We live and create on the unceded sovereign land of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.

All proceeds that come back to us will be going toward Aboriginal Legal Service: www.alsnswact.org.au

Photo Credit: Jenee McCusker

'Dad & myself (Athina Wilson) have released a couple of his old tracks on Bandcamp. We recognise that this is a very small contribution to a much larger issue. 100% of proceeds today & any future sales that come back will be going towards the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. Link in my bio for purchase. 'Living in the Land of Oz' (1976) was released on a compilation album by the label 'Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association' (the owners: a Kaytetye man Freda Glynn, John Macumba and one whitefella, Phillip Batty) in 1989 called 'Building Bridges: Australia Has a Black History'. The song was also featured in the soundtrack for cult classic ‘Oz: A Rock & Roll Road Movie'. The lyrics touch on Indigenous dispossesssion & genocide. It was highly likely that this was the first time a mainstream white Aussie had written about such themes- to give non-black listeners some scope on white silence. And, of course, there was still more we could have done. 'No Soul' was released in 2003 & reflects on 'what profited a (white) man to gain his wealth but lose his soul... to lust for power, like the politican pulling strings'? The version on bandcamp is a previously unreleased live version of the track. The song reflects on how land was stolen; how colonisers are greedy.'

Lyrics:

LIVING IN THE LAND OF OZ

Oh well I’m living in the land of Oz
And I'm living here because
My folks lived here, they brung me up
And their folks lived here too
And the folks of my folks folks
They came from far away
They made a stand and they grabbed some land
And they settled down to stay
Now we're all

Living in the land of Oz
We're living in the land of Oz
We're living in the land of Oz
We gotta shake it up now

Because one hundred and fifty years ago
The black man lived in peace and the land was still
Now a city of millions covers the soil
And the blacks have all been killed
I don't know how it happened
But it happened just the same
Now the whites are rich and the blacks are dead
And nobody seems ashamed
And we're still

Living in the land of Oz
Yes we're living in the land of Oz
We're living in the land of Oz
We gotta shake it up & change it

The government of this wonderful land
They sent men all around the world
Just to tell everyone it was the perfect place
To raise their boys and girls
Well if you were white you could come alright
But if you were black you’d better get back
Cos they took a lot of trouble to kill 'em all off
Didn't want to have to do it again
We keep on hangin' on

Living in the land of Oz
Yes we're living in the land of Oz
Oh we're living in the land of Oz
We gotta shake it up now
Repeat chorus

Written by Ross Wilson. © 1976 Mushroom Music
Lyric used by permission

_____________________________________________________

NO SOUL

What profit it a man to seek wealth
To work from dawn to dusk to fill his moneybelt
To sell his life & labour for mere gold
What profit it a man to gain some wealth but lose his soul

What profit it a man to lust for power
Like the politician pulling strings up in his ivory tower
He’d shake hands with the devil for control
What profit him to gain the upper hand but lose his soul

No soul no soul
What profit it a man to gain the world but lose his soul

What profit it a race to steal a land
To call another race a lesser kind of man
To plunder, saying God is on their side,
To steal a land & kill, & claim its justified

What profit it a man to withhold love
That is the greatest sin against the lord above
That is the saddest story ever told
For if you withhold love you only prove you have no soul

No soul no soul
What profit it a man to withhold love but lose his soul
No soul no soul
What profit it a man to gain the world but lose his soul


Written by Ross Wilson ©1997 Mushroom Music