Red Raggin' - The Redgum Lyrics Archive
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    • Redgum >
      • If You Don't Fight You Lose (1978) >
        • One More Boring Thursday Night in Adelaide
        • Carrington Cabaret
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        • Raggin'
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      • The Redgum Songbook (1981) >
        • To Bob Dylan
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      • Brown Rice and Kerosene (1981) >
        • 100 Years On
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
        • Caught In The Act
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
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      • Rebel Chorus (1982) >
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        • Working Girls
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        • Liner pictures
      • Caught In The Act (1983) >
        • Beaumont Rag
        • The Last Frontier
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        • Caught In The Act
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        • The Diamantina Drover
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        • Long Run
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      • Frontline (1984) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • ASIO
        • Friday Night
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        • Still Life
        • Working Girls
        • Beyond Reason
        • Hira
        • Liner pictures
      • On The Frontline (1984) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • Still Life
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Fabulon
        • Spirit of the Land
        • ASIO
        • Beyond Reason
        • Friday Night
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Long Run
      • Midnight Sun (1986) >
        • Talk
        • When Your Luck Ran Out
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • Empty Page
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        • Too Many Dollars
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        • In Their Hands
        • Blood Upon The Rain
        • La Pardita
        • Liner pictures
      • The Lost Album (late 1980s) >
        • Walking On The Ice
        • These Four Walls
        • This Land Is A Part Of Me
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        • Water and Stone
        • The Odyssey
        • Too Many Motels
        • Nothing Here For Me
        • Soldiers In A War
        • A Street To Die
        • Killing Floor
    • Redgum singles >
      • Long Run / Littlehampton's Calling Me (1981) >
        • Long Run
        • Littlehampton's Calling Me
        • Fabulon
      • 100 Years On / Nuclear Cop (1981) >
        • 100 Years On
        • Nuclear Cop
      • Working Girls (1982) >
        • Working Girls
      • Caught In The Act / Stewie / Lear Jets Over Kulgera (1983) >
        • Caught In The Act
        • Stewie
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
      • I Was Only Nineteen / Yarralumla Wine (1983) >
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
      • ASIO / Hira (1984) >
        • ASIO
        • Hira
      • Friday Night / Last Frontier (1984) >
        • Friday Night
        • The Last Frontier
      • I've Been To Bali Too / Still Life (1984) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • Still Life
      • Just Another Moment On Your Own / Kerang (Moon Over Water) (1985) >
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • Kerang (Moon Over Water)
      • The Drover's Dog / It Doesn't Matter To Me (1985) >
        • The Drover's Dog
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
      • Running With The Hurricane / A Street To Die (1986) >
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • A Street To Die
      • Roll It On Robbie / Empty Page (1987) >
        • Roll It On Robby
        • Empty Page
    • Redgum best of albums >
      • Everything's Legal, Anything goes (1985) >
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • Gladstone Pier
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Long Run
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Killing Floor
        • ASIO
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Poor Ned
        • The Drover's Dog
        • Liner pictures
      • If You Don't Fight You Lose (1985) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Long Run
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Still Life
        • ASIO
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Killing Floor
      • The Very Best of Redgum (1987) >
        • Roll It On Robby
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • The Drover's Dog
        • ASIO
        • Friday Night
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • Caught In The Act
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Spirit of the Land
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • Talk
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • Virgin Ground
      • Against The Grain (2004) >
        • Poor Ned
        • Killing Floor
        • Servin' U.S.A.
        • Maria
        • Ted
        • Long Run
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • The Last Frontier
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • ASIO
        • Spirit of the Land
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Still Life
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
      • The Essential Redgum (2011) >
        • Poor Ned
        • Servin' U.S.A.
        • Killing Floor
        • Beaumont Rag
        • One More Boring Thursday Night in Adelaide
        • Carrington Cabaret
        • HMAS Australia
        • Maria
        • Ted
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Virgin Ground
        • Domination Quickstep
        • Stewie
        • Nuclear Cop
        • Long Run
        • 100 Years On
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
        • The Last Frontier
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Caught In The Act
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • The Federal Two-Ring Circus
        • Working Girls
        • Fabulon
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • ASIO
        • Friday Night
        • Spirit of the Land
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Still Life
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • The Drover's Dog
