Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
Encyclopedia
"Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" is a song written by Rolf Harris
in 1957 which became a hit across the world in the 1960s in two different recordings (1960 in Australia
& United Kingdom
the original, and 1963 with a re-recording of his song in the United States
). Inspired by Harry Belafonte
's calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed. The song is one of the best known and most successful Australian songs.
Harris originally offered four unknown Australian backing musicians 10% of the royalties for the song in 1960, but they decided to take a recording fee of 28 pounds between them because they thought the song would be a flop.
The recording peaked at #1 in the Australian charts and was a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1960. In 1963 Harris re-recorded the song in the UK with George Martin as producer and this remake of the song reached #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart and spent three weeks atop the easy listening chart in 1963. Harris re-recorded his song a second time along with The Wiggles
in 2000. It is still popular today as a children's song.
The distinctive sound of Harris's original recording was achieved by the use of an instrument of his own design called the "wobble board
", actually a two by three foot piece of Masonite
.
is similar to the first verse of a song, The Dying Stockman, collected by Banjo Paterson
and published in 1905:
In Harris' version, a dying Australian stockman instructs his friends to take care of his affairs when he is gone. The first of these is to watch his wallabies'
feed, then to tie his kangaroo
down, since they jump around (which is the chorus). "Sport" is an Australian term of address, alluding to "good sport", which often, as in this case, praises someone for carrying out a small favour one is asking of them. The lyrics mention animals and things associated with Australia, including cockatoo
s, koala
s, platypus
es, and didgeridoo
s. His last dying wish is "Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred".
By the end of the song the stockman has died and his wish has been carried out: "We tanned his hide when he died, Clyde, and that's it hanging on the shed".
In the 1980's the song was used as the entrance theme to then WWE wrestler Outback Jack.
The fourth verse was removed circa 1960, because of its use of the word Abo, an offensive slang term for Aboriginal Australians
. The lyrics of this verse (not found on Rolf Harris' official website) are as follows:
The stockman thus emancipates his native ranch hands at his death, when they were "of no further use" to him. It is unlikely that Harris envisioned these men as captives of the stockman, but simply meant that they be ""let go" from their positions. This verse does not feature in later versions of the song, and, in a 2006 interview, Harris expressed regret about the racist nature of the original lyrics.
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
in 1957 which became a hit across the world in the 1960s in two different recordings (1960 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
& United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the original, and 1963 with a re-recording of his song in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). Inspired by Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
's calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed. The song is one of the best known and most successful Australian songs.
Harris originally offered four unknown Australian backing musicians 10% of the royalties for the song in 1960, but they decided to take a recording fee of 28 pounds between them because they thought the song would be a flop.
The recording peaked at #1 in the Australian charts and was a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1960. In 1963 Harris re-recorded the song in the UK with George Martin as producer and this remake of the song reached #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and spent three weeks atop the easy listening chart in 1963. Harris re-recorded his song a second time along with The Wiggles
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
in 2000. It is still popular today as a children's song.
The distinctive sound of Harris's original recording was achieved by the use of an instrument of his own design called the "wobble board
Wobble board
The wobble board is an instrument popularized by the Australian musician and artist Rolf Harris and featured in his best-known song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"...
", actually a two by three foot piece of Masonite
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
.
The story of the song
The opening recitation by Harris:- There's an old Australian stockman, lying, dying,
- and he gets himself up on one elbow,
- and he turns to his mates,
- who are gathered 'round him and he says…
is similar to the first verse of a song, The Dying Stockman, collected by Banjo Paterson
Banjo Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
and published in 1905:
- A strapping young stockman lay dying,
- His saddle supporting his head;
- His two mates around him were crying,
- As he rose on his pillow and said…
In Harris' version, a dying Australian stockman instructs his friends to take care of his affairs when he is gone. The first of these is to watch his wallabies'
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
feed, then to tie his kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
down, since they jump around (which is the chorus). "Sport" is an Australian term of address, alluding to "good sport", which often, as in this case, praises someone for carrying out a small favour one is asking of them. The lyrics mention animals and things associated with Australia, including cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
s, koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s, platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
es, and didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
s. His last dying wish is "Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred".
By the end of the song the stockman has died and his wish has been carried out: "We tanned his hide when he died, Clyde, and that's it hanging on the shed".
In the 1980's the song was used as the entrance theme to then WWE wrestler Outback Jack.
Deleted verse
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. The lyrics of this verse (not found on Rolf Harris' official website) are as follows:
- Let me Abos go loose, Lew
- Let me Abos go loose
- They're of no further use, Lew
- So let me Abos go loose.
The stockman thus emancipates his native ranch hands at his death, when they were "of no further use" to him. It is unlikely that Harris envisioned these men as captives of the stockman, but simply meant that they be ""let go" from their positions. This verse does not feature in later versions of the song, and, in a 2006 interview, Harris expressed regret about the racist nature of the original lyrics.
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1960s
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1963 (U.S.)