Shriekback Captain Cook

Extremely rare Shriekback video for a never-before-released song called "Captain Cook." It's a very powerful song about the settling of Australasian lands by Europeans and the subequent vision of hell on Earth as envisioned by the chieftain upon meeting and speaking with Captain Cook. Shriek in rare form. As suggested at the end of the song, "Pass it on, pass it on!" Lyrics, courtesy of Barry Andrews After 8 weeks at sea following the trade winds southeast of Java we sighted land At first no more than a long white cloud high above the ocean As we drew closer we could discern mountains and soon verdant plains and lush forests As we anchored, the native people ran from their rude dwellings to observe us Captain Cook took myself, 4 marines with muskets, and a padre, and long boat onto the beach, And there he planted the English flag upon the land, claiming as a colony of the Crown. As he did so, their chief, a tall man clad in fish-skins came to greet us Captain Cook said: We bring the gospel of the one true god, We bring you medicine and video games We bring the language of the English queen, We bring you alcohol and MTV We bring you syphilis and organised crime We bring you cinema and chemical war We bring the poison of our factory-minds We bring the terror of the passing of time And the chief said to Captain Cook, "Who are you white man?" The Captain replied, pointing as his own breast "friend" The Chief did not understand. So the Captain pointed out to sea at our vessel and said "ship" And still the chief did not understand So the captain pointed at a rifle And he said "Gun" And the chief said "Gun" and smiled And the word caught fire in the chief's mind And splintered into a thousand other words for which he had no meaning Words for machines that flew into the night behind the stars The great cities made of metal and glass And new kinds of death And the chiefs head was spinning with this new language These. . . these words And he could no longer remember his own tongue And he began to weep Saying "I don't want to know your language white man" And Captain Cook said: Nothing you know can be unlearned None of your bridges be unburned . . . the new words stick in the brain forever no-one stays stupid while someone's clever We're transmitting you receive -this is the software-do you believe? And the chief spoke to his people There as the waves lapped upon the beach And the Captain waited knowing nothing could forestall the tide of history coming in over the heads of these gentle and beautiful people And when the chief turned to Captain Cook and said "We will do battle with you white man You will have to kill us all" Captain Cook just smiled said "Nothing personal Chief. We're not here to fight you We're here to transmit a virus We're here to transmit a virus called the future A virus called the future We're here to transmit a virus called the future Called the future Called the future Called the future" Civilisation is Syphilisation and yesterday's reason is today's superstition there are new receivers and a new transmission We're here to pass on this information: the language/virus inculcation The Prophets and Madmen sing their song: 'Nobody right-nobody wrong -this is our message Pass it on Pass it on Pass it on...