Cattle Dog

Cattle Dog
The old cattle dog
lying under the shed
Fidgets as dreams
go around in his head
His weary old bones
are now stiff and sore
but he dreams of a time
when he welcomed his chores
Leaping and nipping
and pushing the herd
He'd act on command
at his master's word
He dreams of long days
beneath the warm sun
and remembers the joy
of a real flat-out run
His master was hard
but never unfair
and reward for success
was a ruffle of hair
But the boss has retired
and there's no farming now
No sheep and no cattle
no tractor or plough
But the old dog still dreams
of happier days
When he worked in the fields
and he slept in the has
His spirit still yearns
to 'Get round!' or 'Get Back!'
and to follow the tractor
back home down the track
But now he's worn out
and he gets some odd looks
as he limps round the yard
and rounds up the chooks
For a working dog works
'till his last day is done
and his ghost hits the fields
at a real flat-out run