It is impossible to write a song about Australia without becoming John Williamson

It is almost impossible to write a song for, about or of Australia. 

Songs about Australia are gateway drugs to John Williamson. The first step is admitting that you love this (wide, brown, sunburned etc) country.

They can make Australians cringe in the same way Australians can make non-Australians cringe. Kinda like a rowdy murder of crows makes all the other birds thankful for their own throats and makes South Australians wanna eat them.

Song of Australia was sung by the crow-eaters themselves as a kind of anthem for many years. The words were penned by an English-born woman living on West Terrace and the tune was composed by a German-born fella. 

It has five verses, with one really weird verse about worshiping wealth, and it lucked out at the 1977 referendum. But I like it. 

---