Thank you so much Nick!! This is my request. Aussie rock classic with an important message explained so well in the comments below. One of my all time favourites from the early 1980s. Love your channel 💛
Hey Nick, Rose here . I am the curly haired keyboard player in the clip . Thanks very much for giving it a spin and I really enjoyed hearing your comments… very interesting to hear your thoughts on first hearing the song after 49 years .I’ve just tagged Shane Howard who wrote the song and his Sister Marcia . I’m sure they will get a kick out of it . Lotsa love, Rose Bygrave
@@paulschmidtke425 thanks Paul, that’s a super generous comment. But as we are about to go and do our first gig in 25 years tomorrow supporting Midnight Oil, I’ll pass it on to the others , and carry it with me onto the big stage. I think we are sounding better than ever... time will tell. Love and peace to you and yours, lotsa love Rose
@@rosebygrave876 I was at Duneed Estate last night - a fantastic night! I loved hearing you guys and Midnight Oil and part of that was seeing that the passion for justice for Aboriginal people is still there.
@@algibb4719 hi Al, thanks for your post. Great you were there it was our first gig together in a loooog time. It was pretty wet at the front of the stage ..thank goodness someone had a towel to cover the keyboard or my hair might have been standing on end 🤯 great to be playing along side The Oils ... so much respect for Liz Stringer too. Thanks again Rose 😘
Just some background: "They were standing on the shore one day, saw the white sails in the sun". Put yourself in the place of the Australian Indigenous community when either Cook or the first fleet arrived. Ships from Europe. It's kind of the point of the song. The land is a solid rock. It's sacred ground. Maybe the very next line, "living on borrowed time", is the saddest part of the song... Love this song so very, very much.
I'm not sure if this has come up before, but generally when you hear references to dreaming in Australian music they're talking about the Dreamtime, this is the beginning of the world in Aboriginal culture. You'll also hear references to a serpent or great snake, that's the Rainbow Serpent who created life. Solid Rock is about the European invasion of Australia and genocide, it was released in 1982, the 70s and 80s were the height of the fight for recognition of native title and land rights, so rock music doing what it does best, produced some of the finest music reminding us of our moral obligations. Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning, Yothu Yindi's Treaty are a couple you've already reacted to, but even David Bowie filmed his Let's Dance video here to highlight the fight for indigenous rights.
According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived. "Well, they were standin' on the shore one day They saw the white sails in the sun Wasn't long before they felt the sting White man, white law, white gun Don't tell me that it's justified 'Cause somewhere, well, someone lied Yeah, well, someone lied Someone lied, a genocide Well, someone lied, oh, ah. Peace out
stop saying 'we' 'we' didn't do anything, and the aboriginals are an extremely passive people. I guess it is how they coerced elders and others with power to commit atrocities to their own! hence white man, white Law, white Gun, and someone lied, as happened across the world he uses so little words to convey a message that is so powerful, they even let other Aboriginals carry out their own brutal justice death sentence's ect under their own law, white man couldn't arrest a black man for killing another black (although this did change) it is such a strange history legally. study law for a year and you will find out some insane things
I loved how you were getting into the sound and then stopped when you realised he was saying something important. It’s all about dispossession of the Indigenous owners of Australia. A very powerful song when you know the context.
Shout out to all the elders of the first peoples nations on who's land we stand. And may their knowledge and guidance help us to bring about a brighter future for all people's whom call Australia their home. Let us have respect and change the date.
Couldn’t agree with you more Derek. My 12 year old calls January 26 “invasion day” and I didn’t talk to her about that directly. I do feel shame and regret for what happened to our Aboriginal people - I just don’t know how to help, how to make things better, how to heal and return to them the land that undoubtedly belongs to them and their ancestors… it’s a quandary in my brain. 🐨
@@JourneyThrough60 Hate to be the bringer of bad news. But unless they had some incredible defenses against the incoming technology and other countries. It is ignorant to think the First nation people would be able to hold onto this land. With spears and 300 odd nations that barely get on today let alone back then. I personally can not think of one country with the level of technology that England had that would have treated them any differently. Some would have just outright wiped /killed everyone. All i can hope for is that as a nation we can come together. Because guess what. Nothing is guaranteed. We all might be on the chopping board if the wrong thing happens.
@@alexfrankl7861 if Australia was invaded would you expect your ancestors to stick by their roots or just roll over? Would you expect them to celebrate this dispossession of land and culture annually on the day it began?
@@JourneyThrough60I know what you mean. Let's just change it to September 10th. That would be my birthday. And I feel I deserve to have it as a public holiday. 🙂 lol
DreamTime is our proud Indigenous/Aboriginal folklore, belief system referring to all things about the Land (Australia) and its connection to the people. Until… “white sails”… arrived and colonised it. You wouldn’t sell it in a “marketplace “ … but unfortunately we did… someone “lied” refers to the injustices of how we treated our proud people. Deep, deep song and relevant to so many other cultures IMHO.. 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Interesting yarn, my people the Yuin, from South Coast NSW, had a dreaming story of a giant pelican that would steal children and women. When they saw the sails of the tallships they thought it was the giant pelican so lit signal fires to warn other mobs that he was coming and the signal fires continued right up and down the coast.
I have always thought “someone lied” was a reference to Cook declaring Australia Terra Nullius. In doing so, it justified the British claim on the land, according to their law and therefore everything that followed, all the brutal treatment is a result of that declaration. But it is now well established that it was not “land belonging no-one”. No Terra Nullius - someone lied- Cook lied and therefore all the British. That’s how I think of that line
@@ex_leper222 Thanks for sharing Mate.. did not know this and it is a real shame we do not teach the dreaming and its meaning to our citizens.Perhaps we might have a more cohesive society if we did. Appreciate the learning and Peace to you and all. 👍
@@nica7587 Thank you ! I was more speaking from my own interpretation, but I think I have been properly educated by your comment!! Appreciate it and I have learned something 👍👍 As per my previous message, Peace to you and all !🙏🙏
@@nica7587 Question, was it Cook who declared Terra Nullius or was it his masters who sent him out to claim everything not already claimed by other European powers. In the limited (admitted) reading I have done on him as a person, will we in 250 years be remembered in the same way because of the way we treat our planet as Phillip, Bligh, McArthur, Macquarie all who had more to do with indigenous oppression than a guy who stuck a flag in the ground and left never to return?
To me as an Aussie This song is for all of us to keep us in check. This land is scared and we all must respect it and never forget that the First Nation people are the rightful custodians.
@@AndrewFishman You know after re-reading what I wrote I think you make a good point and I retract my statement. I’m not First Nation but I’m Aussie born so I hear you. I think I may have gotten caught up in the emotion of the video. Take care.
@@suzypie11 I understand the sentiment, and respect the Koori and TSI people a great deal. We could learn a lot about how best to care for our wonderful country from them if we just interacted and took intergration both ways, them into our society, but learning from theirs also. I hate that we have lost so much knowledge, so much of environment has been changed, destroyed and pillaged. We all need to pull together to use what knowledge, modern and ancient, we can pool together to protect what is left and re-establish some of what has been lost. "I am, you are, we are Australian."
