Jill Stevens
Jill writes songs about Australia’s rich history, wilderness wonders and sustainable land use, with a keen eye on the environment. With a background as a palaeontologist, working as a geologist in industry, she has travelled to remote places and is passionate about capturing the feeling of these in her songs. She writes about women farmers on the land, how we manage weeds, salinity and changing weather patterns and how we utilise resources. Her songs evoke themes of past times and how we seek better, more sustainable ways of living in harmony with the earth.
She lives in central Victoria.
Listen to Songs By Jill Stevens
Desert Rain
A rare event in the outback, but rain has a startling effect on the parched Australian interior. Within days brilliantly coloured flowers dot the red sand dunes, dust or gibber plains. These ephemeral blossoms fruit and seed in only a few days, and are the promise of the next year’s food and shelter for the many well-adapted desert creatures.
Song Lyrics
Hear the raindrops falling, one-by-one,
Sweet pearls of water in the sun
Beating steady rhythm on the stones,
A sound that is so rare and so alone.
Bringing life to Nature’s thirsty land,
Muddy cracks and gibbers and salt pans,
Raindrops forming pools and little streams,
The desert is awakened from its dreams.
Winter’s dry and windy days are gone,
Summer’s warmth and dampened breath have come –
Crystal water in her veins again –
The desert is a’blooming after rain.
Bright with promise, flowers seek the sun,
In days they fruit and seed, their purpose done.
Nature’s cycle once again renewed,
The desert has replenished vital food.
Album : Desert Rain
Produced by Roger Ilott, Penny Davies and Jill Stevens.
Spring 1986 to Summer 1987
Album credits:
JILL STEVENS – lead vocals, backing vocals
GILL REES – hammered dulcimer, accordion, backing vocals
PENNY DAVIES – backing vocals
LINDA BERRY – flute
MIKE HYDER – violin
ROGER ILOTT – guitars, pedal steel, piano, bouzouki, backing vocals
BYRD FAIRPORT – bass guitar