Clara Waters
Slim Dusty Lyrics

I was drivin' out through Mitchell
I was travelling on the road towards Mitchell

Heard a lonesome railroad whistle
I heard the sound of a railroad whistle indicating loneliness

So I stopped beside the highway for a spell
I paused beside the road for a moment

And in this pleasant place
I was in a comfortable location

Was a notice well displayed
There was a well-made sign posted there

With a story I am now about to tell
The notice informed me of a story that I am going to tell

The notice was a roll of those who'd paid the toll
The sign contained the list of people who paid the price

While working on the railroad to the west
While working on the railroad towards the west

Wives and workers perished
Wives and workers died

With the children that they cherished
Along with the children whom they loved dearly

And in lonely graves were gently laid to rest
Their bodies were buried in peaceful, isolated graves

Then I found my vision misted
My eyes welled up with tears

As among the many listed
As I looked through the list of people listed on the sign

The name of Clara Waters caught my eye
The name of Clara Waters drew my attention

I imagined my own daughter
I pictured my daughter in my mind

In the place of Clara waters
In the position of Clara Waters

While the busy highway traffic hurtled by
While the noisy road traffic was flowing beside me

How short her life had been
Her life was very short

She was only seventeen
She was seventeen years old

Yet her story may be very simply told
Her story could be explained in a straightforward manner

A doctor might have saved her
A doctor could have saved her

From the fever after labour
From the fever that followed childbirth

Her baby died when he was four days old
Her baby died after four days of being born

Then the scene before me shifted
Suddenly, the setting in my mind changed

As back in time I drifted
As I recalled events from the past

As back in time a hundred years I went
I went back to a period a century ago

And through my muddled dreaming
Through my Fuzzy daydreams

A morning sun came beaming
The morning sun shone brightly

On a battered billy steaming by a tent
There was a beaten pot steaming near a tent

For here was pretty Clara
Here was lovely Clara

With her husband there to share a
Her husband was present, to share a meal with her

Simple meal before their daily task
A simple meal before starting their daily job

I am anxious now to meet her
I am now eager to meet her

So I hurry on to greet her
So I quickly walk up to her

With the questions that I feel I have to ask
With the queries that I had to ask her

And when the day is breaking
At the beginning of the day

Is there happiness in waking
Is she content to wake up

Have you had your share of laughter joy and cheer
Has she experienced lots of fun, happiness, and merrymaking?

You were very young to marry
She was very young when she got married

And the baby that you carry
And the baby she is carrying

Does it make you wish your mother could be near
Does she wish for her mother's presence while carrying her baby?

In the coolness of the morning
During the chilly hours of the morning

In the piccaninnie dawning
During the sunrise over the ancient landscapes

Does your husband tell you often of his love
Does her husband frequently express his love to her?

While the magpies merry singing
Meanwhile, the merry magpies sang

In the higher branches ringing
from the higher tree branches

Is bringing morning greetings from above
Brings greetings from above

Does the gentle evening breeze
Is she aware of the soft evening breeze?

Wave the smoke up through the trees
Does the smoke from the fire rise up among the trees?

Do you see the shafts of sunlight drifting down
Can she view the sunny streaks falling through the trees?

Or has drudgery and duty
Or, does work tires and monotonousness disperse her?

Made you blind to every beauty
Have the daily tasks made her unaware of the serene beauty around her?

While the camp is turning dusty bare and brown
As the tent-spot turns into nothing more than just a dusty and desert-like spot

(Spoken)
At this point in time the lyrics are spoken and not sung

With a bed of planks and sacking
Clara had a bed made up of wood planks and bags

And with every comfort lacking
She lacked some fundamental comforts

Growing heavy as your time is drawing near
As her due date got closer, Clara felt more weighed-down

In your shabby tent so dreary
In the worn-out, colorless tent

Are you very often weary
Does she frequently feel tired?

And do you sometimes shed a silent lonely tear
Does she occasionally cry in loneliness?

(Sung)
Here it indicates the spoken part is stopping and the singing part is beginning

And when her son was born
When her son was born

On a hot December morn
On a scorching hot morning in December

And the deadly fever started on its quest
Clara got afflicted with a deadly fever

Was there time for her to hold him
Did she ever get to hold her baby?

And in her love enfold him
Love and embrace him tightly

Was there time to give him comfort at her breast
Did she get the opportunity to breastfeed him?

Of course there's no replying
Of course, without doubt, there are no answers

To my questions and my prying
To the queries and snooping I am doing

And suddenly I know it's time to go
Now I am aware that it's time to leave

But I reckon I'll remember
But I suppose I will retain it in my memory

What happened that December
What took place in December that year

In the summertime a hundred years ago
One hundred years earlier, during the summertime

And then a road train passes
Suddenly a road train goes by

There's a ripple through the grasses
A slight wave passes through the grass

As if to wave a fleeting sad goodbye
As though as though it wants to bid a brief sorrowful farewell

To Clara and her son
Saying farewell to Clara and her kid son

Their lives so briefly run
Their lives were so short-lived

And the busy highway traffic rushes by
The bustling road traffic flows hastily past them