Out here nothin' changes Not in a hurry anyway You can feel the endlessness With the comin' of the light of day You're talkin' 'bout a chosen place You wanna sell it in a marketplace, well Well, just a minute now You're standin' on solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line Right down the line Well, round about the dawn of time The dreamin' all began A crowd of people came Well, they were lookin' for their promised land We're runnin' from the heart of darkness Searchin' for the heart of light With their paradise Well, they were standin' on solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Were blowin' cold that night, oh Well, they were standin' on the shore one day Saw the white sails in the sun Wasn't long before they felt the sting White man, white law, white gun Don't tell me that it's justified 'Cause somewhere, someone lied Yeah, well someone lied Someone lied Genocide Well, someone lied And now you're standin' on solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line Solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line Solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line No!
I am a big fat old Australian, I saw them perform this song live in 1982 or 83 - I was 10 feet from the stage. The song has sent shivers done my spine for the past 40 years.
The Goanna Band were formed as an Australian folk-rock group by singer-songwriter and guitarist Shane Howard in Geelong, in 1977. Alongside Howard, the original line-up was Mike Biscan (guitar), Richard Griffiths (bass guitar) and Rod Hoe (drums). During their early years the line-up changed numerous times, with only Howard as the mainstay. In 1979, the group consisted of Howard, keyboardist & vocalist Rose Bygrave, lead guitarist & vocalist Warwick Harwood, bass guitarist Carl Smith, drummer Gary Crothall and vocalist & harmonica player Ian Morrison. They recorded the independent 12" EP, The Goanna Band. The four-track EP was produced by Broderick Smith, ex-The Dingoes, and released on the EMI Music. By 1981 the band was now Shane Howard, Rose Bygrave, Warrick Harwood, Peter 'Brolga' Coughlan on bass guitar, Marcia Howard (vocalist & synthesisers), Graham Davidge (electric guitar) and Robbie Ross on drums. They had shortened the name to Goanna, and with their increasing popularity they attracted the interest of major record companies. Peace out.
Have always loved this song because the land is sacred to us and understanding the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Thankfully there is more information about our sites and all we ask that they understand our sacred womens and mens business 🖤💛❤️
@@suave-rider I'm sorry do you know that we all come in different colours and you know nothing about my family history so please take your ignorant remarks somewhere else.
@@suave-rider I understand but it's an instant gut reaction when my whole life I was told that even though I speak 3 languages, my brothers are lawmen and I am so connected to my country. I had an non-Aboriginal father and an Aboriginal mum so I look like my Dad and my twin is dark like my Mum. I still get this even today not from my family but other people who don't understand my story and so I urge anyone that has assumptions to put them to bed.
@@kellieevans2964 Heres a fact for you my sis. Our people are one of only two Indigenous mobs, Native Americans being the other, whos genes are receptive to the caucasian gene. Meaning after only a few generations physical traits can all but disappear, doesn't change who we are though our identity isn't only skin deep.
The song deals with issues of land rights for Indigenous Australians and was released in September 1982 after the lead singer went camping on a trip to Uluṟu (The big red rock you see in the video) and found great injustice towards the real landowners being ‘real’ Australians - Indigenous people. Love this song it reminds me of my youth. Thanks Nick ❤️
I think the "justified" part refers to "Terra Nulious" an old law that meant if an explorer found "new land" they could claim it as their own. AS LONG AS NOBODY ELSE WAS LIVING THERE ". To be kind you could say The British Claimed Terra Nulious because they didn't recognize Aboriginal people as having a society with law and culture OR you could say they flat out lied so they could" legally" claim the land as their own. Either way the outcome was not good for the people that had lived here since Funny thing is, if the British asked an elder "who owns the land". He may have said "nobody". Because we belong TO the land and have serious obligations to care for the land.. Not own it.
Another great 80’s Aussie band. And I’m lucky enough to have been born just at the right time to see all these bands. This was an anthem / protest song here in Australia. It was clever as it was rock but the story behind the song was country. As we call it. Or our Rock. If you listen closely there is a story to be told about the English landing here and what they did to our proud indigenous people. So it touched a lot of hearts here. It was a great song and they were a great live band to see as a teenager. Also the rock part can be Uluṟu or what was once named by the settlers of the country Ayres rock.!
Hey Dom, Goanna is pronounced as ‘Go-Anna’, it’s the name of a large Oz lizard, somewhat similar to a monitor type. It’s shown thru the vid, depicted often in First Nation’s paintings/artwork.. very powerful lyrics and that beat as you said, just lifts you beyond Cheers mate 🍻
One of the greatest songs ever produced in Australia. Great band live saw them when I was 18 (now 57) at the Blacktown RSL. This song is still on my play list.
Love this song. Not only the beat but the imagery it conjures up. You can see the land, the people and the incoming ships. You feel the sting of bullets and the cries of pain. But I think it's also a song about the future and it's inevitability. But you have to consider the past to move on. The most important thing is that to truly recover you must move on and the hardest part is to put the past behind us when the past isn't yet resolved. Here's to a brighter future for ALL Australians.
Spot on brother, Au was never going to be left untouched. Whats done is done, we need to move forward and move on otherwise unresolved resentment will destroy a persons soul.
I remember this song getting popular when I was still a child. It was my first introduction to the idea of the desert as a sacred space for the indigenous peoples here. Even back then in all my youth and ignorance its message about sacred sites hit me clear as day. I'm glad you enjoyed it too.
Just listened to this song on the weekend, (I was having an Aussie rock weekend). Sad song really 😢 💔. Can't really compare bands because everyone single one has their own sound and message and are just brilliant in their own way 🤗. I will say that Oz bands definitely have what I call a definite Aussie sound.
Best Song !!! Awesome band Razor's Edge is another beauty !!! 😎😎👍👍 First verse about Australia Second about the Aboriginals arrival and the Dreamtime Third White man coming. The chorus says it all The lizard painting is a goanna. 1982
Aussie Rock isn’t just great music, its a way of life, its what we feel, its what we believe, its what we love. Its what it is to be an Aussie. Rock N Roll Brother.
An Australian classic. So much is within this song, background music and video that escapes a lot of people. Break it down, the lyrics, the beat, the riff, the video, it is telling a story, that will stand the test of time not only for the generation that grew up with this music, but for those to come. Pleased to see that you appreciate it. According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived."[3] WEA were reluctant to release it as a single and Howard initially had reservations about whether commercial radio would play it because of its politically sensitive theme but Howard insisted on its release to make a statement about the European invasion of Australia.[3][4] The song was released in September 1982.
