Intro:  G  D  Em

  Em                      D
A Long white cloud at the edge of the sea,
C            D           Em
Thrown up by underground activity.
                       D
Dormant volcanoes like sleeping dogs lie
 C           D        Em
Around the Pacific, a long ring of fire.
                        G            D             Em
Fault lines through the Beehive, and buildings too tall.
                    G              Bm         Em
Like a mask, mirror-glass tries to hide empty floors.
                           G                 D            Em
When the Earth shakes, the ground breaks and sharemarkets fall
         G           D          Dm
In these Shaky Isles out on the rim.

The Ship of State once sailed upon unmarked seas,
Uncharted waters, unborrowed steam
Below the horizon, around the next bend,
Followed the rainbow to where it might end.
Now a drift to the right as these corners are turned
Take us in circles back where we began,
Dictating directions - you'd think we'd have learned
In these Shaky Isles out on the rim.

There'll always be some try to stop the sunset:
Like Maui they put too much faith in a net.
Feeling the pressure from sea and on land,
Blackmailed and threatened by fair-weather friends.
Puppet dictators, corruption and graft:
The Penagon pulls on their strings and they dance,
Terrorists strike at the Warrior's heart
In these Shaky Isles out on the rim.
        Am          Em
  Black mist on Maralinga,
       D            Em
  Grey snow on Rongelap,
        Am            Em
  White sun under Mururoa,
  D                      Em
  Whitewash to cover the cracks.

At the edge of the ocean an empty land lies
And looks to the East now to see the sun rise
While our neighbour Australia looks to the West
On a fast-fading Empire on which the sun sets.
Battlefields getting much closer to home,
Dividing lines re-define new battle-zones.
Around the perimeter fires still glow
And in these Shaky Isles out on the rim.
 
Around the perimeter fires still glow
And in these Shaky Isles out on the rim.