Stewie lyricsOn Virgin Ground (1980), Caught In The Act (1983) and The Essential Redgum (2011)
According to John Schumann's introduction on Caught In The Act, Stewie was a prisoner the band met when performing a show at Cadell prison in South Australia. He was serving six years for smuggling dope into Australia. Stewie (John Schumann) Ward eight at the QE, somewhere down Woodville A smokey grey Thursday, take out your sword Stewie was born there was blood on the sheets The doctor was drunk and the sister was bored Home was a weatherboard housing-trust unit A low cyclone fence and a sparse gravel drive Dad was a truckie from Adelaide to Melbourne Two trips a week just to keep them alive The first sentence for Stewie was going to school In prison-grey trousers he walked in the yard His mum shed a tear at his vaselined pushback Clutching a ruler, his name on a card “Step forward Stewart Bedson” the headmaster said It seemed like Stewie was always in strife “Step forward Stewart Bedson, the magistrate said This time ten years… next time life” Grades one to seven passed pretty quickly Detention and caning and one million lines Stewie could write just enough to get by Stewie could read all the shoplifiting signs A bond for a biro and a fine for some fags Another kid’s bike leading up to a car Photographs, fingersprints, juvenile courthouse A year in McNallys for going too far “Step forward Stewart Bedson, the magistrate said Over pine-pannelled wood leaned the face of the law “We think you’re a threat to property and justice- Three years up the Creek while we make sure” A robbery with violence in retaliation For beatings and bashings at the hands of the screws Time in and time out and time and again Is this what they mean by paying your dues? Some people had plenty while others had none For the same working wee, it seemed, year after year Worked over by coppers for tipping the scales Life wasn’t meant to be easy |
Virgin Ground 1980 album version
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