This is mesmerisingly sung and played with lots of sincere social commentary
The song is a fictionalized biography of David Hicks interspersed with details of his (Liddiard’s) own childhood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hicks
A young boy busts his dad’s Hills Hoist using it as a swing
Kills a magpie in the backyard with a homemade ging
Steals chlorine from the neighbour’s swimming pool
And puts it in a coffee jar and pours brake fluid in
He makes a pipe bomb using match heads and it fizzles when he runs
He tries again using the powder from the shells of his old man’s shotgun
And it hisses like the feral cat he’s seen – slithers like the snake he killed
Leaves a scorch mark on the pavement and he’s badly beaten for it
He finds a Playboy on the way to school – tries remembering his Mum
He throws rocks at a girl he likes and he’s sent home before lunch
Finds a King Kong doll beneath a bush – it’s probably some rich kid’s
But it roars ants when he shakes it so he drops it in a bin
It gets late and dinner time comes – he makes tinned beans on white Tip Top
He halves it with his fingers and then shares it with the dog
Jumps a cyclone fence to the sound of his old man fucking through the evening
Finds a severed kangaroo hind leg just laying in a clearing
And there’s a tendon or a tapeworm that retracts after a kick
He finds a new stink nearly makes him puke when he pokes it with a stick
He meets a friend near there – they go to see his house just down the road
His sister lets them in, goes back upstairs wearing a bathrobe
He sees a Phillishave full of hair clippings in a bathroom near a bra
They find some car keys, go outside and search a V8 car
And there’s a Beta tape in a paper bag hid under a seat
They hit play on the VCR machine and start to hear flute music
Now there’s two girls on a farm somewhere playing with a labrador
Which rolls onto its back like it has been through this before
And it’s the last time D hears flute music, the last time he thinks about girls
He sneaks home about 10 o’clock, gets inside using the dog door
Kills a magpie in the backyard with a homemade ging
Steals chlorine from the neighbour’s swimming pool
And puts it in a coffee jar and pours brake fluid in
He makes a pipe bomb using match heads and it fizzles when he runs
He tries again using the powder from the shells of his old man’s shotgun
And it hisses like the feral cat he’s seen – slithers like the snake he killed
Leaves a scorch mark on the pavement and he’s badly beaten for it
He finds a Playboy on the way to school – tries remembering his Mum
He throws rocks at a girl he likes and he’s sent home before lunch
Finds a King Kong doll beneath a bush – it’s probably some rich kid’s
But it roars ants when he shakes it so he drops it in a bin
It gets late and dinner time comes – he makes tinned beans on white Tip Top
He halves it with his fingers and then shares it with the dog
Jumps a cyclone fence to the sound of his old man fucking through the evening
Finds a severed kangaroo hind leg just laying in a clearing
And there’s a tendon or a tapeworm that retracts after a kick
He finds a new stink nearly makes him puke when he pokes it with a stick
He meets a friend near there – they go to see his house just down the road
His sister lets them in, goes back upstairs wearing a bathrobe
He sees a Phillishave full of hair clippings in a bathroom near a bra
They find some car keys, go outside and search a V8 car
And there’s a Beta tape in a paper bag hid under a seat
They hit play on the VCR machine and start to hear flute music
Now there’s two girls on a farm somewhere playing with a labrador
Which rolls onto its back like it has been through this before
And it’s the last time D hears flute music, the last time he thinks about girls
He sneaks home about 10 o’clock, gets inside using the dog door
Channel 7 gets the scoop again – there’s a man gone crazy
He stole an APC from the army base
And closed down half the city
But D‘s been expelled from school and he’s quite happy staying in bed
He keeps track of all the updates, surfing networks instead
And this tank arrives at police HQ about 8am
It makes pancakes out of 5 or 6 patrol cars and then
Runs out of diesel near a Castrol service station
And there’s a standoff, and he’s teargassed and not heard of again
D’s father dies of cancer the next Christmas day
He’s so hopped up on the morphine that he
Can’t get straight
He says “Be proud of me my boy, well I am finally off the fags
Since they caught me upstairs smoking on the helipad”
They cut the tumor off his liver
But he died without it
It seems like no one gets to choose what they can’t live without
It don’t matter about money when there ain’t no way around
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
D finds a one room flat that overlooks an underpass
He works part time as a labourer and it’s OK though it’s hard
Then some black kid steals his concession card and beats him ’round the head
Next time D sees an army surplus store he steals a bayonet
Then one day the bus to work knocks down the kid that held him up
He dies laying in the street – the driver don’t make too much fuss
He smokes a ciggie with the cops – the ambulance is running late
And something inside D finds all this very, very strange
And soon after that, the work dries up and D starts drinking hard
