Acoustic guitar 1: Capo 6, standard tuning. Fingerpick.
Acoustic guitar 2: Capo 6, standard tuning. Strum gently.

All tab and chords are relative to the capo.

> is an accent, meaning play that note loudly.

C         x32010
Am7       x02010
C/G       3x2010
C/B       x22010
C/E       0x2010
Cadd9     x32030
F         1332xx
F(maj7b5) 133211
G/B       x2003x

 |             C           Am7         C/G         C/B         | C           Am7         C/B         C/G         |
 |[acoustic 1]
E|-----------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1----|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|
G|--0h2---2--|-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-|-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-|
D|-----------|---2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2---|---2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2---|
A|-----------|-3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0-----------2-----------------------|
E|-----------|-------------------------3-----------------------|-------------------------------------3-----------|
    mp

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9       C/G         F                       |
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------1-------------------------------|
G|--------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-|-------0---0-------0---0-2-----------------------|
D|----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2---|---2-----2-----2-----2---3-----------------------|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------3-----------------------|
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------|

 ||  C           Am7         C/G         C/B         | C           Am7          C/B        C/G         |
E||--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B||------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|
G||o-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|
D||o---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|
A||--3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0------------2----------------------|
E||--------------------------3-----------------------|-------------------------------------3-----------|
    She buried him down on the edge of town where the brigalow suckers on the cemetery creep,
    "I'm sorry," I says, "I knew him so well, though your body is young you just never can tell
    She says "At the start well we knewed it so hard, we were always dealt the severest of cards:
    My romantic notions of horses and land--they were soon dispelled as a fantasised dream.

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9       C/G         F(maj7b5)               ||
 |                                                                                       play four times
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------||
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------1-------------------------------||
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------2------------------o||
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------3-------3------o||
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------------------3-------3---||
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------||
   she stood with them children in a heavy brown gown what you want you just can't always keep.
   when the hand of fate rings the final death knell," she just turned with the saddest of smiles.
   honeymoon spent droving Jamieson's stock through the wildest winter you seen."
   Watching cattle at night in the mid-winter cold turns a person both wiry and old.

 ||  C           Am7         C/G         C/B         | C           Am7         C/B         C/G         |
 ||[acoustic 1]
E||--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B||------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|
G||o-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|
D||o---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|
A||--3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0-----------2-----------------------|
E||--------------------------3-----------------------|-------------------------------------3-----------|
 ||[acoustic 2 in, see above for chord shapes]
 ||  C   / / / / Am7 / / / / C/G / / / / C/B / / / / | C   / / / / Am7 / / / / C/B / / / / C/G / / / / |
    The flame of the breakfast fire'd be dead; as the sun rose up he'd be miles up ahead,
    When the weather turned sour with the onset of rain an' the truck'd bog down to the axle mains
    With the blankets and canvas there hung out to dry and with nothing for heat 'cause you couldn't light a fire,
    Cattle don't camp where they're sloshing in rain, they keep walking all night like a dog on a chain,

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9      C/G        F(maj7b5)                 ||
 |                                                                                       play four times
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------||
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------1-------------------------------||
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------2------------------o||
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------3-------3------o||
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------------------3-------3---||
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------||
 |[acoustic 2]
 |  C   / / / / Am7 / / / / C/G / / / / C/E / / / / | Cadd9 / / / C/G / / / / F(maj7b5) / /   / / / / ||
   I'd be breaking the camp there and rolling the beds while he fanned the stock wider for feed.
   He'd move ahead with pack saddles and chains and I'd wait in the mud by the road
   no stock permit for the forthcoming shire, the dog'd whimper in the winter wind rain.
   he'd be red eyed and weary with a pack horse gone lame and I'd sit miles behind in the mud.