AWESOME CHOICE NICK - a song trying to outline what it must have been like for the Australia's first nation's peoples to see the arrival of the white man to their shores and the subsequent destruction of their cultures. 'Well, they were standin' on the shore one day Saw the white sails in the sun Wasn't long before they felt the sting White man, white law, white gun Don't tell me that it's justified 'Cause somewhere, someone lied'
@@bodybalanceU2 a lot of aboriginals we’re wiped out yes. But it’s not genocide, that is the wiping out of an entire race. Aboriginals are still alive and well in Australia. Genocide has happened all over the world and it’s not just been perpetrated by ‘whites’
@@julzhunt7790 Aboriginals as a whole still survive. But prior to colonisation Aboriginals where made up of hundreds (maybe more) of separate nations and many of those nations were indeed wiped out entirely, and so it that respect genocide did indeed occur in Australia. And whilst you are correct genocide is not just perpetrated by white people, here in Australia it was white people who perpetrated that acts. It’s also worth pointing out that in the constitution prior to 1968 (I think) Aboriginals were considered part of the flora and fauna, not human which is how the white settlers justified declaring Australia as being founded terra nullius (unclaimed land).
@@julzhunt7790 why did you feel the need to make that comment? The very definition of genocide is the deliberate killing of large numbers of people from one ethnic group with the intention of totally destroying it. It could very easily be argued that the obliteration of the Aboriginal people was absolutely the intention of the English. Plus, to say that First Nation people of Australia are “alive and well” is incredibly tone deaf and just not true. Be nicer and more thoughtful yeah?
Great Nic and huge thanks to the subscriber who requested this absolute Aussie classic. Such an important song for our country speaking of white colonisation of Australia and coming from the perspective our our traditional owners.
You're really cracking into the heart of incredible Aussie music now, mate. And you're still only scratching the surface 👍 Please, please, please do Ganga Jang - The Sounds of Then.... Have a look at Midnight Oil as well...Beds Are Burning, Power and the Passion, Short Memory....so much goodness! 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Song lyrics, really powerful. “Out here nothin' changes Not in a hurry anyway You can feel the endlessness With the comin' of the light of day You're talkin' 'bout a chosen place You wanna sell it in a marketplace, well Well, just a minute now You're standin' on solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line Right down the line Well, round about the dawn of time The dreamin' all began A crowd of people came Well, they were lookin' for their promised land We're runnin' from the heart of darkness Searchin' for the heart of light With their paradise Well, they were standin' on solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Were blowin' cold that night, oh Well, they were standin' on the shore one day Saw the white sails in the sun Wasn't long before they felt the sting White man, white law, white gun Don't tell me that it's justified 'Cause somewhere, someone lied Yeah, well someone lied Someone lied Genocide Well, someone lied And now you're standin' on solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line Solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line Solid rock Standin' on sacred ground Livin' on borrowed time And the winds of change Are blowin' down the line No!”
I love this song and the meaning behind it has a strong message. I was talking with a few didgaredo players and they all have commented that the blow in the bridge in the middle of the song is supposed to be a little dog inside a fence you know the yapping and growling about then full on barking. Thanks for featuring this and the other Aussie songs we do like our home grown music. Btw crowded house isn't strictly an Australian band they're a New Zealand band but us Aussies take anything that's good from our cousins on the other side of the ditch and call it Australian. Thanks again.
Saw these guys live many times at the Lady Bay in Warrnambool. They were locals ( Shane and his sister Marcia) and always received a massive reaction. We loved seeing them and it was always a great night. My sister knew Shane well (they went to uni together) and he actually sang at her wedding! Great memories
This band wrote many protest songs that joined the fight for indigenous land rights in the 70's and then on into the 80's. You have heard midnight oil, yothu yindi etc. There were many great songs written during those years
They were standing on the shore one day, saw the white sails in the sun, wasn't long before they felt the sting-white man, white law, white gun. Don't tell me thats justified, cos somewhere, someone lied. Genocide. Powerful lyrics written 40 years ago. Sadly, the winds of change are blowing very slowly down the line. Loved this as a teenager, love it even more now.
In 1770 when Captain Cook “discovered” Australia on the Endeavour (the white sails in the sun), after returning to England he declared that the country was “Terra Nullus” meaning it was uninhabited, knowing that there were already native inhabitants here, therefore it could be claimed for England, possibly the lie. Goanna also did a song called Let The Franklin Flow, it was an environmental song protesting the proposed damming of the Franklin river in Tasmania. I remember as a kid it was a big political move and lots of protesters there for years.
I grew up with this song 🇦🇺 The most powerful words are. Throw it down the line . It's only now that we as aboriginal Australian people are being seen as custodians of this land . 65 thousand years is a long time. Do you really think we have nothing to offer Standing on a rock one day.
Spending most of the last two days listening to you react to Aussie classics is my teenage years re-lived... I realise just how spoilt I was to have seen near all live at some stage ... How many anthem like songs there actually is... Bless you! ❤
I was 15 in 1983 when I bought this album. Still a favourite today. Goanna have produced songs that will be timeless. At least down here on the island.
Music with heart. Still in my top 10 Aussie songs big all time. Goanna were a great live act. Great memories. How many pop/rock songs have 'genocide' in the lyrics ...
He is basically singing about the invasion of Australia and the near Genocide of The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. When they sing "Don't tell me it was justified"
This song was so big here that it isn’t easy to put into words. Every single party blasted this out numerous times a night, I know that we did!! It was an amazing time for Australian music!!
Brother this whole song is sung from the indigenous aboriginals perspective of when their paradise was invaded by the first fleet that set sail from England. Roll it back, read the lyrics and enjoy it even more.
Shane Howard, lead singer of this band Goanna, wrote the song 'Talk of the Town' that John Farnham had a hit with too! Solid rock is a phenomenal song with a deep message!
Thank you so, so much for this reaction. This song chokes me to tears every time I hear it. It also brings out this powerful passion from inside of me. I love this song.
Third verse speaks about Australia’s invasion. First Nations people seeing the sails of British boats for the first time and everything that happened afterwards. I’m a descendent of Pemulwuy, the first aboriginal Australian to gather forces against British invasion. Caught, escaped and fought for a further 12 years with shackles from the first time he was caught before he was captured and beheaded with his skull displayed at the London Museum. This is my grandfather.
their debut album circa 1982 'Spirit of Place' is an album full of catchy tunes and the australian landscape. His sister Marcia Howard who sings in this song has some stand out vocals on that album accompanied by her textured piano playing and beautiful vocals
Thanks for your comment but I must just tell you that it was me doing the keys and solo songs . Marce is a beautiful singer in her own right but ....just saying 🤣🤣🤣 , love Rose
Each and every group had their home country, language, traditions, sacred places, burial practices, and land management methods. Dreamtime stories, corroboree and everybody in their group, belonged to their home country. White man could not see any recognisable ownership, written history etc, so they used guns, which had never been seen before and declared ownership after trying to buy land with beads etc. Both sides had no understanding of the other mob's systems, so clashes were common. You cannot sell what you don't "own," but all belong to, they never did sell anything. There is a very long history of injustices. A lot of white australians were dismissive when told Ayer's Rock is called Uluru, and sacred to the locals, do not climb it out of respect. There are countless other sacred places, cave painting etc that people disrespect whether by ignorance or bull-headedness. Aboriginal art is a method of storytelling, needs to be explained, not just put on the wall and "does it come in other colours?"