Starts drinking cheap cask wine with the old black fellas living in the park
One has a tattoo of a swastika made with candle, soap and spoons
He says he’s half caste and that full bloods prefer petrol over goon
He says he was brought up on a mission
Then became a Viet Vet
He ain’t got a single tooth to chew so D gives him his bayonet
He’s got white scars between his knuckles or what’s left of them and says
“You see, I’m white too – I just cannot drink inside the way you like to”
He stole an APC from the army base
And closed down half the city
But D‘s been expelled from school and he’s quite happy staying in bed
He keeps track of all the updates, surfing networks instead
And this tank arrives at police HQ about 8am
It makes pancakes out of 5 or 6 patrol cars and then
Runs out of diesel near a Castrol service station
And there’s a standoff, and he’s teargassed and not heard of again
D’s father dies of cancer the next Christmas day
He’s so hopped up on the morphine that he
Can’t get straight
He says “Be proud of me my boy, well I am finally off the fags
Since they caught me upstairs smoking on the helipad”
They cut the tumor off his liver
But he died without it
It seems like no one gets to choose what they can’t live without
It don’t matter about money when there ain’t no way around
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
D finds a one room flat that overlooks an underpass
He works part time as a labourer and it’s OK though it’s hard
Then some black kid steals his concession card and beats him ’round the head
Next time D sees an army surplus store he steals a bayonet
Then one day the bus to work knocks down the kid that held him up
He dies laying in the street – the driver don’t make too much fuss
He smokes a ciggie with the cops – the ambulance is running late
And something inside D finds all this very, very strange
And soon after that, the work dries up and D starts drinking hard
Starts drinking cheap cask wine with the old black fellas living in the park
One has a tattoo of a swastika made with candle, soap and spoons
He says he’s half caste and that full bloods prefer petrol over goon
He says he was brought up on a mission
Then became a Viet Vet
He ain’t got a single tooth to chew so D gives him his bayonet
He’s got white scars between his knuckles or what’s left of them and says
“You see, I’m white too – I just cannot drink inside the way you like to”
Five years later D meets Werner at a rifle range
Werner’s granddad was SS so now he goes by the nickname
Werner the Jew Burner and young D become so tight
They start going bush in his Landcruiser
Living on roos they shoot spotlighting
They get a year’s lease on a duplex
Werner finds D some work as
An unlicensed forklift driver in a fish market for cash
Where he’s got pictures of Adolf Hitler
Antique copies of Mein Kampf
But D thinks Hitler’s obsolete
And Werner’s practice too relaxed
But Werner finished high school and then studied engineering
D never did finish school
And Werner breaks the news that evening
The RAAF say they accept his application
To be trained to work on Hercules’ 2000 miles away
He leaves tomorrow for New South Wales
And throws a party late that night
They get to drinking and they’re talking
Then they argue, then they fight
D comes to bleeding in his bedroom, begging Werner not to go
But Werner’s full weight’s on his back now and he’s face down in a pillow
D wakes up late next afternoon but Werner is long gone
He tries to find his .22 – there ain’t no shells at all
He finds 5 Valium in a Winfield pack in a duffel bag in the hall
He sits down front of the TV screen, washes it all down with a bottle
Werner’s granddad was SS so now he goes by the nickname
Werner the Jew Burner and young D become so tight
They start going bush in his Landcruiser
Living on roos they shoot spotlighting
They get a year’s lease on a duplex
Werner finds D some work as
An unlicensed forklift driver in a fish market for cash
Where he’s got pictures of Adolf Hitler
Antique copies of Mein Kampf
But D thinks Hitler’s obsolete
And Werner’s practice too relaxed
But Werner finished high school and then studied engineering
D never did finish school
And Werner breaks the news that evening
The RAAF say they accept his application
To be trained to work on Hercules’ 2000 miles away
He leaves tomorrow for New South Wales
And throws a party late that night
They get to drinking and they’re talking
Then they argue, then they fight
D comes to bleeding in his bedroom, begging Werner not to go
But Werner’s full weight’s on his back now and he’s face down in a pillow
D wakes up late next afternoon but Werner is long gone
He tries to find his .22 – there ain’t no shells at all
He finds 5 Valium in a Winfield pack in a duffel bag in the hall
He sits down front of the TV screen, washes it all down with a bottle
Cliff has a beautiful wife – he’s insured for his life
And it is autumn here in Brooklyn in obstetrics, labour pain
And though his roots here are in slavery, Cliff is dressed himself by slaves
And credits rise like you’re collapsing, so bewilderingly fast
It seems the Cosbys of the world all go to bed 11 sharp
And the rest of you have a choice of late night news and more commercials
Yeah Just Do It, Have a Break, yeah, Life Is Good Because You’re Worthless
