The singer-songwriter, and former frontman of seminal Australian band Men at Work, watched a Ken Burns documentary called The Dust Bowl.

The film explored the decade-long man-made environmental disaster, credited as the worst drought in American history, that ruined farms, took lives and added to the misery of the Great Depression.

The plight of the farmers in the documentary moved Hay to write a set of lyrics that would become the title track from his 12th studio record, Next Year People.

“The documentary was on Depression-era farmers in Oklahoma, Kansas, northern Texas – that period of close to 10 years when every single year was brutal,” Hay says.

“All they had were dust storms and depravation – people went mad.

“It was a very moving and captivating ­documentary and a real study of the human condition.

“In dire situations people found some kind of hope, meaning and belief that things were going to get better, when they hadn’t for a long time.”

In that hardship Hay recognised an ­analogy for the plight of people from other walks of life.

It was an observation that humans can do the same thing over and over again and hope for a different result.

“One of the reasons it struck me is that it’s something we all ask ourselves at various times,” he says.

“We think, f*** I wonder if I’m on the right path here or am I doing something out of habit.

“And in my own situation I’ve been on the road and thought, ‘What am I f***ing doing this for? This is just crazy.’

“Am I kidding myself?

“You never know what the true answer is – you just keep going or do something else.”

Hay started writing and recording the record Next Year People in April last year and worked through to December, though the tracks Scattered in the Sand, I Want You Back and Mr. Grogan were in states of ­completion before then.

The stunning title track remained as lyrics until the last minute and snuck on to the album.

It is now the album’s centrepiece.

“I had the song Next Year People but ­hadn’t finished the music, but I did have the words for a while and I quite liked how they sounded,” Hay says.

“So I thought at some point I’ll do something with those.

“But that was one of the last songs to go on the record, and seemed to be a closer – that caps it off.”

Hay admits that it is uncommon for him to have lyrics written without music ready to accompany them, but it does sometimes happen.

“Traditionally I just work on my own and write, sitting around playing guitar and messing around with a few ideas.

“I come up with something that’s vaguely interesting and mutter a few things, and try and make sense of the mutterings.”

Hay worked again with friend and songwriter Michael Georgiades who lives up the road from him in Topanga, California.

“He had a bunch of musical ideas, quite a lot of them, and he would come around to my house,” Hay says.

“[His ideas] were always really good.

“I ended up writing about six songs for the record with him.

“I had other ideas I was going to finish, but I never finished those – I liked the musical ideas [George] was coming up with.”

Hay is returning to Newcastle Lizotte’s in May as part of a national solo tour.

Next Year People was recorded with a live band in the studio but for these shows the songwriter will reduce them to just his voice and an acoustic guitar.

“Some tend to work better than others, so you just play the ones that work better than others,” he says.

And with a dozen studio records to pick from – plus three classic albums with Men at Work – choosing a setlist is a difficult task for the Scottish-born musician.

“It’s a bit tricky–what do you leave off?” he asks.

“Either that or you end up doing three-hour sets, which is just too long.

“You have to be quite ruthless and cruel.”

Touring remains a vital aspect of Hay’s career.

Unlike some artists of his vintage that continue to perform but stop releasing new music, Hay’s creative drive remains.

And live shows are the way he presents his new material to fans.

“You’re just trying to get noticed with what you’re doing and trying to figure out how to do that, which is sometimes not your natural game,” Hay says.

“To write and record and then actually go out and sell it.

“I feel some kind of kinship with travelling salesmen – probably more than I do than being involved in the music industry.

“But you have to continue to do good shows and make good records and have things that people want to hear.”

Even though performance is a necessity for Hay, he still enjoys playing to a room of people.

“I like it more the older I get,” the 61-year-old says.

“Getting on a stage and playing for people and making it special.

“If you put your energy out there and it comes back to you, you get that circle going.

“It’s a good way to make a living, that’s for sure.”

Colin Hay performs at Newcastle Lizotte’s on Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8.

Tickets are available from www.lizottes.com.au.