My parents taught me not to talk to strangers
to be courteous, polite and not lie
"don't settle for straight son, don't shoot for the middle
but aim as high as you can"
So I put it to practice and over the years
I'd have to say most of it's worked
But it brings me down though and maybe it's my failing
I've found you can't trust everyone
Where's the truth in what they are saying to us?
Where's the facts, what's the deal, where's the plan?
So can anyone here please tell me why
they're raising the wall of the dam
(harp break)
Is it simply short-sightedness? 'cos it's quite forgiveable
Is it laziness, selfishness, what?
Could the powers that be just come out and say it
this wasting of water must stop.
We need to recycle, it's quite unforgiveable
to flush good water down the loo
Put a tank in and catch it, it's totally yours then
you can do with it whatever you do
chorus
(harp break)
We can't sit around just waiting to run out
but the answer doesn't lie in this plan
And they cannot be serious about desalination
it's a net energy loss, man
Seriously now, all light-heartedness aside
we can't sit around and just wait
There's been so many stupid plans hatched up for this area
We've got to keep asking them why.
chorus
(harp break)
When we've killed off the river can you take these things down again
and will it all be like brand new?
Will the fish all come back again? Will it be alright to swim in?
Will it be there for our children's kids too?
When you're treading a path and you don't know what's up ahead
do you rush forward blindly and fall?
Or do you stop and think seriously of long-term sustainability
let's give this dam plan the chop
chorus
This place was where the first wilderness area
was established in 1934
It was Myles Dunphy and the beauty of the Ettrema
that made it stand out from the crowd
Now what legacy will we leave for the future?
Will it be two dead rivers and creeks?
Just to quench the insatiable, totally unsustainable
thirst of the city of sin
Where's the truth in what they are saying to us?
Where's the facts, what's the deal, where's the plan?
So can anyone here, or up in Macquarie Street
dressed up in a suit real neat, well flossed with the whitest teeth
and concrete beneath their feet, cos I've got this drum to beat
don't raise the wall on the dam
don't raise the wall on Tallowa dam
