Australia Day

they came in ships
from over the sea
with a cargo of human waste
and misery
they laid claim
to the whole country
and they treated all things
as their enemy

the people of the land
were so shocked to see
these mad devils
from across the sea
who kept their brothers
tied with chains
made them work in the sun
and the pouring rain

the men in chains
cursed the day they’d come
slaved till they dropped
in the alien sun
prisoners in a land
that would never be home
never have men
felt more alone

these madmen
across the sea had come
they marched to the beat
of a different drum
they laid claim
to the whole country
and they treated all things
as their enemy

soon they’d raped and pillaged
far inland
in their ignorance and greed
they couldn’t understand
the beauty they destroyed
with pick and axe
hatred and sweat
and whips on backs

in a hundred years
the invaders spread
they poisoned and murdered
till resistance was dead
clearing whole forests
just to grow their meat
the earth groaned loud
beneath their feet

then the missionaries came
with their bibles in their in their hands
took away the children
of the people of the land
told them they were full
of evil and sin
tried to make them ashamed
to have a black skin

now the madmen sit
in their houses in their towns
staring at their TVs
as they shoot each other down
they don’t see what’s missing
from their empty lives
they don’t see their way of life
can never survive

the people of the land
are still deep in shock
should they listen to the madmen
should they listen to the rock?
the madmen bring their money
and they try to hide
their theft of a country
and their genocide

these madmen
across the sea have come
they march to the beat
of a different drum
they were my forefathers
yes I know
And it was only
two hundred years ago

This song was recorded for my album Doing the Dishes in 1995, on a 16 track tape machine with Ken Vatcher on drums, Sangeet on percussion, and guitarist Bruce Mathiske playing some searing guitar solos. He very kindly allowed me to drag him home to my studio at 2am after he’d finished a 4 hour gig with his band at the Murrah Hall.  I’m playing bass, guitar and keyboards, and the backing vocalists are Barb Crowden and Deb Weedon.