And Maybe She Was Born With It and maybe you were too
It seems like one way or the other, there ain’t much of nothing you can do
And you can only go as far as denying that you haven’t come anywhere
Forget Charles Darwin’s namesake is surrounded with black hair
You are depressed now but need only take this pill to ban despair
And if East Timor can’t be middle class, it can’t really be there
And you are driving the Jeep Cherokee that burns Arabs for fuel
But you are driving the Jeep Cherokee and that’s good enough for you
And you are living among taxpayers who welcome brown folks with a moat
Conducting policy with the one free hand while the other’s round their throats
And you are living in a land besieged by what the world might think or know
But with its head so deep in Turkish sand, this can’t really be so
And you are living in a nightmare – let them balkanize the East
No one says a word these days, they turn the other cheek
And you are living in a nightmare – you can’t trust a ceasefire bid
And any wall they build around Gaza will be begging for a lid
And you are living in a nightmare – you can’t bribe a want of doubt
And you are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
And you are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
And you are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
But we interrupt this broadcast just to bring you breaking news
There is a building in Manhattan and it’s burning
And it is autumn here in Brooklyn in obstetrics, labour pain
And though his roots here are in slavery, Cliff is dressed himself by slaves
And credits rise like you’re collapsing, so bewilderingly fast
It seems the Cosbys of the world all go to bed 11 sharp
And the rest of you have a choice of late night news and more commercials
Yeah Just Do It, Have a Break, yeah, Life Is Good Because You’re Worthless
And Maybe She Was Born With It and maybe you were too
It seems like one way or the other, there ain’t much of nothing you can do
And you can only go as far as denying that you haven’t come anywhere
Forget Charles Darwin’s namesake is surrounded with black hair
You are depressed now but need only take this pill to ban despair
And if East Timor can’t be middle class, it can’t really be there
And you are driving the Jeep Cherokee that burns Arabs for fuel
But you are driving the Jeep Cherokee and that’s good enough for you
And you are living among taxpayers who welcome brown folks with a moat
Conducting policy with the one free hand while the other’s round their throats
And you are living in a land besieged by what the world might think or know
But with its head so deep in Turkish sand, this can’t really be so
And you are living in a nightmare – let them balkanize the East
No one says a word these days, they turn the other cheek
And you are living in a nightmare – you can’t trust a ceasefire bid
And any wall they build around Gaza will be begging for a lid
And you are living in a nightmare – you can’t bribe a want of doubt
And you are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
And you are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
And you are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
You are living in a nightmare you can’t bribe your way out of
But we interrupt this broadcast just to bring you breaking news
There is a building in Manhattan and it’s burning
1 Comment
I love Liddiard. His voice, his guitar playing, his singing. His song Oh My from years ago still speaks directly to me, particularly the last refrain till the end “…until my guts churn”. And who writes “Thou shall find oneself perturbed with less verbose calamities” ?
Thanks for this. Haven’t been paying attention to him lately.
https://youtu.be/K6T1Xzda6cM
People are a waste of food
You’ll never hear the end
They’re only ever happy
When they’re burying their friends
And they take take take
But they never take a hint
The ice caps getting skinny
Still they’re not concerned
They’re very near extinct
People are a waste of food
The end is nearly nigh
They’ve always said the sky would fall
Now it is you have to wonder why
You want to shrink your stinky footprint?
Get your tubes tied
Or even better yet
Go commit suicide
They can’t say you didn’t try
And oh my,
Well i hear the sound of horses’ hooves
Come the middle of the night
And oh my,
Its time to get your gun license
I see four horsemen riding through
A cold and endless night
If money is the root of evil
Fear of death is worse
This mortal coil is not a test
And you can’t hide in a purse
So don’t go casting no dispersions in the street
‘Cause the half the world that starves
Will know the half you’re in
Does not deserve to eat
And oh my,
Well i hear the sound of horses’ hooves
Come the middle of the night
And oh my,
It’s time to get your gun license
I see four horsemen riding through
A cold and endless night
People are a waste of food
Don’t bother learning Chinese
Thou shalt find oneself perturbed
By less verbose calamities
Just get some Heinz baked beans,
A 12 gauge, bandolier and tinned dog food
We’ll eat your dog, bury our dead
Or eat them instead
That’s entirely up to you
And oh my,
I hear the sound of unshod hooves come the middle of the night
And oh why
Well, from now on ’til your grandkids finally get what you deserve
I’m going to be stuck here with you wookies
Eating fortune cookies
Until my guts churn