The lyrics are the most important thing about this song. Sovereignty was never ceded by our First Nations, and this song is a rally cry for this. This is a 4 minute retelling of almost 150 years of genocide and injustices and disparity. Such a pity more people don't pay more attention to the lyrics.
Goanna were such an underrated band, full of substance and musical prowess. Their lyrics were so well thought out, including stories of people downtrodden and lessons on how to be proud of who we are. Musically, up there with the best of them and a true group effort. Shane Howard's brilliance, support by his talented sister and the rest of the group, showcasing the talents of all. Only two albums were produced and Shane's solo album. I sure miss them.
Hey Mark , we put out 3 CDs. The last one was called Spirit Returns. We’ve all put out lotsa CDs, Shane Marce and I, ..just to let you know we are out doing shows at the moment. Yay. Lotsa love Rose Bygrave. Xxxx
@@rosebygrave876 OMG! I'm a little bit starstruck right now. I am certainly going to find that album and get to one of your gigs. Thank you so much for connecting, Rose.
Apart from the fact Nic you’re hearing and loving Australian music in the now , that we have loved for decades - but that you’re also getting all the stories behind the songs, the lyrics , the messages … basically a history lesson on our First People and Australian and Indigenous Cultures - how cool 🤟😎🎵
The best part of these reaction videos to Aussie singers is the comments section - it's always full of interesting information about the artists, songs, backstories etc.
think about the line ... white sails ... white man ... white glow equals a shot then white gun means the first meeting between white military n settlers and indigenous peoples in 1788
Thank you so much for taking the time to research more than others. Every song has a special place/meaning to the songwriter / composer, so it's important to understand the backstory. You have won me over.
They are talking about when the English Fleets were sent to Australia with its convicts to make it into a penal colony, being told it wasn't settled, but arriving & the Black man was there. They mowed them down with their Guns saying they were savages, no questions asked. They ended up hearding them up like animals all over Australia & either had them working for them as slaves or put in reserves much like the American Indians! Even as recent as the 60's children were still being dragged away from their parents & put in Church schools. they are called "The Lost Generation" The Rock they are talking about is the Big Rock in the center of Australia call Uluru, it was a very "Spiritual Place" to the Aboriginals & we the whites opened it up as a Tourist attraction & had people walking all over it for decades! It was only finally closed to tourists & handed back to the First people in the last few years! It was the White Bands like Goanna, Midnight Oil, etc that called out the Government against the injustices that had been done to our indigenous people!
Great song and reaction. It really speaks about the plight of the Aboriginals. This song really woke me up back in 82 to how us being here affected them. RESPECT! Btw, love your shirt
Thankyou for playing Goanna. Awesome protest group from Australia in late 70s. They played Solid Rock at Womad in Adelaide tonight, Sunday 13th. Great Aussie Rock Sound.
I loved this song as a teenager. One of my favourites. Thanks for putting it on. The story is aboriginal lands and the 'endlessness' is the outback and specifically the 'solid rock' is the world's largest monolith - known back then as Ayers Rock, but changed to the aboriginal name Uluru. When referring to white man, white gun etc I think they were referring to the aboriginal sighting of Captain Cook and the first explorers landing at Botany Bay (New South Wales).
I saw them live in a park just near my home when I was a kid....they were rehearsing for "bandaid" or "liveaid" ir something like that in the 80s, awesome 👌
awesome that you took the time to understand what this song is about and how important it is to tell the message of the traditional custodians of this great country which was stolen Big respect brother and to all my fellow indigenous cousins big love always
You asked what separated the various Aussie groups, time. They were in different eras 70s, 80s 90s. The latter ones were inspired by the earlier ones. We just had a Aussie sound back then.
This song is about first contact between aboriginal people and European people in Australia. That what the "cloud people" are. When they saw the sails they thought they were cloud spirits on the sea.
Shane Howard has a great voice from a great band. They toured the Universities around Australia, and I have seen them live many time. Fantastic songwriting and lyrics, with a story to tell.
Thank you so much Nick!! This is my request. Aussie rock classic with an important message explained so well in the comments below. One of my all time favourites from the early 1980s. Love your channel 💛
Thank you for this one.
Great part of Aussie rock history. Thank you
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Brilliant request - Goanna was so under valued I believe 👍
R.I.P. Mushroom records and all the great music 🤨. 🇦🇺😎✌🏻🔥🎪🌏
Hey Nick, Rose here . I am the curly haired keyboard player in the clip . Thanks very much for giving it a spin and I really enjoyed hearing your comments… very interesting to hear your thoughts on first hearing the song after 49 years .I’ve just tagged Shane Howard who wrote the song and his Sister Marcia . I’m sure they will get a kick out of it . Lotsa love, Rose Bygrave
Hey Rose, just to let you know, your band is one of the greatest of all time,
@@paulschmidtke425 thanks Paul, that’s a super generous comment. But as we are about to go and do our first gig in 25 years tomorrow supporting Midnight Oil, I’ll pass it on to the others , and carry it with me onto the big stage. I think we are sounding better than ever... time will tell.
Love and peace to you and yours, lotsa love Rose
@@rosebygrave876 I was at Duneed Estate last night - a fantastic night! I loved hearing you guys and Midnight Oil and part of that was seeing that the passion for justice for Aboriginal people is still there.
@@algibb4719 hi Al, thanks for your post. Great you were there it was our first gig together in a loooog time. It was pretty wet at the front of the stage ..thank goodness someone had a towel to cover the keyboard or my hair might have been standing on end 🤯 great to be playing along side The Oils ... so much respect for Liz Stringer too. Thanks again Rose 😘
@@rosebygrave876 Great to see Liz providing her exquisite vocals with the oils Rose.
Just some background: "They were standing on the shore one day, saw the white sails in the sun". Put yourself in the place of the Australian Indigenous community when either Cook or the first fleet arrived. Ships from Europe. It's kind of the point of the song. The land is a solid rock. It's sacred ground. Maybe the very next line, "living on borrowed time", is the saddest part of the song... Love this song so very, very much.
love this.
@Ray Johnson Hi Ray, I always felt the reference was bigger than the rock., I always felt at the time (81, 82) it was the whole continent.
Brilliant summing up.
🇦🇺😘
Always felt “Solid Rock” referred Australia prior to its renaming.
I'm not sure if this has come up before, but generally when you hear references to dreaming in Australian music they're talking about the Dreamtime, this is the beginning of the world in Aboriginal culture. You'll also hear references to a serpent or great snake, that's the Rainbow Serpent who created life.
