The Weirdest Dream
Not On Label · Melbourne, Australia
- Artist
- Clem Parkinson
- Title
- The Weirdest Dream
- Release
- Unreleased
- Label
- Not On Label
- Format
- Unreleased · Unreleased
- Language
- English
- Country
- Melbourne, Australia
- Songwriter
- Clem Parkinson
- Genre
- Folk · Contemporary Folk
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Lyrics
English: Last night I had the weirdest dream / I'd never dreamt before / I dreamt our politicians / All went off to fight the war / It seems they decided / It was time to join the ranks / To do their bit to help save face / For Nixon and the Yanks / And as they marched along the street / The crowd just stood and gasped / 'I never thought I'd see the day' / An old ex-digger rasped / 'And have you heard the latest news?' / I heard a woman cry / 'They're bringing home the conscripts / Not another one need die' / There was Snedden and McManus / Even Santa-strewth-maria / With Peacock, Lynch and Andrew Jones / All bringing up the rear / And as they marched down Collins Street / To sound of drum and flute / His Eminence, Archbishop Knox / Stepped forth to take salute / His hands began to tremble / As he then with courage true / Threw down his crucifix and cried: / 'Hey boys, I'm coming too' / 'Left wheel', the sergeant shouted / McManus shook with fright / No matter how he tried / He kept veering to the right / They marched down to Port Melbourne / To embark at Station Pier / Where some wharfies, somewhat rudely / Gave a rather loud Bronx cheer / McManus got the jitters / And he beat a quick retreat / He grabbed a wharfie's bicycle / And peddled down the street / 'I've left behind my toothbrush' / He mumbled as he fled / Then I awoke and found / That I had tumbled out of bed!
Notes
To the tune of "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream"; written in the late 1960s and handed out in hundreds of copies at Melbourne Moratorium meetings. Printed in Ratbags & Rabblerousers.
About the artist
Clem Parkinson - Melbourne songwriter of political and union songs, a member of the New Theatre Drama Group in the 1960s.
Themes
Anti-War · Draft · Satire · Anti-Politician · Nixon · Religion
From the release Unreleased
In collections
Australian & New Zealand Songs · Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]