traditional English tune When Jones’s Ale Was New
John Spencer and Paul Spencer, 2012
On grazing land that was priceless, a company sought a gas licence
A company sought a gas licence, they’d have a jolly good spree
They quickly came up with a marvellous plan
To frack for gas all over the land
And sell it to China and Japan
When coal seam gas was new, me boys
When coal seam gas was new
And they called for more wells and more land and more leases
And oh the expansion it just never ceases
And nobody mentioned all these increases
When coal seam gas was new, me boys
When coal seam gas was new
Well at first it’s just exploration, a simple investigation
A simple investigation, if only it were true
For once the company passes the gate
You’re likely to find you’ve left it too late
With all their sweet-talking you’ve taken the bait
When coal seam gas was new, me boys
When coal seam gas was new
Well the next to come in is the drilling, no chance of anything spilling
No chance of anything spilling, if only it were true
There’s sodium hydroxide, ammonium persulfate
Or muriatic acid or sodium borate
Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate
So drink your chemical brew, me boys
So drink your chemical brew
When drilling down past the water, they seal it just like they oughter
They seal it just like they oughter, if only it were true
The water flows out from the basin cracking
And mixes with chemicals used in the fracking
And all of it’s done with government backing
The profits will go to a few, me boys
The profits will go to a few
And when the mining is over, the land will go back to clover
The land will go back to clover, if only it were true
We can’t use the water, the poison’s still there
The methane’s still leaking into the air
And the company’s gone with never a care
When coal seam gas is through, me boys
When coal seam gas is through