DESCRIPTION:
'Gough' released 1993, from the album Introducing The Whitlams. Remixed 2008 for the album Truth Youth Beauty and a Picture of You.

Stevie Plunder and Andy Lewis were Canberra boys that I met in Newtown. We formed the
band as an acoustic trio - piano, double bass and acoustic guitar - in a city full of pre-Seattle grunge. There were always a few drummers in the audience imagining what they'd play.

After I named the band Stevie told me he had gone to the same school as Gough Whitlam -
Narrabundah College - so I set about using that fact in a theme song for us. When we got a
good deal to record some stuff up in Newcastle I dragged along my housemate Louis
Burdett to play some drums. He remains on “Lester Walker” and “Where is She”. Then we
did a live session one afternoon and that was enough for our first album “Introducing”.

Back when we started out Gough Whitlam himself had been absent from Australia for a long
time, and people just seemed to enjoy hearing his name again. The “Anthony Hayes” in the
song is actually Stevie's real name before he took on the rock and roll moniker from his
previous band The Plunderers.

I was at the corner of King and Brown when I heard this come out of the car radio of my
Kingswood in 1993. Very exciting. Rob Taylor and I remixed this in 2008 . The original has a hangover of the 80’s reverb habits on it which doesn't sit with the later stuff. It's snappier now. I've also replaced the digital piano with a real one.

Words and music by Tim Freedman
Produced by Rob Taylor at Sky High, Newcastle
Mixed by Rob Taylor at Prick Up Your Ears
Vocal, piano - Tim Freedman
Guitar, backing vocals - Stevie Plunder
Double bass - Andy Lewis
Drums - Nic Cecire

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Lyrics

Little song about a man called Gough
And a little boy who wanted to be tarred with the same brush
He learnt Latin, held his head up high and he hated the Liberals tho' he didn't know why
There were reasons - how long have you got?
There are always reasons - how long have you got?

The little boy is on the stage tonight, his name is Anthony Hayes and he's doing alright
They both went to the same local Canberra school, but Stevie was nine in 1972
What a party - a big day for both of us
A big reason to party - a big day for both of us

Come over have dinner with me, we'll play chess and drink claret
Walk slowly down my little street, you can bring Margaret

November 11 it was Armistice Day, a bushranger was slaughtered and Gough was betrayed
November 11 he wouldn't survive the Governor General in '75
November 11 a big day for all of us
November 11 Ned Kelly died, ahh shame Fraser shame and we all cried
For you Gough, you Gough, you Gough
Edward Gough Whitlam
You Gough, you Gough, you Gough
Edward Gough Whitlam

Come over have dinner with me, we'll play chess and drink claret
Walk slowly down my little street, you can bring Margaret

It's for you Gough, you Gough, you Gough
Edward Gough Whitlam
Days of wine and roses, days of wine and roses
All the artists flew in and all the arseholes flew out in '72