Freshwater Lady

From the shade of a Gum tree The old beam on her way Where the only bed she knew Was where the river lay With home laid out for miles Beneath the great divide Looking back, it's hard to tell Just where her spirit lies All of four years old Barely learned to breathe Mystery of life Real as the dirt on her knees Torn from loving arms To a forced and foreign life Somewhere between her belonging place And the white man's wistful smile Freshwater child Cootamundra lady One and the same Raised in different light All the while Her spirit be returning From the Cootamundra life To the Freshwater lady With every passing year She learned to live their way Worked hard to keep the heavy hand And profiteers at bay Dance among the flames Decade intense, in tents still Yet rising from the fire Like the truth always will Freshwater child Cootamundra lady One and the same Raised in different light All the while Her spirit be returning From the Cootamundra life To a Freshwater Lady Freshwater Lady Let the water that's been calling Wash you off your feet And carry you back to the place Your spirit's always been Freshwater child Cootamundra lady One and the same Raised in different light All the while Her spirit be returning From the Cootamundra life To the Freshwater Lady From the Cootamundra life To the Freshwater Lady