CATTLE GOING IN
(D.Braitling/T.Egan)

Cattle going in
From mulga scrub and saltbush plain
Cattle going in
We mustered them in dry and rain
Cattle going in
We're yarding cattle from the west
Swing wide the gates and draft the best
Let down the rails and 'bush' the rest
Cattle going in

Cattle going in
At break of day we loaded up
Cattle going in
Now road trains roll, the last is gone
Cattle going in
Red clouds rise, they seem to burn
Behind the big wheels as they churn
The ancient desert dust astern
Of cattle going in

Cattle going in
With MTD on every hide
Cattle going in
There's open country every side
Of cattle going in
Two hundred miles or more to go
Through hills and creeks where gumtrees grow
No time to camp or take a blow
With cattle going in

Cattle going in
The big trucks sway along the tracks
With cattle going in
The dust falls thick upon the backs
Of cattle going in
Motors turning sweet and right
Southern Cross clear and bright
And silent drivers ride the night
With cattle going in

Cattle going in
The shades of old time drovers stare
At cattle going in
Their ghostly horses snort and glare
At cattle going in
Road trains roaring overland
Their drivers couldn't understand
The months it took that banished band
With cattle going in

MTD: on Northern Territory cattle stations, all registered brands must be of 3 letters one of which must be 'T' for 'Territory'. 'MTD' is the registered brand of Mt Doreen Station, 420 km north-west from Alice Springs. Doreen Braitling, who wrote the words of 'Cattle Going In', is the 'Doreen' after whom the station is named. Ted Egan composed the music. The singer in this YT clip is Nerys Evans, Ted's partner.

Youtube clip

Doreen Braitling

--Stewie.