This part's very hard for me to hear. I think there are two guitars, but this is the best I can do for the time being.
If you have any ideas, let me know.

 |  C           Am7         C/G         G/B         | C           Am7         C/B        G           |
 |[acoustic 1] Violin in
E|------>----------->----------->----------->-------|----->----------->----------->------------------|
B|------0h1---------0h1---------1-----------3-------|-----0---1-------0---1-------1----------0---0---|
G|------------0-----------0-------0---0-------0---0-|-------0---0-------0---0--------0-----0---0---0-|
D|----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0-----0---|---2-----------2-----------0--------------------|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0-----------2----------------------|
E|--------------------------3-----------------------|------------------------------------3-----------|
    pp

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9       C/G         F                       |
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------5-----------1---1---1-----------|
G|--------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-|-------0---0-------0---0-------2---2-------------|
D|----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2---|---2-----2-----2-----2-----x---------------------|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------|

E|--------------------------|
B|--------------------------|
G|--------------------------|
D|--------------3---2---0---|
A|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|
                    (It was)

Drums & piano in. Paul Kelly sings. Strum chords:

       C            Am7               C/G      C/B
It was down through Charleville up to Julia Creek
          C         Am7        C/B         C/G
Living on syrup and damper and salted corn meat
       C                Am7          C/G        C/E               
We had nothing but the 'roos and the mailman to meet
     Cadd9       C/G           F(maj7b5)
We'd move up and down with the rains

But them inland skies have the starriest of nights
With the dance of the fire throwing flickering lights 
The beauty of it's sunsets were a constant delight
I felt that nature had let me intrude 

The enormous vastness of them inland plains
Gives you a lonely contentment to which you can't put a name
It's satisfied glow city folks seldom attain
They spend life on a right rigid rail

The kids got their schooling from the government mail
We posted their work in at each cattle sale
They considered the learning a self imposed jail
They'd rather help their father and fail

Continue strumming through violin break.

 ||  C           Am7         C/G         C/B         | C           Am7          C/B        C/G         |
E||--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B||------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|
G||o-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|
D||o---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|
A||--3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0------------2----------------------|
E||--------------------------3-----------------------|-------------------------------------3-----------|
    Early last month at the end of the dry he was given a horse nobody could ride
To catch him each morning was an hour long battle We had to collar rope his near side to throw on the saddle

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9      C/G        F(maj7b5)                 ||
 |                                                                                       play four times
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------||
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------1-------------------------------||
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------2------------------o||
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------3-------3------o||
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------------------3-------3---||
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------||
   Alert were his ears with a fire in his stride he was young and his spirit was wild
   He'd bite and he'd strike, O, he made my nerves rattle pandemonium reigned with each ride

Strum chords:

         C            Am7            C/G        C/B
It was a hot summers' mornin' at the government bore
          C          Am7            C/B          C/G
There was stillness around that I'd never felt before
C            Am7         C/G         C/E
How could he know it was fate at his door
         Cadd9      C/G          F(maj7b5)
That was stealthily watchin' his moves

He mounted up quick taking slack from the reins
Grasped a full hand of hair from the horses long mane
He'd just hit the saddle when the horse went insane
Churning dust in a frenzy of fear

The girth on the saddle let go at the ring
The surcingle slipped it was impossible to cling
The horse felt it go made a desperate fling
He was thrown to the length of the reins

I heard his spine snap like a 'roo shooters' shot
He'd busted his back on the concreted trough
Sickness and fear were the feelings I got
For the doctor was a six hour drive

I looked at his face and his colour turned white
He turned slowly and said "I can't make it till night
My body is broken, I'm bleedin' inside"
And the life slowly drained from his eyes

Harmonica fadeout.

Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins sing outro.

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/B         | C           Am7          C/B        C/G         |
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0------------2----------------------|
E|--------------------------3-----------------------|-------------------------------------3-----------|
   I'll sell up the plant and I'll move here to town before the winter returns with a chill on the ground,

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9      C/G        F(maj7b5)                 |
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------1-------------------------------|
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------2-------------------|
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------3-------3-------|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------------------3-------3---|
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------|
   for what I've just lost can seldom be found--I was blessed with the gentlest of men.

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/B         | C           Am7          C/B        C/G         |
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------2-----------|-3-----------0------------2----------------------|
E|--------------------------3-----------------------|-------------------------------------3-----------|
   Eventually the children will move to the east, but I couldn't stand the bustle of even a quiet city street.

 |  C           Am7         C/G         C/E         | Cadd9      C/G        F(maj7b5)                 |
E|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|------1-----------1-----------1-----------1-------|-----3-----------1-------------------------------|
G|------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------|-----0-----------0-----------2-------------------|
D|----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2---|---------2-----------2-----------3-------3-------|
A|--3-----------0-----------------------------------|-3-----------------------------------3-------3---|
E|--------------------------3-----------0-----------|-------------3-----------1-----------------------|
   I'll stay in the scrub here where my heart really beats, for some dogs grow too old for change.