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • When Your Luck Ran Out
        • Blood Upon The Rain
    • Live-only songs >
      • Old Mal Fraser Had A Farm
      • El Salvadore
      • The Day McArthur Farted And Saved The Town From Drought
      • I'd Lose To Shoot Smack With Malcolm
      • Liberal Values
    • John Schumann albums >
      • Etched In Blue (1987) >
        • Borrowed Ground
        • Thunder Across The Reef
        • Holy Mary
        • Coming Home
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • He's Got The Money
        • Yuppie Days
        • After The Party
        • For The Children
        • Borrowed Ground Reprise 1788-1988
      • John Schumann Goes Looby-Loo (1989) >
        • She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain
        • I Had A Cat
        • This Alley-Alley Oo
        • This Old Man
        • Do Your Ears Hang Low
        • Little Rabbit In The Wood
        • I Hear Thunder
        • The Fox
        • Michael Finnigin
        • Mum Doesn't Like Us Playing The Drums Around Here
        • Working On The Railway
        • Mr Frog
        • Dr Knicker-Bocker
        • One Man Went To Mow a Meadow
        • Worms
        • Looby-Loo
        • Six Little Ducks
        • For The Children
        • Mr Quangle-Wangle-Quee
      • True Believers (1993) >
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Leigh Creek Road
        • Fallen Angel
        • Eyes on Fire
        • Working Class Man
        • Roll On The Day
        • Clancy Of The Overflow
        • If The War Goes On
        • Hyde Park Calling
        • Plympton High
        • Eyes on Fire (acoustic)
        • If I Close My Eyes (reprise)
      • The Very Best of John Schumann (2002) >
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Borrowed Ground
        • Holy Mary
        • Thunder Across The Reef
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • For The Children
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Leigh Creek Road
        • Clancy Of The Overflow
        • Eyes on Fire
        • Roll On The Day
        • If The War Goes On
        • One True Game
        • Borrowed Ground Reprise
      • Gelignite Jack (2007) >
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Long Run
        • The Last Frontier
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • Borrowed Ground
        • Thunder Across The Reef
        • Holy Mary
        • For The Children
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Eyes on Fire
        • Clancy Of The Overflow
        • One True Game
        • Faces In The Street
        • To Hannah
    • John Schumann singles >
      • Safe Behind The Wire / He's Got The Money (1987) >
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • He's Got The Money
      • Borrowed Ground / Borrowed Ground The Headphone Mix (1987) >
        • Borrowed Ground
      • Holy Mary / Coming Home (1987) >
        • Holy Mary
        • Coming Home
      • Eyes On Fire / After The Party (1992) >
        • Eyes on Fire
        • After The Party
      • If I Close My Eyes / Leigh Creek Road (1993) >
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Leigh Creek Road
      • One True Game / Just Another Moment On Your Own (2002) >
        • One True Game
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
    • Hugh McDonald solo albums >
      • Lawson (1994) >
        • Faces In The Street (McDonald)
        • Sons Of The South
        • Roaring Days
        • Watch On The Kerb
        • Knockin' About
        • Andy's Gone
        • Mallacoota
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        • On The Night Train
        • The Sliprail And The Spur
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      • Where's The Party? (2002) >
        • With Or Without You
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        • To Her Door
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        • All Of Me
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      • Spirit Of The Land (2007) >
        • Streams of Whiskey
        • Sally MacLennane
        • Dirty Old Town
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        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Under The Milky Way
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        • I'll See You In My Dreams
        • Fields of Athenry
    • Vagabond Crew >
      • Lawson (2005) >
        • To An Old Mate
        • Knocking About
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        • Second Class Wait Here
        • Faces In The Street
        • Bush Girl
        • Taking His Chance
        • Scots Of The Riverina
        • To Hannah
        • Prouder Man Than You
        • The Low Lighthouse
        • The Shame Of Going Back
        • To Jim
      • Behind The Lines (2008) >
        • Boy On The Run
        • The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
        • Scots Of The Riverina
        • No Man's Land
        • Ted
        • To An Old Mate
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • Mothers Daughters Wives
        • Khe Sanh (Long Tan Version)
        • My Country
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Rachel
        • Wings Of An Eagle
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • When The War Is Over
        • I'll Be Gone
        • Waltzing Matilda
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  • Untitled

Brown Rice and Kerosene lyrics

On Brown Rice and Kerosene (1981), Caught In The Act (1983), The Very Best of Redgum (1987), Against The Grain (2004) and The Essential Redgum (2011)

Brown Rice and Kerosene (Michael Atkinson)

Julie did three years' trade school 
I served my apprenticeship time 
We made a modest living, but we were upstaged 
Because computers don't strike or need holidays 

Our parents ate bread and dripping 
Stole wood from the park to keep warm 
We're eating by the heater in threadbare jeans 
Brown rice and kerosene 

Life wasn't meant to be impossible 
Spare us the indignity 
Two cheers for progress, reason denied 
Whitewash and platitudes are all I can find 

Our parents ate bread and dripping 
Stole wood from the park to keep warm 
The cupboard's bare, all we can share's 
Brown rice and kerosene 

Sometimes I think about cocktails 
Update Molotov's recipe 
Forget the gravel ballast and stink of benzene 
Use rice and kerosene 
A major change of scene 
Like 1917 
With people before machines
Album version
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