Talk:Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

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Not euphemisms ?
I always thought that the entire song was just an attempt by Harris to get as many penis/vagina/sex euphemisms past the censor of the day as possible ?

Now Wikipedia says the song REALLY is about animals !!
 * Of course you're right, surely everyone except kids realises that. ProfDEH (talk) 08:37, 24 May 2023 (UTC)

Bruce?
In the verse mentioned in the article, there is written "Bruce", but the version I have he sings Lou (or something along those lines). Anyone can verify the Bruce part? -- [ Svippong - Talk ]  14:11, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

The version I heard was Bruce too. I think this is worth mentioning, unfortunately it will be hard to confirm. Hayaku (talk) 07:53, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
 * The article linked as a reference for that section uses "Lew." I've replaced the lyrics with those from the article, as it's a cited source. jSarek (talk) 07:55, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Re-recording for Wiggles
The article claims that Rolf re-recorded the song in 2005 for the Wiggles. My son has the video with Rolf and the song both on it, and the copyright date of the video is 2000. So the recording was done in 2000 instead of 2005, or he did multiple re-recordings, or the 2000 version was just lip-syncing an eariler recording. I couldn't find anything with a quick Google search... can anyone dig deeper and resolve this? Ideally, the 2005 date should be backed up with a reference. Kjnorth (talk) 15:22, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Beatles
There are several recordings of this song with Rolf Harris and the Beatles recording together, should we include that in the article? Elfred (talk) 07:01, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

Year
We say the song is from 1963, but then claim that it was a hit in 1960 and 1961. That's surely not possible, right? john k (talk) 17:46, 15 June 2010 (UTC)

2019
Joel Whitburn (in "Top Pop Singles," 12th edition, published 2009), shows that the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart 08 Jun 1963, was on the Hot 100 chart for 11 weeks, and peaked at #3. Thus, for Americans (citizens of the United States) the song is from 1963. However, this doesn't mean that Harris didn't originally record it several years previously, or that it had not been a hit in other parts of the world before it was released in the United States. -- 12:00, 26 July 2019‎ 2605:e000:cb07:6400:4881:20f3:c6d3:bc6

Lew (not Bruce), and sus Australian Poet
1. I have changed the lyrics to Lew, as can be heard here: http://www.mediafire.com/?nf291htli629c67, and as mentioned in the Wikipedia article on Rolf Harris. Please do not revert this change unless you have evidence (via a recording of the song) that the word is "Bruce".

2. I challenge, and have removed, the story about the poet Richard H Kendall, a poet who appears not to exist. An extensive web search revealed no such poet, other than the one who allegedly wrote a poem mentioning "Tymie". i.e this phantom poet probably originated on Wikipedia (urban myth? prank?) and has now propagated to thousands of websites courtesy of Wikipedia. That's why it is so important to challenge and remove such items -- unless they can be verified from a pre-internet source. There is a well known Australian poet called Henry Kendall, but he appears not have written any poems about kangaroos or "Tymie"

Again, please do not revert this change unless you can provide verification that Richard H Kendall existed and wrote a poem that Rolf Harris may have been inspired by.


 * Thanks for that. In the recording in your link, the name is unmistakably "Lew". I haven't heard a version with "Bruce", although both versions are supported on the web. Has anyone else apart from myself heard "Blue"? This is the version I remember from a flatmate's Rolf Harris LP 40 years ago. "Blue" is (or was) a common Australian nickname for someone with red hair. Koro Neil (talk) 12:59, 5 November 2011 (UTC)
 * I think the "Blue" you may be thinking of is from the verse "play your digeridoo Blue". ~ Brother William (talk) 02:23, 22 January 2013 (UTC)


 * ^ I was surprised to see "Lou" here ... the US version in 1963 was "Let me abos go loose, Bruce ..." So yeah, another vote for Bruce 203.160.71.42 (talk) 05:41, 16 March 2020 (UTC)

Probable Inspiration What is the probably source of inspiration for Rolf's song? In 1905, Banjo Paterson edited a book of songs called "The Old Bush Songs" (see http://freeread.com.au/ebooks/e00070.txt) in which he states: "The object of the present publication is to gather together all the old bush songs that are worth remembering." One of the songs is called "The Dying Stockman" whose first verse is:


 * ''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…

Compare this with Rolf's version:


 * ''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…

I have altered the article to reflect the above information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Guyburns (talk • contribs) 04:39, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

Racism?
The direction to let Aboriginal stockmen "go" is obviously NOT a reference to slavery - or servitude as the article on Mr Harris refers to it as. Unlike Americans, Australians do not assume any dark skinned people are slaves. Australia- unlike the USA - did not have slaves, and does not now have a fixation with slavery.203.184.41.226 (talk) 07:36, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
 * I seriously always thought (from listening to this song) that Abos were some sort of exotic Australian animal, I never made the connection between "Abos" and aborigines. You learn something everyday I guess! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.230.96.9 (talk) 14:45, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
 * apropos George Washington famously freed his slaves on his deathbed since he couldn't take them with him.  Claverhouse (talk) 23:40, 8 November 2021 (UTC)

"Disgraced"?
Can anyone answer way this entry starts by saying he is "disgraced"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by SouthstanderRSM (talk • contribs) 14:17, 10 September 2015 (UTC)


 * Mr. Harris was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for child sex assault. However, with no context on this page, the word "disgraced" is entirely out of place in an article about the song. The Rolf Harris Wikipedia biography page contains the information. I have removed the POV-pushing word "disgraced" here, but the story and the refs are easily found on the actual Rolf Harris page. catherine yronwode, not logged in 75.101.104.17 (talk) 03:00, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

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Article contradicts itself
The first paragraph states the song was re-recorded in the US, then in the 3rd paragraph this recording is stated to have taken place in the UK. Only one letter and an ocean difference. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 158.140.192.146 (talk) 03:08, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Racism
Suggestions that Australia did not have slavery are false. People may not have been bought and sold, but they had their incomes withheld under Aboriginal"Protection" laws. And thus happened into the 1970s. 49.185.63.248 (talk) 07:42, 12 July 2022 (UTC)
 * See also Blackbirding, which describes the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 amidst evidence of slavery in Queensland's agricultural sector in 2010s.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 05:59, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

Other Performances
I added a section for other performances, citing a performance by Elvis Costello on Frasier, and on The Muppet Show. I gave appropriate cites for both. The entire section was removed. Why? It seems perfectly valid to me. Anyone mind If I put it back in? I. R. Finch (talk) 03:12, 4 January 2024 (UTC)