This song was directly inspired by a book called "Police Shootings in Victoria 1987-1989" that was written with the assistance of Flemington-Kensington Community Legal Centre by the families of four young men from the Flemington area of Melbourne who were shot dead by police over a two year period. To me, the most chilling thing about these deaths was that all four men knew each other, and they were all threatened with death by police before they were shot.
A brief explanation of "Walsh Street". Graeme Jensen was shot dead while fleeing from police who allegedly wanted him for questioning regarding a murder. He was posthumously found to be innocent. Two days after his death two police officer were murdered in Walsh Street, South Yarra, and the police widely promoted the idea that it was a revenge killing. Jedd Houghton was one of five people suspected of plotting their deaths. His alleged co-conspirators when tried were found to be innocent, thereby exonerating Jedd.
I would like to thank Fay Spear, Lyn Militano, Leanna Abdullah ad Elizabeth Houghton for their permission and help in writing this song, likewise all at the Flemington-Kensington Community Legal Centre.
When I first saw a real-life gun,
I was 15 years of age
It was on the hip of a fresh-faced cop
At Flinders Street Station
As I recall arming the force was a new innovation
I was homeless at the time, and overnight
The whole feelin’ on the street just changed
Is it a threat, or a promise
That ugly phallus that you’ve got?
11 years later
33 people have been shot
And they all had families
And they all had friends
And they had enemies on the force
And that’s where their
Right to be human ends
Chorus:
I thought Judge Dredd
Was a cartoon character
Supposed to be a joke
But it’s a chilling caricature
Judge and jury, prison warden
And grisly executioner
All rolled into one
On the edgy streets of Flemington
When Mark Militano was shot
His Mother found out from the news
When Jedd Houghton was shot
They sent plain-clothes cops
To video the funeral
When his mother went to view the body
All his jewellery had been taken
He was shot at point-blank range
Sleeping in a Bendigo caravan
Coz you see, the cops thought Walsh Street
May have been revenge
After they killed Graeme Jensen
Never gave him a chance to answer any questions
And although he was dead
The papers tried and found him guilty
Dead men tell no tales
And it makes a good story
Chorus
The community workers
At the local legal centre
Made a graph to show how many had fallen
Underneath the trigger
Y’know it was out of date
Only one day later
Why so many more in this state, huh?
Than elsewhere in Australia
Now, I’ve heard that in the raids
Before they shot Gary Abdullah
A young man was raped with a shotgun
A baby slapped right in front of its mother
I’ve heard there’s good cops
But I’ve also heard there’s bad
And darlin’ you know they don’t get
A whole lot worse than that
Oh, the families waited four long years
For the Coroner’s Inquiry
And all the got was cover-ups
From further up the hierarchy
And cops refusing to answer questions
On the grounds it may incriminate then
If they’re so justified
Why does the truth intimidate them?
And who are they to tell us
Who deserves to live and die
They talk about dangerous criminals
A menace to society
What I’m tryna point out here
Is that we all have the right to a
Fair trial
While far worse criminals
Are sitting pretty, high and dry
I thought Judge Dredd
Was a cartoon character
Supposed to be a joke, man
But it’s a chilling caricature
Judge and jury, prison warden
And grisly executioner
All rolled into one
On the edgy streets of Melbourne
And Jeff gives us the Casino
And he gives us the Grand Prix
And he gives the cops more power
Then he tells us that we’re lucky
I listen to talk-back radio
I tell you that it scares me
To hear these sleepy dupes saying
That it’s the cops they pity
It’s a tough job, yeah
But someone’s got to do it
It’s a tough job, yeah
I wouldn’t wanna go through it
It’s the Thin Blue Line
Stranger danger, stranger danger
The Thin Blue Line
But don’t be fooled
Coz the cops kills more people
Than the robbers ever do
(I thought Judge Dredd
Was a cartoon character…)
Mark Militano, Jedd Houghton, Graeme Jensen
Gary Abdullah, Jason Southey, Colleen Richman
Frederick Lewis, Helen Merkle, Gerald McGrath,
Marama Simon, Stephen Crome
The list goes on
Judge and jury, prison warden
And grisly executioner
All rolled into one…
Ahh……
credits
from Homemade Wine,
released January 7, 1997
Penelope Swales - vocals, guitar
Paul Jonas - violin, backing vocals
Mal Webb - bass, backing vocals
George Papantonio - drums
Lou Schetzer - backing vocals
Penelope Swales has been articulating the human condition with passion and humour for 30+ years. She sings about politics,
love, friendship, the unbreakable bond between us and dogs and the impact of the Internet on society. She won the 2019 Alistair Hulett Songs for Social Justice Award with “Cambridge Analytica”. “The Ides of March in Christchurch" was short-listed for the same award in 2020....more
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