THE DEATHS GO ON

Peter Kearney

Eddie Murray was drinking the night into day
Police picked him up and took him away
One hour later he was dead in his cell
Took his own life – so police records tell
Gone.
And The Deaths Go On.
Dying of 200 years.

Robert Walker was lowered and beaten in hell
In Broome, Dixon Green dropped dead in his cell
John Pat, in Roebourne, was kicked to the ground
They cleaned up his body - then the doctor came round
Gone.
And The Deaths Go On
Dying of 200 years.

The Coroner spoke from his smooth white face
“Death by misadventure : the usual case”
Charlie Michaels was bent like a bow on the floor
His heart just snapped – he couldn’t take any more
Gone.
And The Deaths Go On.
Dying of 200 Years.

And how must it feel to be black in this land?
When all of the power is in the white hand
When that hand can suddenly turn to a fist –
You’re no one. You’re nothing. You’ll hardly be missed
Gone.
And The Deaths Go On
Gone.
And The Deaths Go On
GONE.


(NB These lyrics reflect the Hammer & Tongues and No Strings Attached arrangements, rather than keeping strictly to Peter Kearney’s original song.)


It’s nigh on 40 years since the death of Eddie Murray in police custody, which sparked public debate on these police crimes - and which eventually led to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, running from 1987-1990.

Sadly, Eddie’s wasn’t the first death – and he certainly wasn’t the last - and the families of the young men in this song, and of many other Aboriginal men and women, are still trying to get some sort of justice from the Australian judicial system.

The song was written by prolific singer-songwriter, Peter Kearney, and it won the Declan Affley Memorial Award at The National Folk Festival, for 1988.   Peter is known for his “folk-hymns”, strong social justice/peace focus and indigenous and christian issues.

However, the version that I sang with Darwin a cappella harmony group “No Strings Attached” was set to music by Perth’s Kerry Fletcher, and arranged with Phillip Griffin, for that fabulous West Aussie trio, “Hammer & Tongues”(Kerry Fletcher, Lyn Hazleton, Maria Wilson? ) who blew me away at the Maleny National Folk Festival in 1989. Very sad that their 1991 cassette “Voices Abreast” is not available on the internet, as all their songs were just great. Hopefully in the New Year, I’ll at least be able to post to my YT channel, a version by “No Strings” ……

Here is Peter Kearney’s website : https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home   and this is his song version on YT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqNd4DxxBW0   (although, I must confess that it doesn’t quite sound like I remember from the cassette I had, possibly with the group CROSSOVER (maybe just my aging memory?!) Plus it has an extra verse one may like to incorporate ……)
Here is an Adelaide choir version using Kerry Fletcher’s setting, from The Tutti Ensemble : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyKhPId2tFw
[“The original Tutti Choir : a performing choir and band with up to 75 participants over half of whom identify with disability.”]



R-J