Empire Tags

[Intro] How long will it take? How long do we wait? [Verse 1] Tell me once again Cook fount it A ghost town they claimed for England Sunburnt realm of a distant kingdom Untold riches, that is what it would bring them Guided by the righteous whiteness within them Terra nullius: land that belonged to no one Some black fellas here, they're got no guns And we'll quell rebellion but that ain't no rum She's got red dirt, she's got blue gums She knows drought well, yeah she'll bring you some She'll swallow you up like Burke and Wills son And this ain't London, but we'll try build one Though it's uphill, and done by spilt blood We did not know the land or climate The eyes that we farmed with for years were blinded But there's no going back, that's why we signed up [Pre Hook] Mark my words, we in a gold rush Youth can't hide the face we getting older A little outpost that boxed above weight In the process became great Mark my words, we in a gold rush Youth can't hide the face we getting older And all of this could be what we imagine And that could be the national anthem [Hook] How long will it take? (How long will it take?) When we gonna get our new flag How long do we wait? (How long do we wait?) When we gonna get our new flag How long will it take? (How long will it take?) When we gonna get our new flag Come on, tell me [Verse 2] She knows bushrangers, she's got bankers Captain Thunderbolt to Rodney Adler Too many crook cops and she watched gangsters Couldn't save Doomagee but she knew the answer She's seen Razor gangs, Armed resistance Stolen Generations put away to the Missions Sunburnt realm of a distant kingdom A colonial imprint on an ancient wisdom How we found victories in the battles we lost From an unmarked grave a Victoria Cross And democracy born in a Eureka plot Not she's loyal to an alliance and eyeing them off Gallipoli and the Somme, Vietnam and beyond She's so far from the frontline but part of the song Hit and miss little myths that are part of the bond Lond trumpet at an Anzac dawn so [Pre Hook] [Hook] [Bridge] Once upon a time it's who we were Once upon a time we clung to her Once upon a time but no longer One corner of our flag is insecure From a time when the empire tagged the globe We ain't cleaned that graffiti off the front of out home What I'm telling you we already know That it's time, time for the Jack to go [Hook]