" Sleep Australia Sleep " + " One Small Change "

The song " Sleep Australia Sleep ", released on the 5th of February 2020, addresses the incompetence of the Scott Morrison's government towards Australia's recent environmental crisis. Paul Kelly explained, "'Sleep, Australia, Sleep' is a lament in the form of a lullaby. Paradoxically, it can also be heard as a wake up call – a critique of the widespread attitude amongst humans that we are the most important life form on the planet. I believe we've reached a tipping point now where this attitude is doing terrible harm to all life on earth." 

"Sleep, Australia, Sleep"

Sleep, Australia, sleep
The night is on the creep
Shut out the noise all around
Sleep, Australia, sleep
And dream of counting sheep
Jumping in fields coloured brown
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Sleep, Australia, sleep
As off the cliff the kingdoms leap
Count them as they say goodbye
Count down the little things
The insects and birds
Count down the bigger things
The flocks and the herds
Count down our rivers
Our pastures and trees
But there's no need to hurry
Oh, sleep now, don't worry
'Coz it's only a matter of degrees
Fog, Australia, fog
Just like the boiling frog
As we go we won't feel a thing

Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Sleep, my country, sleep
As off the cliff the kingdoms leap
Count them as they pass on by
Our children might know them
But their children will not
We won't know 'til it's gone

All the glory we've got
But there are more wonders coming
All new kinds of shows
With acid seas rising
To kiss coastal mountains
And big cyclones pounding
And firestorms devouring
And we'll lose track of counting
As the corpses keep mounting
But hey, that's just the way this old world goes
Sleep, my country, sleep
As we sow so shall we reap
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?

One Small Change:   

One Small Change, was made by children at the two-teacher Cappabue National School,                                                                  near Bantry in Co Cork, as a response to polluted beaches.

We can make a difference in our own small way.
It’s one small change: we can do that today.
Our mind’s getting bigger while the world’s getting smaller,
but saving the Earth’s becoming a tall order.

From the minute you wake from your nightly nap,
you can make little changes, like turning off the tap
while brushing your teeth in the bathroom.

You can cycle or walk your way to the classroom,
cut down the fuel you use to get to school...
In your lunch box cut down the plastic.
See? These things aren’t too drastic.

Spread the word, get vocal. Make it go global.

When buying food stay local.
Never mind the dishwasher, do it by hand.
But I hate washing up.
Ah, come on, it’s grand.

Just one small change in the little things we do:
we’ll show you how, and now it’s up to you.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.

Since we found out the Earth was sick,
we knew we had to do something quick.
The Earth is our family and our friend,
we need to mend it before it ends.

This is our home, so don’t destroy it.
Everyone should do their bit.
Ice caps melting, seas getting high.
Homes will be flooded, polar bears will die.

The sun’s getting hotter, the rain won’t fall.
I’m afraid we won’t survive at all.
Recycle the plastic, please – it’s free –
you don’t want that ending up in the sea.

It’s like people use this planet as a bin.
Pick up your trash: that’s where you begin.
Temperatures are rising, we are realising
we must act now. There’s no compromising…

Just one small change in the little things we do:
we’ll show you how, and now it’s up to you.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.

If you cut down flowers and trees you contribute
to the mass extinction of the bees.
Think of the creatures that don’t have a say.
There has to be a better way.
There’s no higher being to save the Earth.
We’ve got to do something before we get cut.

At school we know what to do. But my question is, Do you?

Just one small change in the little things we do:
we’ll show you how, and now it’s up to you.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth...