Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport

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Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport is a song written in 1957 by Australian singer, Rolf Harris, which became a hit in the 1960s in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and re-recording in the United States in 1963. The song is about Australian stockman on his deathbed, who instructed his friends to take care of his affairs when he is gone; to watch wallabies feed and tie the kangaroo down. While the term "sport" in Australia alludes to good sport, which praises someone for carrying a small favor. [1]

Lyrics

Let me Abo go loose, Lou

Let me Abo go loose:

He’s of no further use, Lou

So let me Abo go loose. [2]

Controversy

The deleted verse in the Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport sparks controversy in 1964 because the used of word “Abo”, which was considered as an offensive slang term for Aboriginal Australians. The word Abo used in the song refers to black people in Australia. [3] [4]

The singer, Harris, gave a half hearted apology over his offensive lyrics, then shamed Aboriginal people for their misfortune in Australia. [5]

References

  1. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 22, 2021
  2. Taylor, Mildred Europa. Nine nursery rhymes you probably didn’t realize were racist. January 18, 2020. face2faceafrica.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021
  3. Taylor, Mildred Europa. Nine nursery rhymes you probably didn’t realize were racist. January 8, 2020. face2faceafrica.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021
  4. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 22, 2021
  5. Did Not Know that the Following Nursery Rhymes had a Racial History. May 8, 2014. aspoonfulofsuga.wodpress.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021