Solid Rock is about the European invasion of Australia and genocide, it was released in 1982, the 70s and 80s were the height of the fight for recognition of native title and land rights, so rock music doing what it does best, produced some of the finest music reminding us of our moral obligations. Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning, Yothu Yindi's Treaty are a couple you've already reacted to, but even David Bowie filmed his Let's Dance video here to highlight the fight for indigenous rights.
I dont see beds are burning, do you have a link?
Well said.
Well said. I've always had a place in my memories for this song and it's message.
According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived. "Well, they were standin' on the shore one day
They saw the white sails in the sun
Wasn't long before they felt the sting
White man, white law, white gun
Don't tell me that it's justified
'Cause somewhere, well, someone lied
Yeah, well, someone lied
Someone lied, a genocide
Well, someone lied, oh, ah. Peace out
Beautiful context, thank you for adding it ❤️
stop saying 'we' 'we' didn't do anything, and the aboriginals are an extremely passive people. I guess it is how they coerced elders and others with power to commit atrocities to their own! hence white man, white Law, white Gun, and someone lied, as happened across the world he uses so little words to convey a message that is so powerful, they even let other Aboriginals carry out their own brutal justice death sentence's ect under their own law, white man couldn't arrest a black man for killing another black (although this did change) it is such a strange history legally. study law for a year and you will find out some insane things
I loved how you were getting into the sound and then stopped when you realised he was saying something important. It’s all about dispossession of the Indigenous owners of Australia. A very powerful song when you know the context.
Yeah it's so deep especially looking at the comments and seeing what it means
@@ThatSingerReactions that line hits hard, I saw it in your eyes. ✌🏼🇦🇺
@@ThatSingerReactions The keyboardist in the clip (Rose Bygrave) made a comment to you. Just a heads up.
@@ThatSingerReactions Hi Nick, Rose, the keyboard player, has left you a comment here. Check it out.
Shout out to all the elders of the first peoples nations on who's land we stand. And may their knowledge and guidance help us to bring about a brighter future for all people's whom call Australia their home. Let us have respect and change the date.
Couldn’t agree with you more Derek. My 12 year old calls January 26 “invasion day” and I didn’t talk to her about that directly. I do feel shame and regret for what happened to our Aboriginal people - I just don’t know how to help, how to make things better, how to heal and return to them the land that undoubtedly belongs to them and their ancestors… it’s a quandary in my brain. 🐨
@@JourneyThrough60 Hate to be the bringer of bad news. But unless they had some incredible defenses against the incoming technology and other countries. It is ignorant to think the First nation people would be able to hold onto this land. With spears and 300 odd nations that barely get on today let alone back then. I personally can not think of one country with the level of technology that England had that would have treated them any differently. Some would have just outright wiped /killed everyone. All i can hope for is that as a nation we can come together. Because guess what. Nothing is guaranteed. We all might be on the chopping board if the wrong thing happens.
Just change it for crying out loud so we can move on , or would they just find another thing to bitch about ?
@@alexfrankl7861 if Australia was invaded would you expect your ancestors to stick by their roots or just roll over?
Would you expect them to celebrate this dispossession of land and culture annually on the day it began?
@@JourneyThrough60I know what you mean. Let's just change it to September 10th.
That would be my birthday. And I feel I deserve to have it as a public holiday. 🙂 lol
DreamTime is our proud Indigenous/Aboriginal folklore, belief system referring to all things about the Land (Australia) and its connection to the people. Until… “white sails”… arrived and colonised it. You wouldn’t sell it in a “marketplace “ … but unfortunately we did… someone “lied” refers to the injustices of how we treated our proud people. Deep, deep song and relevant to so many other cultures IMHO.. 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Interesting yarn, my people the Yuin, from South Coast NSW, had a dreaming story of a giant pelican that would steal children and women. When they saw the sails of the tallships they thought it was the giant pelican so lit signal fires to warn other mobs that he was coming and the signal fires continued right up and down the coast.
I have always thought “someone lied” was a reference to Cook declaring Australia Terra Nullius. In doing so, it justified the British claim on the land, according to their law and therefore everything that followed, all the brutal treatment is a result of that declaration. But it is now well established that it was not “land belonging no-one”. No Terra Nullius - someone lied- Cook lied and therefore all the British. That’s how I think of that line
@@ex_leper222 Thanks for sharing Mate.. did not know this and it is a real shame we do not teach the dreaming and its meaning to our citizens.Perhaps we might have a more cohesive society if we did. Appreciate the learning and Peace to you and all. 👍
@@nica7587 Thank you ! I was more speaking from my own interpretation, but I think I have been properly educated by your comment!! Appreciate it and I have learned something 👍👍 As per my previous message, Peace to you and all !🙏🙏
@@nica7587 Question, was it Cook who declared Terra Nullius or was it his masters who sent him out to claim everything not already claimed by other European powers. In the limited (admitted) reading I have done on him as a person, will we in 250 years be remembered in the same way because of the way we treat our planet as Phillip, Bligh, McArthur, Macquarie all who had more to do with indigenous oppression than a guy who stuck a flag in the ground and left never to return?
To me as an Aussie
This song is for all of us to keep us in check.
This land is scared and we all must respect it and never forget that the First Nation people are the rightful custodians.
No one is the rightful custodian of Australia. It is a job for us all to do. I have no other place on this planet to call home, after all.
@@AndrewFishman You know after re-reading what I wrote I think you make a good point and I retract my statement.
I’m not First Nation but I’m Aussie born so I hear you.
I think I may have gotten caught up in the emotion of the video.
Take care.
@@suzypie11 Aveagoodun mate.
@@suzypie11 I understand the sentiment, and respect the Koori and TSI people a great deal. We could learn a lot about how best to care for our wonderful country from them if we just interacted and took intergration both ways, them into our society, but learning from theirs also. I hate that we have lost so much knowledge, so much of environment has been changed, destroyed and pillaged. We all need to pull together to use what knowledge, modern and ancient, we can pool together to protect what is left and re-establish some of what has been lost.
"I am, you are, we are Australian."
@@AndrewFishman well said Mate ❤️
Out here nothin' changes
Not in a hurry anyway
You can feel the endlessness
With the comin' of the light of day
You're talkin' 'bout a chosen place
You wanna sell it in a marketplace, well
Well, just a minute now
You're standin' on solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
Right down the line
Well, round about the dawn of time
The dreamin' all began
A crowd of people came
Well, they were lookin' for their promised land
We're runnin' from the heart of darkness
Searchin' for the heart of light
With their paradise
Well, they were standin' on solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Were blowin' cold that night, oh
Well, they were standin' on the shore one day
Saw the white sails in the sun
Wasn't long before they felt the sting
White man, white law, white gun
Don't tell me that it's justified
'Cause somewhere, someone lied
Yeah, well someone lied
Someone lied
Genocide
Well, someone lied
And now you're standin' on solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
Solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
Solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
No!
@ ThatSingerReactions
Thank you 👍💔🇦🇺🦘
I am a big fat old Australian, I saw them perform this song live in 1982 or 83 - I was 10 feet from the stage. The song has sent shivers done my spine for the past 40 years.
