I love my wife   she right skin for me   pretty one my wife   young one   found her in

the next community over   across the hills   little bit long way   not far
And from there she give me good kids   funny kids mine   we always laughing all

together  and that wife she real good mother   make our wali real nice   flowers and

grass patch and chickens  I like staying home with my kids
And from there I build cubby house   yard for the horse   see I make them things from

the left overs   from the dump   all the left overs from fixing the houses  and all the

left overs I make cubby house and chicken house
And in the house we teach the kids  don’t make mess   go to school   learn good so you

can work round here later   good job   good life   and the government will leave you alone
And from there tjamu and nana bin tell us the story   when the government was worse

rations   government make up all the rules   but don’t know culture   cant sit in the sand

oh tjamu and nana they got the best story   we always laughing us mob
And from there night time when we all aslepp   all together on the grass patch   dog and

cat and kids  my wife and me   them kids they ask really good questions about them olden

days   about today   them real ninti them kids   they gunna be right
And from there come intervention   John Howard he make up new rules   he never even

come to see us   how good we was doing already   Mal Brough he come with the army

we got real frightened true   thought he was gunna take the kids away   just like tjamu

and nana bin tell us
I run my kids in the sand hills   took my rifle up there and sat   but they was all just lying

changing their words all the time   wanting meeting today and meeting tomorrow   we

was getting sick of looking at them   so everyone put their eyes down   and some even shut

their ears
And from there I didn’t care too much   just kept working fixing the housing   being

happy working hard   kids go to school   wife working hard too   didn’t care too much

we was right we always laughing us mob all together
But then my wife she come home crying   says her money in quarantine but I didn’t know

why they do that   we was happy not drinking and fighting   why they do that we ask

the council to stop the drinking and protect the children   hey you know me ya bloody

mongrel I don’t drink and I look after my kids   I bloody well fight ya you say that

again   hey settle down we not saying that   Mal Brough he saying that don’t you watch

the television   he making the rules for all the mobs   every place Northern Territory

he real cheeky whitefella but he’s the boss   we gotta do it
And from there I tell my wife she gets paid half   half in hand half in the store   her

money in the store now   half and half   me too   all us building mob   but I cant buy

tobacco or work boots   you only get the meat and bread just like the mission days

just like tjamu and nana bin tell us
And from there I went to the store to get meat for our supper   but the store run out

only tin food left   so I asked for some bullets   I’ll go shoot my own meat   but sorry

they said you gotta buy food   that night I slept by hungry   and I slept by myself

thinking about it
And from there the government told us our job was finish   the government bin give us the

sack we couldn’t believe it   we bin working CDEP for years   slow way park the truck at

the shed   just waiting for something   for someone with tobacco
The other mens reckon fuck this   drive to town for the grog   but I stayed with my kids

started watching the television   trying to laugh   not to worry   just to be like yesterday
And from there the politician man says I’ll give you real job   tells me to work again

but different only half time   sixteen hours  but I couldn’t understand   it was the same

job as before   but more little   less pay   and my kids can’t understand when they come

home from school why I can’t buy the lolly for them like I used to before   I don’t want to

tell them   I get less money for us now
And from there they say my wife gets too much money   I gunna miss out again   I’m getting

sick of it   don’t worry she says I’ll look after you   but I know that’s not right way

I’m getting shame   my brother he gets shame too   he goes to town for drinking   leaves his

wife behind   leaves his kids
And from there I drive round to see tjamu   he says his money in the store too   poor bloke

he can’t even walk that far   and I don’t smile   I look at the old man   he lost his smile

too   but nana she cooking the damper and the roo tail   she trying to smile   she always

like that
And from there when I get home   my wife gone to town with the sister in law   she gone look

for my brother   he might be stupid on the grog   he not used to it   she gotta find him

might find him with another woman   make him bleed drag him home
And from there my wife come back   she real quiet true   tells me she went to casino   them

other kungkas took her   taught her the machines   she lost all her money   she lost her

laughing
And from there all the kids bin watching us   quiet way not laughing round   so we all go

swimming down the creek   all the families there together   we happy again   them boys we

take them shooting chasing the malu in the car   we real careful with the gun not gunna

hurt my kids   no way
And from there my wife   she sorry   she back working hard   save the money   kids gunna get

new clothes   I gunna get my tobacco and them bullets   but she gone change again getting her

pay forgetting her family   forget yesterday   only thinking for town with the sister in law
And my wife she got real smart now   drive for miles all dressed up   going to the casino with

them other kungkas   for the Wednesday night draw
I ready told you I love my kids   I only got five   two pass away already   and I not

complaining bout looking after my kids no way   but when my wife gets home   if she spent all

her money   not gunna share with me and the kids   I might hit her first time