Biography:
Gary Reht Shearston (born January 9, 1939) was an Australian singer and songwriter who was a leading figure of the folk music revival of the 1960s. He is notable as a performer of Australian traditional folk songs in an authentic style. He scored a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in 1974 with version of the Cole Porter classic I Get A Kick Out Of You on the Charisma label. He died in July 2013 .
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Other songs:
[Intro]
E
Oh great
[Verse]
B7 E
Granddaddy walked a-long the street with a ball and chain a-round his feet and
B7 E
That's the way they'd like to see me walk just to give the toffs a chance to talk yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh the
[Verse]
B7 E
Beer's gone up in the public bar and I can't afford a motor car but I
B7 E
Keep six bottles in the fridge and I pay no toll on the harbour bridge yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh there's
[Verse]
B7 E
Rubbish on the T V screens too many nines on the poker machines so for
B7 E
Entertainment I go for Aust-ralian songs at the Troupedour and the
E
Chevron Hilton yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh if you
[Verse]
B7 E
Want to see one hell of a fuss take a peak hour ride on a government bus well it
B7 E
Doesn't matter if you're sick or dying you mustn't get off before the sit down sign yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town now if you're
[Verse]
B7 E
Having trouble learning guitar I've found the easiest method by far just
B7 E
Sit at home all alone and learn to play the saxophone
B7
No strings at-tached yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh have you
[Verse]
B7 E
Heard about Oz magazine con-victed on a charge of being obscene seems
B7 E
You're not allowed to satirise if you tell the truth they call it lies tell a
B7 E
Few home truths on the Palm Beach scene it's not sedition it's just unclean and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney
E
Out of breath oh they
[Verse]
B7 E
All throw heads when I bank tails and I got no dough to bank on the Wales but
B7 E
I'll get a job that'll suit me fine on the Eastern Suburbs railway line yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town
E
Seems like we lost the har-monica player there somewhere oh the
[Verse]
B7 E
Funniest woman I ever had made me happy then made me sad she
B7 E
Swore our love would never end then went and married my ex best friend yeah and the
CHORUS: (with harmonica)
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney
E
There he is isn't he lovely oh I
[Verse]
B7 E
Went to the cross to get some sex the woman said sorry I don't take cheques I said
B7 E
That's all right as I closed my book truth is I only came to look and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh they
[Verse]
B7 E
Asked me on a T V show to sing a song the viewers would know I re-
B7 E
hearsed where have all the flowers gone they said cut a verse it's a bit too long I ex-
B7 E
plained the song had a message to tell they said we've got a new toilet tissue to sell but the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh
[Verse]
B7 E
Late last night the phone wouldn't stop it was Mister Menzies calling me up he said
B7 E
My friend Gary what do we need to make the country grow I said my friend Bob the Mavis Bramston show
E
Les Miller's ban-jo
E
Patter-son's ban-jo
E
A coca cola yo-yo
E
Rin-so to keep Australia white
E
Marlboro filter flavour flip top box oh what do we
E
Need to make the country grow the man said
B7
Try ferti-lising thistles yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town now you
[Verse]
B7 E
Ask me why I'm drunk all the time makes me better and eases my mind
B7 E
I just sit and I play and sing I see better days and I do better things
E
I win the Opera House in a lottery
E
Go skin diving for pir-anha
E
Throw Ayres rock
E
Vote D L P
E
Become mana-ging director of C B S re-cords
E
And sell one co-py of this re-cord yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E(#9) Em11 E*
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town
E
Oh great
[Verse]
B7 E
Granddaddy walked a-long the street with a ball and chain a-round his feet and
B7 E
That's the way they'd like to see me walk just to give the toffs a chance to talk yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh the
[Verse]
B7 E
Beer's gone up in the public bar and I can't afford a motor car but I
B7 E
Keep six bottles in the fridge and I pay no toll on the harbour bridge yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh there's
[Verse]
B7 E
Rubbish on the T V screens too many nines on the poker machines so for
B7 E
Entertainment I go for Aust-ralian songs at the Troupedour and the
E
Chevron Hilton yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh if you
[Verse]
B7 E
Want to see one hell of a fuss take a peak hour ride on a government bus well it
B7 E
Doesn't matter if you're sick or dying you mustn't get off before the sit down sign yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town now if you're
[Verse]
B7 E
Having trouble learning guitar I've found the easiest method by far just
B7 E
Sit at home all alone and learn to play the saxophone
B7
No strings at-tached yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh have you
[Verse]
B7 E
Heard about Oz magazine con-victed on a charge of being obscene seems
B7 E
You're not allowed to satirise if you tell the truth they call it lies tell a
B7 E
Few home truths on the Palm Beach scene it's not sedition it's just unclean and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney
E
Out of breath oh they
[Verse]
B7 E
All throw heads when I bank tails and I got no dough to bank on the Wales but
B7 E
I'll get a job that'll suit me fine on the Eastern Suburbs railway line yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town
E
Seems like we lost the har-monica player there somewhere oh the
[Verse]
B7 E
Funniest woman I ever had made me happy then made me sad she
B7 E
Swore our love would never end then went and married my ex best friend yeah and the
CHORUS: (with harmonica)
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney
E
There he is isn't he lovely oh I
[Verse]
B7 E
Went to the cross to get some sex the woman said sorry I don't take cheques I said
B7 E
That's all right as I closed my book truth is I only came to look and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh they
[Verse]
B7 E
Asked me on a T V show to sing a song the viewers would know I re-
B7 E
hearsed where have all the flowers gone they said cut a verse it's a bit too long I ex-
B7 E
plained the song had a message to tell they said we've got a new toilet tissue to sell but the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh
[Verse]
B7 E
Late last night the phone wouldn't stop it was Mister Menzies calling me up he said
B7 E
My friend Gary what do we need to make the country grow I said my friend Bob the Mavis Bramston show
E
Les Miller's ban-jo
E
Patter-son's ban-jo
E
A coca cola yo-yo
E
Rin-so to keep Australia white
E
Marlboro filter flavour flip top box oh what do we
E
Need to make the country grow the man said
B7
Try ferti-lising thistles yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town now you
[Verse]
B7 E
Ask me why I'm drunk all the time makes me better and eases my mind
B7 E
I just sit and I play and sing I see better days and I do better things
E
I win the Opera House in a lottery
E
Go skin diving for pir-anha
E
Throw Ayres rock
E
Vote D L P
E
Become mana-ging director of C B S re-cords
E
And sell one co-py of this re-cord yeah and the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town oh the
[Chorus]
A E B7 E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A E B7 E(#9) Em11 E*
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town
Gas Giants
GASHI
Gaslight Street
Gasoil
Gasoline Lollipo (...)