Willy's Chickens Songtext
von Michael Waugh

Down Blows Hill on the Widecoongala
Nesting in the bush and scrub
Old man Willie had a chicken farm
And a shitty abattoir

He employed the local girls
The dairy farmers′ daughters
Single mothers, poor men's wives
And he employed my mum
From six in the morning till four when it ends
You′ve got your hands in the air like you wanna surrender

One hand holds a chook like a pop raffle winner
The other's in the arse of a Sunday dinner

And they're not silly
The women they rule the roost at Willie′s chicken factory line
And they′re not paid enough for their time
And he's got ′em gutting, cutting and
Plucking chickens on the factory line


One day after work Willie asked mum
To take a box of chickens to the Manson farm
They owned a house at the bottom of the hill
They were worth a lot of money
So mum shows up at the Manson door
Tired and feathered with blood
She would have cleaned up if she could
But she was on her way back home

And they're not silly
The women they rule the roost at Willie′s chicken factory line
And they're not paid enough for their time
And he′s got 'em gutting, cutting and
Plucking chickens on the factory line

Well old Mrs Manson's face turned grey
As her tailored linen suit
She said "Take the box round the back door
Like the other servants do"
Mum delivered more than chickens that day
She dropped the box down on the porch
She said to Mrs Manson as she walked away
"Take it out the back door yourself"

Because they′re not silly
The women they rule the roost at Willie′s chicken factory line
And they're not paid enough for their time
And he′s got 'em gutting, cutting and
Plucking chickens on the factory line


Mum worked hard every day of her life
And she prayed hard every morning
God didn′t give chickens wings to fly
But he gave them lungs for squawking
No God didn't give chickens wings to fly
But he gave them lungs for squawking

And they′re not silly
The women they rule the roost at Willie's chicken factory line
And they're not paid enough for their time
And he′s got ′em gutting, cutting and
Plucking chickens on the factory line

He's got ′em gutting, cutting and plucking
On the factory line