Paul Kelly – The Ballad Of Queenie And Rover chords

Paul Kelly
(The Ballad of) Queenie and Rover

Em          GQueenie was born on the banks of the 
D                  Cgreat Ord River, 1930, maybe
Em             G                    D       CHer mother was black, her daddy white
Em         GPapa was a fine horse-breaker
D                          CMama sang the songs of the old lawmakers
Em                     GShe used to hide young Queenie in the bush
D                                   CAnd rub black charcoal all over her hair and her face
Em               GEvery time the police came around
D                            CLooking for any blond haired, brown skinned children
Em                    G                 D      CTo round ‘em up and take ‘em on down town

Em         G                 D    CShine on, shine on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    CShine on, shine on, immortal one, aha

Em          GRover was born in the desert, 
D                              Che lived out there ‘til his mother died
Em             G                             D       CThen he moved around a lot from place to place
Em             G          D          CBedford Downs, Bow River, Lissadel, Wyndham
Em              G                     D       CBuilding fences, working as a stock man

Em            GThen he had a series of dreams
D                             CHe started painting what he'd heard and he'd seen\
Em               G            C               DRainbow serpent, Krill Krill, Cyclone Tracy, the killing fields
Em              G                 D      CEverything that lives and breathes

Em         G                 D    CRide on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    CRide on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G            D    CYour story will always run

Em                         GWhen Rover and Queenie were young
     D                       CThey met out on New Texas Down station
Em             G                             D       CShe worked as a cook there for a long, long time
Em                         GShe said, “Hey, Cowboy” later on she said
D          C            Em         G               D         C“Nice boy, good worker, top rider, lucky one, that one”

Em                         GOne day a mean horse ripped the scalp from his head
D                          CShe stitched him up with a boiled needle and thread
Em                  GGood as any doctor, they were friends ever after
D                            C      She said, “I want to paint," he said, “I’ll teach ya”
Em               G                  D         CThey died within months of each other

Em         G                 D    CRide on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    CShine on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    CRide on, ride on, immortal one, aha
Em         G                 D    CShine on, ride on, immortal one, aha

Em         G            D    CYour story will always run, 
         Em     Galways run, 
              D    Cwill always run
          Em     GForever run, 
          D    Cforever run, 
          Em     Gforever run
          D    CForever young, 
           Em          G        D       C      Em

forever young