He'd been walking 'round
This old southern land
With nothing but a swag and billy can
And "it is comfortable" you'd hear him tellin' you
"When you don't answer to no one and no one answers to you"
The places that he'd been ain't never seen much rain
The drought drank for one day a year and then set in again
And the aching hills baked onto the earth
Still know what that one day is worth.
I've been waiting like them there hills
For my boots to mend and my tanks to fill
I've walked from Darwin to Alice Springs
Oh yeah, I've lived like a king
The farmers that he met raised their families there
They lived in modest homes built on hard work and prayer
And on Saturdays you could hear them sing
"Tomorrow the resting begins"
They've been waiting like them there hills
For their herds to feed and their dams to fill
But their roof don't leak and their children sing
So, oh yeah they've lived like kings
On his dying day the sun was beating down
He sang a ramblin' tune as he rambled along
The driver didn't stop
His body wouldn't work
When his face hit the red sandy dirt
He thought:
"I'll give my body to them there hills
'Cause my boots won't mend and my tanks are empty
And I'm getting weaker every word I sing
But oh yeah I've lived like a king...
I think I'll give my body to them there hills
'Cause my boots won't mend and my tanks are empty
And I'm getting weaker every word I sing
But oh yeah I've lived like a king"