On volcanic Mt Rouse where the thistles grow tall br They spread their seeds around in the warm winds of the Fall br And with each passing year their numbers multiply br For to control their spread people no longer do try br The thistles on Mt Rouse are out of control br Noxious weeds on the dry landscape have been taking toll br Less food for the marsupials and lagomorphs to eat br Where herbs and grasses with thistles are forced to compete br On many of the walking tracks on Mt Rouse the rank thistles grow br And they multiply when the Autumn winds blow br Their billions of small seeds known as thistledown br Across the dry paddocks of old Penshurst Town br Despite human attempts to eradicate them the thistles survive br And on stony Mt Rouse they multiply and thrive.