Paul Kelly‘s new song, “Sleep, Australia, Sleep,”is now available to download or stream on all the usual platforms worldwide. The official video, directed by Siân Darling, is out today, featuring images of the glory and ruin of the natural world as well as human efforts to protect it. Much of the footage was kindly provided by conservation organizations.
Listen to the track here:
Paul has said of the song, “It’s a lament in the form of a lullaby. A lullaby that sounds a warning. I hope it doesn’t come true but some of it already has.”
Kelly has a long history of protest songs, or songs that ring true to what’s happening in the world, particularly in Australia. On his first U.S. release, Gossip (A&M 1986), the song “Maralinga (Rainy Land)” tells of how nuclear tests scarred the land and the people who depended upon it. His 1991 album Comedy includes “From Little Things Big Things Grow,” about the Gurindji Strike, activist Vincent Lingiari, and the indigenous struggle for land rights. Kelly co-wrote “Treaty,” released in ’91 by Yothu Yindi, the first song by a predominantly Aboriginal band to chart and gain extensive international recognition. It highlighted the lack of progress on the treaty between Indigenous Australians and the government. In 1992, “Special Treatment,” on Kelly’s album Hidden Things, spoke to racism and inequality. His 1998 release Words & Music included “Little Kings,” a song about the way Aboriginals are poorly treated in the name of European “progress.” “Emotional” and “This Land Is Mine” were tunes he wrote to make a political point. Now, “Sleep, Australia, Sleep” joins a list of politically engaged songs penned and performed by Kelly.
“Sleep, Australia, Sleep” was recorded December 11, 2019, at Union St. Studio, West Brunswick, by Roger Bergodaz and mixed by John Castle. Kelly debuted the song live in Australia with the Pub Choir: https://youtu.be/-hY1w_c7nO4
The players:
Paul Kelly – Vocal, acoustic guitar and celeste melody
Alice Keath – Vocal, autoharp and celeste chords
Sime Nugent – Vocal and acoustic guitar
Paul Kelly – Vocal, acoustic guitar and celeste melody
Alice Keath – Vocal, autoharp and celeste chords
Sime Nugent – Vocal and acoustic guitar
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’ll rock the cradle and cry?
Who’ll rock the cradle and cry?
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
‘Coz it’s only a matter of degrees
Fog, Australia, fog
Just like the boiling frog
As we go we won’t feel a thing
Who’ll rock the cradle and cry?
Who’ll rock the cradle and cry?
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
