Mad Max meets Margot Fonteyn. With duck.

the title of this post must be credited to this article, in the age today.

i haven't watched the opening ceremony, we have it on tape and i think we might get to have a look at it, oh around about friday night?

but i did read they sang (the people at the g and the people along the mighty yarra*.) the two first verses of the national anthem. which doesn't surprise me, but it made me realise it's time to EXPOSE the national anthem for what it is, bust open this whole charade, baby. it's a fucking scam, don't you know? you think it's just a fairly simple and inoffensive piece, do you? is it more the drudge of the music it's sung to, that you don't like?

have you read the whole national anthem?

[verses two, four and five are rarely sung. i really can't see why. what's wrong with a bit of british imperialist arrogance along with some aggressive warmongering???]

verse 1 - this is the fairly innocuous verse you only know the words to if you are under 15.

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

verse 2 - this is where we learn about this great country's history. forget about the millennia before cook. that doesn't count.

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Britannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"
verse 3 - this is the one which again seems ok. it's a trick though, don't get sucked in.

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"
verse 4 - here we go again. here we are saying the only people we want to come and share this country are enligsh, scottish and irish. in other words fuck off everyone who is not anglo-celtic. just fuck off!

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

and verse five, this is where we get tough. we are being very proprietorial, ironically of a land whose original people we had to conquer in order to posses. and now we are saying, just forget that we did it, don't you think of doing it. ironic, yes? and then we're saying we will fight to guard this land, and then our people back in britain know we are keeping a british soul. so that's the argument about national identity and what it means to be an australian done then. you can all stop thinking about it, and debating it over dinner. it was already decided and you just weren't told about it.

Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Britannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

so basically any time you sing this song, or parts of it, you are acknowledging and accepting all this shit.


DON'T SING IT.
let's get it changed. how do we do that?

ps do you think the 'fair' in the song refers to beauty or justice?

* why are we so embarrassed and apologetic about the yarra. yeah it's muddy, so the fuck what? it's like we are cringing because it's not a crystal clear type of english merry brook. and it's not. because we are in a different country. it's not england. for fuck's sake.