Old Man Verandah

(album: Boomerang Café - 1988)

An old digger in an armchair
Through purple jacaranda
All alone with slippers on his feet
His loves have all gone north
To live in New South Wales
And his tired eyes don't focus on the street

Would he be my Grandpa?
I wonder would he mind
He could take me fishing, Oh-Oh,
And I could pick his apricots
And put 'em in a tin
But he probably doesn't like me

Hey old man verandah
Can't you see the boy
Throwing stones so bored and so lonely
He might break a window
But he might break a heart
'Cause he might be a world for you to love

Would he be my Grandpa?
I wonder would he mind
He could take me driving in his Humber
And maybe he could teach me
How to shoot a gun
And how to skin a rabbit

Hey old man verandah
Can't you hear the boy
Rattling pickets just for your attention
He could do a lot for you
You'd do a lot for him
'Cause he might be a world for you to love

It's just another lonely picture
You can hang it on the wall
On Sunday they still gather on the lawn
The peppercorns are older
But no-one seems much wiser
They sent the boy to fight the Asian War

Would he be my Grandpa?
I wonder would he mind
He could take me fishing, Oh-Oh,
And I could pick his apricots
And put 'em in a tin
But he probably doesn't like me...