"white man, white law, white gun" is such a powerful lyric
All we have ever wanted was the land, to nuture and maintain our amazing country and continue our ways...
Thank you for sharing Kellie x
This is such an important song even I know how important It is now reading the comments
The Goanna Band were formed as an Australian folk-rock group by singer-songwriter and guitarist Shane Howard in Geelong, in 1977. Alongside Howard, the original line-up was Mike Biscan (guitar), Richard Griffiths (bass guitar) and Rod Hoe (drums). During their early years the line-up changed numerous times, with only Howard as the mainstay. In 1979, the group consisted of Howard, keyboardist & vocalist Rose Bygrave, lead guitarist & vocalist Warwick Harwood, bass guitarist Carl Smith, drummer Gary Crothall and vocalist & harmonica player Ian Morrison. They recorded the independent 12" EP, The Goanna Band. The four-track EP was produced by Broderick Smith, ex-The Dingoes, and released on the EMI Music. By 1981 the band was now Shane Howard, Rose Bygrave, Warrick Harwood, Peter 'Brolga' Coughlan on bass guitar, Marcia Howard (vocalist & synthesisers), Graham Davidge (electric guitar) and Robbie Ross on drums. They had shortened the name to Goanna, and with their increasing popularity they attracted the interest of major record companies. Peace out.
This is an iconic Aussie song - we love it. It's about the white invasion of Australia and how the indigenous people were treated.
Such a great Aussie rock anthem with a lot of meaning and heart, also love the Essendon VFL jumper on the drummer
C'arn the bombers! ❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤
Back before our hearts were broken.
Go the Bombers!!!
Poor drummer, must have lost a bet & had to wear that crap bombers jumper 😂😂
Have always loved this song because the land is sacred to us and understanding the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Thankfully there is more information about our sites and all we ask that they understand our sacred womens and mens business 🖤💛❤️
@@suave-rider I'm sorry do you know that we all come in different colours and you know nothing about my family history so please take your ignorant remarks somewhere else.
Unfortunately this band disbanded. The song was about white invasion of Australia.
@@kellieevans2964 Sorry Kel, just observing the whitewash thats all
@@suave-rider I understand but it's an instant gut reaction when my whole life I was told that even though I speak 3 languages, my brothers are lawmen and I am so connected to my country. I had an non-Aboriginal father and an Aboriginal mum so I look like my Dad and my twin is dark like my Mum. I still get this even today not from my family but other people who don't understand my story and so I urge anyone that has assumptions to put them to bed.
@@kellieevans2964 Heres a fact for you my sis. Our people are one of only two Indigenous mobs, Native Americans being the other, whos genes are receptive to the caucasian gene. Meaning after only a few generations physical traits can all but disappear, doesn't change who we are though our identity isn't only skin deep.
The song deals with issues of land rights for Indigenous Australians and was released in September 1982 after the lead singer went camping on a trip to Uluṟu (The big red rock you see in the video) and found great injustice towards the real landowners being ‘real’ Australians - Indigenous people. Love this song it reminds me of my youth. Thanks Nick ❤️
I think the "justified" part refers to "Terra Nulious" an old law that meant if an explorer found "new land" they could claim it as their own. AS LONG AS NOBODY ELSE WAS LIVING THERE ". To be kind you could say The British Claimed Terra Nulious because they didn't recognize Aboriginal people as having a society with law and culture OR you could say they flat out lied so they could" legally" claim the land as their own. Either way the outcome was not good for the people that had lived here since Funny thing is, if the British asked an elder "who owns the land". He may have said "nobody". Because we belong TO the land and have serious obligations to care for the land.. Not own it.
U could b right but I think the fact he sings the word genocide immediately after that line suggests otherwise
Another great 80’s Aussie band. And I’m lucky enough to have been born just at the right time to see all these bands. This was an anthem / protest song here in Australia. It was clever as it was rock but the story behind the song was country. As we call it. Or our Rock. If you listen closely there is a story to be told about the English landing here and what they did to our proud indigenous people. So it touched a lot of hearts here. It was a great song and they were a great live band to see as a teenager. Also the rock part can be Uluṟu or what was once named by the settlers of the country Ayres rock.!
Hey Dom, Goanna is pronounced as ‘Go-Anna’, it’s the name of a large Oz lizard, somewhat similar to a monitor type. It’s shown thru the vid, depicted often in First Nation’s paintings/artwork.. very powerful lyrics and that beat as you said, just lifts you beyond
Cheers mate 🍻
Gives me goosebumps as soon as that guitar riff starts ❤️
Hard to believe this song is 40 years old. An absolute Aussie rock classic with lyrics about the dispossession of Aboriginal ppl from their land.
One of the greatest songs ever produced in Australia.
Great band live saw them when I was 18 (now 57) at the Blacktown RSL.
This song is still on my play list.
This is an Australian anthem song
Love this song. Not only the beat but the imagery it conjures up. You can see the land, the people and the incoming ships. You feel the sting of bullets and the cries of pain.
But I think it's also a song about the future and it's inevitability. But you have to consider the past to move on.
The most important thing is that to truly recover you must move on and the hardest part is to put the past behind us when the past isn't yet resolved.
Here's to a brighter future for ALL Australians.
Spot on brother, Au was never going to be left untouched. Whats done is done, we need to move forward and move on otherwise unresolved resentment will destroy a persons soul.
Just a note...as a teenager I was a big follower of this band. Saw them play many times. Shane Howard still sings it at gigs.
I remember this song getting popular when I was still a child. It was my first introduction to the idea of the desert as a sacred space for the indigenous peoples here. Even back then in all my youth and ignorance its message about sacred sites hit me clear as day. I'm glad you enjoyed it too.
Just listened to this song on the weekend, (I was having an Aussie rock weekend). Sad song really 😢 💔. Can't really compare bands because everyone single one has their own sound and message and are just brilliant in their own way 🤗. I will say that Oz bands definitely have what I call a definite Aussie sound.
Best Song !!! Awesome band Razor's Edge is another beauty !!! 😎😎👍👍
First verse about Australia
Second about the Aboriginals arrival and the Dreamtime
Third White man coming.
The chorus says it all
The lizard painting is a goanna.
1982
Dom,
Many songs Aussie's request aren't necessarily to promote their vocal skills. We're more proud of our song writers.
Exactly! This song is all about the music and powerful lyrics.
Aussie Rock isn’t just great music, its a way of life, its what we feel, its what we believe, its what we love. Its what it is to be an Aussie. Rock N Roll Brother.
An Australian classic. So much is within this song, background music and video that escapes a lot of people.
Break it down, the lyrics, the beat, the riff, the video, it is telling a story, that will stand the test of time not only for the generation that grew up with this music, but for those to come. Pleased to see that you appreciate it.
According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived."[3]
WEA were reluctant to release it as a single and Howard initially had reservations about whether commercial radio would play it because of its politically sensitive theme but Howard insisted on its release to make a statement about the European invasion of Australia.[3][4] The song was released in September 1982.
