Old Man Verandah - John Williamson

An old digger in an armchair

Through purple jacaranda

All alone with slippers on his feet

His loves have all gone north

To live in New South Wales

And his tired eyes don’t focus on the street

Would he be my Grandpa?

I wonder would he mind

He could take me fishin', Oh-Oh,

And I could pick his apricots

And put 'em in a tin

But he probably doesn’t like me

Hey old man verandah

Can’t you see the boy

Throwin' stones so bored and so lonely

He might break a window

But he might break a heart

'Cause he might be a world for you to love

Would he be my Grandpa?

I wonder would he mind

He could take me drivin' in his Humber

And maybe he could teach me

How to shoot a gun

And how to skin a rabbit

Hey old man verandah

Can’t you hear the boy

Rattlin' pickets just for your attention

He could do a lot for you

You’d do a lot for him

'Cause he might be a world for you to love

It’s just another lonely picture

You can hang it on the wall

On Sunday they still gather on the lawn

The peppercorns are older

But no-one seems much wiser

They sent the boy to fight the Asian War

Would he be my Grandpa?

I wonder would he mind

He could take me fishin', Oh-Oh,

And I could pick his apricots

And put 'em in a tin

But he probably doesn’t like me…