Paul Kelly
Sleep, Australia, Sleep
Sleep, Australia, sleep
The night is on the creep
Shut out the noise all around
Sleep, Australia, sleep
And dream of counting sheep
Jumping in fields coloured brown
Who rocked the cradle and cried?
Who rocked the cradle and cried?
Sleep, Australia, sleep
As off the cliff the kingdoms leap
Count them as they say goodbye
Count down the little things, the insects and birds
Count down the bigger things, the flocks and the herds
Count down our rivers, our pastures and trees
But there's no need to hurry
Oh, sleep now, don't worry
'Cause it's only a matter of degrees
Fog, Australia, fog
Just like the boiling frog
As we go, we won't feel a thing
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm
Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm
Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
Who rocked the cradle and cried?
Who rocked the cradle and cried?
Sleep, my country, sleep
As off the cliff the kingdoms leap
Count them as they pass on by
Our children might know them
But their children will not
We won't know 'til it's gone, all the glory we've got
But there are more wonders coming
All new kinds of shows
With acid seas rising
To kiss coastal mountains
Big cyclones pounding
And firestorms devouring
And we'll lose track of counting
As the corpses keep mounting
But hey, that's just the way this old world goes
Sleep, my country, sleep
As we sow, so shall we reap
Who rocked the cradle and cried?