God, this song is so powerful! 200+ years later and shit still hasn't changed!
#alwayswasalwayswillbe
What separates them in this case is the message. Powerful stuff!
AWESOME CHOICE NICK - a song trying to outline what it must have been like for the Australia's first nation's peoples to see the arrival of the white man to their shores and the subsequent destruction of their cultures.
'Well, they were standin' on the shore one day
Saw the white sails in the sun
Wasn't long before they felt the sting
White man, white law, white gun
Don't tell me that it's justified
'Cause somewhere, someone lied'
genocide
Wow that's interesting
@@bodybalanceU2 a lot of aboriginals we’re wiped out yes. But it’s not genocide, that is the wiping out of an entire race. Aboriginals are still alive and well in Australia. Genocide has happened all over the world and it’s not just been perpetrated by ‘whites’
@@julzhunt7790 Aboriginals as a whole still survive. But prior to colonisation Aboriginals where made up of hundreds (maybe more) of separate nations and many of those nations were indeed wiped out entirely, and so it that respect genocide did indeed occur in Australia. And whilst you are correct genocide is not just perpetrated by white people, here in Australia it was white people who perpetrated that acts. It’s also worth pointing out that in the constitution prior to 1968 (I think) Aboriginals were considered part of the flora and fauna, not human which is how the white settlers justified declaring Australia as being founded terra nullius (unclaimed land).
@@julzhunt7790 why did you feel the need to make that comment? The very definition of genocide is the deliberate killing of large numbers of people from one ethnic group with the intention of totally destroying it. It could very easily be argued that the obliteration of the Aboriginal people was absolutely the intention of the English. Plus, to say that First Nation people of Australia are “alive and well” is incredibly tone deaf and just not true. Be nicer and more thoughtful yeah?
Great Nic and huge thanks to the subscriber who requested this absolute Aussie classic.
Such an important song for our country speaking of white colonisation of Australia and coming from the perspective our our traditional owners.
You're really cracking into the heart of incredible Aussie music now, mate. And you're still only scratching the surface 👍 Please, please, please do Ganga Jang - The Sounds of Then.... Have a look at Midnight Oil as well...Beds Are Burning, Power and the Passion, Short Memory....so much goodness! 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Song lyrics, really powerful.
“Out here nothin' changes
Not in a hurry anyway
You can feel the endlessness
With the comin' of the light of day
You're talkin' 'bout a chosen place
You wanna sell it in a marketplace, well
Well, just a minute now
You're standin' on solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
Right down the line
Well, round about the dawn of time
The dreamin' all began
A crowd of people came
Well, they were lookin' for their promised land
We're runnin' from the heart of darkness
Searchin' for the heart of light
With their paradise
Well, they were standin' on solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Were blowin' cold that night, oh
Well, they were standin' on the shore one day
Saw the white sails in the sun
Wasn't long before they felt the sting
White man, white law, white gun
Don't tell me that it's justified
'Cause somewhere, someone lied
Yeah, well someone lied
Someone lied
Genocide
Well, someone lied
And now you're standin' on solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
Solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
Solid rock
Standin' on sacred ground
Livin' on borrowed time
And the winds of change
Are blowin' down the line
No!”
I love this song and the meaning behind it has a strong message. I was talking with a few didgaredo players and they all have commented that the blow in the bridge in the middle of the song is supposed to be a little dog inside a fence you know the yapping and growling about then full on barking. Thanks for featuring this and the other Aussie songs we do like our home grown music. Btw crowded house isn't strictly an Australian band they're a New Zealand band but us Aussies take anything that's good from our cousins on the other side of the ditch and call it Australian. Thanks again.
Saw these guys live many times at the Lady Bay in Warrnambool. They were locals ( Shane and his sister Marcia) and always received a massive reaction. We loved seeing them and it was always a great night. My sister knew Shane well (they went to uni together) and he actually sang at her wedding! Great memories
This band wrote many protest songs that joined the fight for indigenous land rights in the 70's and then on into the 80's. You have heard midnight oil, yothu yindi etc. There were many great songs written during those years
Great use of the didgeridoo in this song. Would love you to react to more didgeridoo music. It’s truly unique.
Really catchy music, extremely important lyrics, very much an Aussie anthem
There is a lot of meaning to this song. Awesome song.
Bombers guernsey on the drummer! 👍
Oh man I love this. Still got this on my playlist. It’s one of those songs I just never get tired of hearing 😊
They were standing on the shore one day, saw the white sails in the sun, wasn't long before they felt the sting-white man, white law, white gun. Don't tell me thats justified, cos somewhere, someone lied. Genocide.
Powerful lyrics written 40 years ago. Sadly, the winds of change are blowing very slowly down the line.
Loved this as a teenager, love it even more now.
In 1770 when Captain Cook “discovered” Australia on the Endeavour (the white sails in the sun), after returning to England he declared that the country was “Terra Nullus” meaning it was uninhabited, knowing that there were already native inhabitants here, therefore it could be claimed for England, possibly the lie.
Goanna also did a song called Let The Franklin Flow, it was an environmental song protesting the proposed damming of the Franklin river in Tasmania. I remember as a kid it was a big political move and lots of protesters there for years.
Yeah a rock classic. My eldest son’s first concert was Goanna. 🇦🇺🎸⚡️🤘🏿
I grew up with this song 🇦🇺
The most powerful words are.
Throw it down the line .
It's only now that we as aboriginal Australian people are being seen as custodians of this land . 65 thousand years is a long time.
Do you really think we have nothing to offer
Standing on a rock one day.
This song has a spiritual vibe
Spending most of the last two days listening to you react to Aussie classics is my teenage years re-lived... I realise just how spoilt I was to have seen near all live at some stage ... How many anthem like songs there actually is... Bless you! ❤
Still love this song, it never got old. One of my favourites and still on my playlist.😀
I was 15 in 1983 when I bought this album. Still a favourite today. Goanna have produced songs that will be timeless. At least down here on the island.
Music with heart.
Still in my top 10 Aussie songs big all time. Goanna were a great live act. Great memories.
How many pop/rock songs have 'genocide' in the lyrics ...
Good on you for noticing that this was an important song and for chasing the lyrics. That was just the icing on the cake.
He is basically singing about the invasion of Australia and the near Genocide of The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. When they sing "Don't tell me it was justified"
This song was so big here that it isn’t easy to put into words. Every single party blasted this out numerous times a night, I know that we did!! It was an amazing time for Australian music!!
Brother this whole song is sung from the indigenous aboriginals perspective of when their paradise was invaded by the first fleet that set sail from England. Roll it back, read the lyrics and enjoy it even more.
I saw them at Narara '83 and this song went OFF!
Love it. 🖤💛❤
Shane Howard, lead singer of this band Goanna, wrote the song 'Talk of the Town' that John Farnham had a hit with too! Solid rock is a phenomenal song with a deep message!
