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Sounds of Then Lyrics
I think I hear the sounds of then,
And people talking,
The scenes recalled, by minute movement,
And songs they fall, from the backing tape.
That certain texture, that certain smell,
To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets,
In brick veneer on financed beds.
In a room, of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain smell,
Brings home the heavy days,
Brings home the night time swell,
Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.
The block is awkward - it faces west,
Long diagonals, and sloping too.
And in the distance, through the heat haze,
In convoys of silence the cattle graze.
That certain texture, that certain beat,
Brings forth the night time heat.
Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think that this is Australia.
To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets,
In brick veneer on financed beds.
In a room of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain smell,
Brings forth the heavy days,
Brings forth the night time sweat
Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.
Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.
This is Australia, this is Australia, this is Australia
And people talking,
The scenes recalled, by minute movement,
And songs they fall, from the backing tape.
That certain texture, that certain smell,
In brick veneer on financed beds.
In a room, of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain smell,
Brings home the night time swell,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.
Long diagonals, and sloping too.
And in the distance, through the heat haze,
In convoys of silence the cattle graze.
Brings forth the night time heat.
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think that this is Australia.
In brick veneer on financed beds.
In a room of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain smell,
Brings forth the night time sweat
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.

A classic Australian Song, This one is easily their best.

Apparently the backdrop/setting for this song is Bundaberg in south east Queensland. Its funny though, the setting appears to be more applicable to a cane town further north of Townsville, eg Innisfail where the climate is more characteristic of the climate described in this song.

Reg Mombassa, former Guitarist for Mental As Anything and Australian artist, played the guitar solo on this song