Captain Cook
Captain Cook by Shriekback circa 1992
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...
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...