BRISBANE BLACKS

Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon

{Verse 1}
On TV I saw a story, of the Brisbane Blacks
A story that is touching, a story that is right
In the story, a group of people sitting in a park
Drinking in harmony, drinking until dark

{Chorus 1}
You wonder why they’re like that
Those so-called “drunken blacks”
They know that they’ve done no wrong
But the pressure from society is strong

{Verse 2}
Every day, each passing day, our culture slowly dies
Like a piece of paper thrown onto a fire
Now all we’ve got is ancient weapons, now is our only trade
Compared to all the immigrants, look how much we’ve made

{Chorus 2}
You look down through your noses to see
The Black-man problem down at your feet
With weary eyes looking up at you
Waiting for the message to get through

{Verse 3}
Now it’s time for them to sleep, and it’s not in a bed
But in some warm surroundings, in a park or in a shed
Warmed only by the grog that’s been drunk through the day
Warmed only by the grog, the killer of his mates

{Chorus 3}
The very first Australians around
The very first people to be down
And why we fight, is to be recognised
Only to be felt by your blind eyes
Yes, only to be felt by your blind eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAIZIPvuKrE&t=20s Brisbane Blacks: Mop and the Dropouts (aka Denis Conlon and the Magpies)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSMIVejAQt0
Brisbane Blacks: The Story of Mop and the Dropouts ..... a video by Ben Carr, 2010 (10mins13secs)
“Brisbane 1982: The Commonwealth Games were on. A land rights movement was taking place, and a little known band from Cherbourg was about to make history.
Despite what Dennis 'Mop' Conlon knew when writing the song Brisbane Blacks, he could not have anticipated it would go on to become an anthem and define a period in time. Looking back on the history of the band, but also the political and social climate of Brisbane in the 1970's and 80's, the film delves into why Aboriginal people needed a voice to stand up against a conservative and racist government. As Dennis Conlon says, "We're not into politics, we play music." However, being in a band at the time and being aboriginal, Mop and the Dropouts couldn't help but be political.”


Cherbourg : This was originally known as Barambah (the 1840s pastoral run), and is now an Aboriginal community, NW of Brisbane, outside the town of Murgon. “The history of Cherbourg is one of Aboriginal people being forcibly removed and brought from all over Queensland and Northern New South Wales to a newly formed government reserve. Under the Aborigines Protection Act of 1897 the settlement then called Barambah, was gazetted and established in 1904.”

“The Cherbourg Memory ….. we offer you a window to our world – the Aboriginal people in South East Queensland, Australia. On this site we tell stories of our people – why they were brought here and what they have become over the 110 years they have lived here. It is a difficult and sometimes sad story, but it is essentially a story of survival and hope” : https://rationshed.com.au/about-cherbourg/

“Mothers Eyes” by Mop and the Dropouts : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_picsVjFlU



R-J