Thank you so, so much for this reaction. This song chokes me to tears every time I hear it. It also brings out this powerful passion from inside of me. I love this song.
This came out in 1981-82 and the beat is instantly recognisable. One of my favourite songs from the 80’s.
Yay Rose and Marcia...u r both awesome. Great harmonies. Love Shane too... our Aussie anthem. Goanna rocks. Xx
Third verse speaks about Australia’s invasion. First Nations people seeing the sails of British boats for the first time and everything that happened afterwards. I’m a descendent of Pemulwuy, the first aboriginal Australian to gather forces against British invasion. Caught, escaped and fought for a further 12 years with shackles from the first time he was caught before he was captured and beheaded with his skull displayed at the London Museum. This is my grandfather.
their debut album circa 1982 'Spirit of Place' is an album full of catchy tunes and the australian landscape. His sister Marcia Howard who sings in this song has some stand out vocals on that album accompanied by her textured piano playing and beautiful vocals
Thanks for your comment but I must just tell you that it was me doing the keys and solo songs . Marce is a beautiful singer in her own right but ....just saying 🤣🤣🤣 , love Rose
I just love your journey into Australian music, I get more emotional each time I hear this song
Each and every group had their home country, language, traditions, sacred places, burial practices, and land management methods. Dreamtime stories, corroboree and everybody in their group, belonged to their home country. White man could not see any recognisable ownership, written history etc, so they used guns, which had never been seen before and declared ownership after trying to buy land with beads etc. Both sides had no understanding of the other mob's systems, so clashes were common. You cannot sell what you don't "own," but all belong to, they never did sell anything. There is a very long history of injustices. A lot of white australians were dismissive when told Ayer's Rock is called Uluru, and sacred to the locals, do not climb it out of respect. There are countless other sacred places, cave painting etc that people disrespect whether by ignorance or bull-headedness. Aboriginal art is a method of storytelling, needs to be explained, not just put on the wall and "does it come in other colours?"
It makes you feel and float in the music👍
The lyrics are the most important thing about this song. Sovereignty was never ceded by our First Nations, and this song is a rally cry for this. This is a 4 minute retelling of almost 150 years of genocide and injustices and disparity. Such a pity more people don't pay more attention to the lyrics.
more than 150 years, really. From the moment Europeans came to now.
“Dream Time” is the indigenous version of creation
like God is to Christians.
I love how many aussie bands you are reacting to! We love our artists from Down Under; so much great music!!
This still gives me goosebumps. A lot of our songs refer to our Australian history.
Goanna were such an underrated band, full of substance and musical prowess. Their lyrics were so well thought out, including stories of people downtrodden and lessons on how to be proud of who we are. Musically, up there with the best of them and a true group effort. Shane Howard's brilliance, support by his talented sister and the rest of the group, showcasing the talents of all. Only two albums were produced and Shane's solo album. I sure miss them.
Hey Mark , we put out 3 CDs. The last one was called Spirit Returns. We’ve all put out lotsa CDs, Shane Marce and I, ..just to let you know we are out doing shows at the moment. Yay. Lotsa love Rose Bygrave. Xxxx
@@rosebygrave876 OMG! I'm a little bit starstruck right now. I am certainly going to find that album and get to one of your gigs. Thank you so much for connecting, Rose.
A solid rock is a rock that is used for foundations of buildings. Spirituality is building a foundation on the mindset of a highly spiritual man.
Apart from the fact Nic you’re hearing and loving Australian music in the now , that we have loved for decades - but that you’re also getting all the stories behind the songs, the lyrics , the messages … basically a history lesson on our First People and Australian and Indigenous Cultures - how cool 🤟😎🎵
We had a solid and empathetic period in the 80s and early 90s. Bands like this and Midnight oil. Reminding us of our obligations and for some rights.
The message of this song is the most important aspect of it
Good channel
Great song love Aussie 80’s
When you have soul you feel the music…….
As an Aussie, I love that you have found our classic rock, some of the best around. Great videos mate.
The best part of these reaction videos to Aussie singers is the comments section - it's always full of interesting information about the artists, songs, backstories etc.
Shane Howard and the other members of Goanna , are all great musicians, huge band back in the day
think about the line ... white sails ... white man ... white glow equals a shot then white gun means the first meeting between white military n settlers and indigenous peoples in 1788
Thank you so much for taking the time to research more than others. Every song has a special place/meaning to the songwriter / composer, so it's important to understand the backstory. You have won me over.
Another one of my favourite songs.
Love this song.
I love the Didgeridoo playing in the background...
They are talking about when the English Fleets were sent to Australia with its convicts to make it into a penal colony, being told it wasn't settled, but arriving & the Black man was there. They mowed them down with their Guns saying they were savages, no questions asked. They ended up hearding them up like animals all over Australia & either had them working for them as slaves or put in reserves much like the American Indians! Even as recent as the 60's children were still being dragged away from their parents & put in Church schools. they are called "The Lost Generation" The Rock they are talking about is the Big Rock in the center of Australia call Uluru, it was a very "Spiritual Place" to the Aboriginals & we the whites opened it up as a Tourist attraction & had people walking all over it for decades! It was only finally closed to tourists & handed back to the First people in the last few years! It was the White Bands like Goanna, Midnight Oil, etc that called out the Government against the injustices that had been done to our indigenous people!
Great song and reaction. It really speaks about the plight of the Aboriginals. This song really woke me up back in 82 to how us being here affected them. RESPECT! Btw, love your shirt
Thankyou for playing Goanna. Awesome protest group from Australia in late 70s. They played Solid Rock at Womad in Adelaide tonight, Sunday 13th. Great Aussie Rock Sound.
Love the incorporation of the digeridoo
I loved this song as a teenager. One of my favourites. Thanks for putting it on. The story is aboriginal lands and the 'endlessness' is the outback and specifically the 'solid rock' is the world's largest monolith - known back then as Ayers Rock, but changed to the aboriginal name Uluru. When referring to white man, white gun etc I think they were referring to the aboriginal sighting of Captain Cook and the first explorers landing at Botany Bay (New South Wales).
I saw them live in a park just near my home when I was a kid....they were rehearsing for "bandaid" or "liveaid" ir something like that in the 80s, awesome 👌
awesome that you took the time to understand what this song is about and how important it is to tell the message of the traditional custodians of this great country which was stolen
Big respect brother and to all my fellow indigenous cousins big love always
You need to do a react to Hunters & Collectors too. 😊
You asked what separated the various Aussie groups, time. They were in different eras 70s, 80s 90s. The latter ones were inspired by the earlier ones. We just had a Aussie sound back then.
This song is about first contact between aboriginal people and European people in Australia. That what the "cloud people" are. When they saw the sails they thought they were cloud spirits on the sea.
Shane Howard has a great voice from a great band. They toured the Universities around Australia, and I have seen them live many time. Fantastic songwriting and lyrics, with a story to tell.
This always gives me chills