Headers on the Mallee plain
Iron on the Newman train
Lincoln Harbour trawler lights
Chippers out at Narrabri
He's cutting cane round Ellerbeck
Cyclone breathing down their necks
A million miles across this land
With bending backs and willing hands

They keep on keeping on
Workin' round the clock
Certain as a sunrise
Solid like a rock
It's the spirit of the battler
Makes the country strong
They keep on keeping on
They keep on keeping on

Workin' hands will take the wheel
Welding sparks on shipping steel
A young coal miner dreams of home
Two weeks down and two to go
Southern Cross and shearing shed
Barclay Highway 2am
From the Tasman to the Coral Sea
And Melbourne to the Kimberley
They keep on keeping on
Workin' round the clock
Certain as a sunrise
Solid like a rock
It's the spirit of the battler
Makes the country strong
They keep on keeping on
They keep on keeping on

At Charleville the levee cracks
The night is long but they hold it back
They keep on keeping on
Workin' round the clock
Certain as a sunrise
Solid like a rock
It's the spirit of the battler
Makes the country strong
They keep on keeping on
They keep on keeping on