Racism – ‘sick and tired’
(from The Advertiser 15th September 2021 by Antimo Iannello)
One of Australia’s most beloved songwriters has written an emotional new piece in tribute to the Aussie rules legend’s relentless fight against discrimination.
Australian music legend Paul Kelly has released an emotive new song inspired by Eddie Betts and his ongoing battle with racism. The Adelaide-born singer-songwriter was moved to write the ballad, Every Step of the Way, after hearing the AFL champion talk last year about his lifelong struggle with racial abuse.
Kelly said he wanted to honour the recently retired former Crows and Carlton great, as well as highlight the lingering issue of racism in Australia.
“You could see it was painful for him to talk about and he was getting emotional,” Kelly, 66, told The Howie Games Artist Series podcast on LiSTNR.
“I thought his courage was immense that he was talking about it, and I knew it wasn’t the first time, this everyday racism that he experiences.
“He said in that interview at least three times, ‘I’m sick and tired of it’. So that was the start of the song.”
After former Crows skipper Taylor Walker’s racism scandal brought the issue back into the headlines last month, Kelly decided to seek Betts’ blessing before sharing the track with the world.
“It was like, ‘Here we go again, nothing’s changed’, or, in fact, it’s gotten worse,” Kelly, a Crows fan, said.
“So I thought that I should check with Eddie, see what he thinks about it, whether he’d mind if we released it at some stage.
“As you’d expect, I got a beautiful, gracious, generous response from Eddie. He said he really liked the song and he was honoured.
“He said, ‘I’m going to play it in the car to the kids when I go play my last game’. I thought that’s a big compliment from Eddie.”
The song imagines Betts’ pain, frustration and anger every time he is subjected to racism even as “Thousands smile when I go through my paces, They fall at my dancing feet.”
It also pays tribute to his ancestors, who are “with me every step of the way” and give him the courage to continue speaking out and educating Australia about the scourge of racism.
Betts, 34, who retired at the end of 2021 after 350 matches and 640 goals with Carlton and the Crows, said Kelly’s song “meant a lot to me”.
“He has always empowered us mob with his music, and his authentic and heartfelt collaborations have always been enjoyed by myself and all my family for many years,” Betts said.
“I feel proud to have this song written for me by someone so respected here in Australia and someone who has always stood in solidarity with us mob.”
Kelly previously wrote Every Day My Mother’s Voice, which he recorded with Dan Sultan for the Final Quarter documentary about the racist abuse suffered by Adam Goodes during the final years of his playing career.
Paul Kelly’s Every Step of the Way (listen to it on Spotify)
Tonight I went out from the kitchen
And looked up at the stars from the yard
I was hoping to get some perspective
But sometimes perspective is hard
I know my life is a blessing
And all blessings come with a curse
My enemies I know I can handle
But friends now, well, they can be worse
Oh, I’m so sick and tired of keeping it inside
I’m so sick and tired today
I remember the old ones’ hard travelling
They’re with me every step of the way
Thousands smile when I go through my paces
They fall at my dancing feet
They like to slap my back in high places
They want to shake my hand on the street
Oh, I love my beautiful children
They clamber and climb all over me
I close my eyes and I’m dreaming
Of a world where they can just be
I’m so sick and tired of keeping it all inside
I’m so sick and tired today
I remember the old ones’ hard travelling
They’re with me every step of the way
The old ones are walking beside me
Each and every step of the way