       F  C
To the bankruptcy court,

     G7                       C
What hope for a squatter like me.

C               Am          C              G7
Come Stumpy old man, let us shift while we can,

         C            F           C
All your mates in the paddock are dead.

G7      C                           Dm
And the place over there, though it looks rather bare

       G7                             C
Is the place where your lordship was bred.

C            Am               C            G7
Let us bid a farewell to Glen Eiva's sweet dell,

     C                    F              C
It's sad but these things things have to be.

G7       C                          Dm
And it's hard on a horse, when he's got for a boss,

  G7                        C
A broken down squatter like me.