Impromptu history lesson

[deathpixie]

As wgsarah said, "Kate Kelly" is not only a good creepy song, but it's an impromptu history lesson too. So, for your education, people (and because I'm waiting on my Work Checker to get out of a meeting). Apologies for the lack of an LJ cut, but I've forgotten the code and I'm not on my laptop where it's kept. ;P

"Kate Kelly" - The Whitlams.

So you just keep on drinking
and you try to forget
How they strung up Joe Byrne
to the jailhouse door
He looked just like a marionette

He was dead for two days
and I'll tell you no lies
With the press still around him
making their money
Shooting postcards of him through the flies

Close your eyes Kate
and I'll sing you to sleep
Close your eyes, your dreams will be sweet
Kate Kelly, Kate Kelly
I'm gonna sing you to sleep

Ned rose up through the mist
man made of iron
Fighting his way to the smouldering inn
Where Joe and his brother are dying

They had to shoot out his legs Kate
and if you could sleep
You could forget the way they cut off his head
For the warden's paperweight

Close your eyes Kate
and I'll sing you to sleep
Close your eyes, your dreams will be sweet
Don't linger around here
may your soul rest in peace
Kate Kelly, Kate Kelly
I'm gonna sing you to sleep

Now you do horse tricks
in a wild west show
Sharp-shooting Kate
the last of the Kellys
Now the queen of a rodeo

Was Joe your lover?
Did he send you some word?
A friend to your brothers
all the way to the end
Where as brothers-in-arms
they would fall

Close your eyes Kate
and I'll sing you to sleep
Close your eyes, your dreams will be sweet
Don't linger around here
may your soul rest in peace
Kate Kelly, Kate Kelly
I'm gonna sing you to sleep
Kate Kelly, Kate Kelly
I'm gonna sing you to sleep

You just keep on drinking
and you try to forget
How they strung up Joe Byrne
to the jailhouse door
Like a marionette

***

For those who are confused, Ned Kelly was Australia's most famous bushranger, something of a Robin Hood figure, although he was probably a lot less altruistic than the Legendary Man in Tights. If you're curious, do a Google search on the man - it's a great story.

Comments

[obsidian179.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it IS a great story, but from what I can tell, it is NOT a great song. Oh, yes, and the code you were looking for? (And just so you don't get confused, when you see [ or ], you should put < or >): "[lj-cut] ... [/lj-cut]

This can be used in a journal entry to hide part, or all, of an entry. When the entry appears in your journal or on someone's Friends page, everything after an [lj-cut] tag and before a closing [/lj-cut] tag will be replaced by a link to the Read Comments page. The Read Comments page always displays the entire entry as well as any comments made on it. When the [lj-cut] is closed with [/lj-cut], any text placed after the closing [/lj-cut] tag will also display on the journal, instead of just on the Read Comments page.

By default, the link will say "Read more", but if you want it to say something else like "Cut off here", you can write the tag as [lj-cut text="Cut off here"]"

[deathpixie]

Thanks for the code, Obsidian. I actually _know_ what LJ-cut does, just couldn't remember what it looked like. This stuff is like maths to me - I have to work at remembering it.

As for the song... well, of course I'm going to disagree. ;) But lyrics alone don't convey the full impact. If you have an email account that will take MP3s, I'll send it along to you.

[demolitionman.livejournal.com]

You'd probably be interested in the new biopic of Ned Kelly coming out soon, starring Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom as Ned and his brother. Just saw the trailer this morning, looks pretty spiff (what with me not knowing much about Ol' Ned except that apparently Australia's greatest actor, Yahoo Serious, did a movie about him at one point).

~M.

[deathpixie]

Yeah, I've been seeing bits and pieces about the upcoming movie on our media, and I have to say I'm intrigued. Looks like it will be a half-decent job of things. Of course, it can't get worse than the Seventies version with Mick Jagger as Our Ned (and you thought the Yahoo Serious version was lame!).

*hides from the mention of Yahoo Serious*

[seraangel.livejournal.com]

Gah! Don't mention his name! It's like mentioning He who shall not be named from Cthulhuverse fame, except instead of appearing and eating you, he appears and then makes you watch his movies or something.

;)

~B.

[darkmark.livejournal.com]

I read an article or two about him beforehand and I saw the Mick Jagger movie, so I do know somewhat of Ned Kelly.