Inspired by the stories of Bejeh Dervish and many other cameleers
lyrics
Captain of the desert
Shipped onto this country
To open up the waters
Of the sea of sand
From Marree to Oodnadatta
From Alice to Port Augusta
You led them thirsty pioneers
Across the wide brown land
You're the Captain of the desert
Why are you undermined
Buried in the pages of ages
And your tracks, very hard to find
Discovery's covered what you left behind
You're the Captain of the desert
Shipped onto this country
To open up the waters of the sea of sand
While Burke and Giles and Lasseter
Are names we bathe in glory
Our Dost, Abdul and Dervish
Lie hidden in the sand...
(Followed by 'The Cameleer's jig' and coda)
Coda lyrics-
Captain of desert
Open up this country
With compass and Qur'an
Across the wide brown land!
credits
from Unsung Yarns,
track released January 26, 2011
Vocals & rtm guitar- Mahesh Radhakrishnan
Banjo- David Carr
Violin- Jess Randall, Alison McAlpine
Double-bass & appalachian dulcimer- Robin Dixon
Backing vocals, udu, cajon- Joe Gould
Recorded (at Chelsea) and mixed by Greg Le Couteur (Shadowsounds)
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