The Ballad of Bill White

Annotation

Glen Tomasetti, contemporary folk artist born 21 May 1929 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She died 25 June 2003. This EP contained three anti-Vietnam War songs.. The first song "Ballad of Bill White" (MP 57) told the true story of a Sydney-based school teacher William "Bill" White, who defied the Australian draft, as a conscientious objector. He was arrested an dragged from his home by Australian police, which was famously captured on photo by John Fairfax in 1966. He was jailed in 1966. Several other songs were written about William White, by Willow Macky and Don Henderson, see the note below, which displays the importance of this case to the Australian anti-war movement. So in this song, the narrator told of William White receiving the draft card, and then going before the judge, saying: "I cannot go against the things I have been taught, violence leads to violence". The judge threw out the case, and ordered William White to fight. The second song "Do Not Sing the Old Songs" was a more generic protest songs, which contained some anti-war sentiment, regarding the old sending out the young to fight and die: "the young are still sent out to fight and die, for the lust and lies of the old, when the bodies lie stiffning, still the heroe's dreams grow cold". The final song "The Army's Appeal to Mothers" took a comedy / novelty approach in presenting an anti-war position, in which the army appealed to mothers, to teach the children to "hate each foreign name, colour, race or tongue", because it will make him a better soldier. The lyrics of this song also featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969, and compiled by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber (founders of Paredon Records) - containing 100+ Vietnam War protest songs, 9 of which came from Australia & New Zealand.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Australian & New Zealand Songs

Glen Tomasetti, contemporary folk artist born 21 May 1929 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She died 25 June 2003. This EP contained three anti-Vietnam War songs. The first song "Ballad of Bill White" (MP 57) told the true story of a Sydney-based school teacher William "Bill" White, who defied the Australian draft, as a conscientious objector. He was arrested an dragged from his home by Australian police, which was famously captured on photo by John Fairfax in 1966. He was jailed in 1966. Several other songs were written about William White, by Willow Macky and Don Henderson, see the note below, which displays the importance of this case to the Australian anti-war movement. So in this song, the narrator told of William White receiving the draft card, and then going before the judge, saying: "I cannot go against the things I have been taught, violence leads to violence". The judge threw out the case, and ordered William White to fight.Songs about William White: Willow Macky - "Ballad of William White" (1966) Glen Tomasetti - "The Ballad of Bill White" (1968) Don Henderson - "Bill White" The second song "Do Not Sing the Old Songs" was a more generic protest songs, which contained some anti-war sentiment, regarding the old sending out the young to fight and die: "the young are still sent out to fight and die, for the lust and lies of the old, when the bodies lie stiffning, still the heroe's dreams grow cold". The final song "The Army's Appeal to Mothers" took a comedy / novelty approach in presenting an anti-war position, in which the army appealed to mothers, to teach the children to "hate each foreign name, colour, race or tongue", because it will make him a better soldier. The lyrics of this song also featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969, and compiled by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber (founders of Paredon Records) - containing 100+ Vietnam War protest songs, 9 of which came from Australia & New Zealand.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Draft Songs

Glen Tomasetti, contemporary folk artist born 21 May 1929 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She died 25 June 2003. This EP contained three anti-Vietnam War songs.. The first song "Ballad of Bill White" (MP 57) told the true story of a Sydney-based school teacher William "Bill" White, who defied the Australian draft, as a conscientious objector. He was arrested an dragged from his home by Australian police, which was famously captured on photo by John Fairfax in 1966. He was jailed in 1966. Several other songs were written about William White, by Willow Macky and Don Henderson, see the note below, which displays the importance of this case to the Australian anti-war movement. So in this song, the narrator told of William White receiving the draft card, and then going before the judge, saying: "I cannot go against the things I have been taught, violence leads to violence". The judge threw out the case, and ordered William White to fight.Songs about William White: Willow Macky - "Ballad of William White" (1966) Glen Tomasetti - "The Ballad of Bill White" (1968) Don Henderson - "Bill White"

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

Glen Tomasetti, contemporary folk artist born 21 May 1929 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She died 25 June 2003. This EP contained three anti-Vietnam War songs.. The first song "Ballad of Bill White" (MP 57) told the true story of a Sydney-based school teacher William "Bill" White, who defied the Australian draft, as a conscientious objector. He was arrested an dragged from his home by Australian police, which was famously captured on photo by John Fairfax in 1966. He was jailed in 1966. Several other songs were written about William White, by Willow Macky and Don Henderson, see the note below, which displays the importance of this case to the Australian anti-war movement. So in this song, the narrator told of William White receiving the draft card, and then going before the judge, saying: "I cannot go against the things I have been taught, violence leads to violence". The judge threw out the case, and ordered William White to fight.Songs about William White: Willow Macky - "Ballad of William White" (1966) Glen Tomasetti - "The Ballad of Bill White" (1968) Don Henderson - "Bill White" The second song "Do Not Sing the Old Songs" was a more generic protest songs, which contained some anti-war sentiment, regarding the old sending out the young to fight and die: "the young are still sent out to fight and die, for the lust and lies of the old, when the bodies lie stiffning, still the heroe's dreams grow cold". The final song "The Army's Appeal to Mothers" took a comedy / novelty approach in presenting an anti-war position, in which the army appealed to mothers, to teach the children to "hate each foreign name, colour, race or tongue", because it will make him a better soldier. The lyrics of this song also featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969, and compiled by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber (founders of Paredon Records) - containing 100+ Vietnam War protest songs, 9 of which came from Australia & New Zealand.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: In New South Wales there lives a man, a teacher young and true / Who would not be conscripted in the ballot of the few / When first they called him up to serve, he went along to court / And said I cannot go against the things I have been taught / Violence leads to violence, and pain and useless tears / Each war has spawned a bigger war these last ten thousand years. Said the judge, would you refuse to fight, the strangler of your mother / Come on sir, this one question of the court will have no other / I cannot call my enemies a people far away / Who've waited now for peace through many a weary night and day / And the day of peace will never come, the terrors never end / If a government says who must be my foe and who my friend. The judge said William White, into the army you must go / Though your case has not convinced me, you in action might be slow / As a cook or as a slushy, or as an orderly you'll serve / And help the front line boys who have a different kind of nerve / An army is not an army except in time of war / Destruction is the purpose, it was created for. I cannot help the military, my flag of hate is hurled / My work is teaching children of the wonders of this world / His case and his appeal dismissed, then came the intake day / To the school, and not the barracks, he early made his way / And when they came to sack him, his living to deny / He said I want to go back to the class to say goodbye / You'll never go back William White into that room again /…

Notes

Matrix MP-57-A; "composed and sung by Glen Tomasetti", copyright Glen Tomasetti. MP 57, 45, picture labels with a black-and-white photograph of Glen Tomasetti holding a guitar. Side 1 (MP-57-A): "The Ballad of Bill White" (4.08). Side 2 (MP-57-B): "Do Not Sing the Old Songs" (2.26) and "The Army's Appeal to Mothers" (1.11); both sides "Composed and sung by Glen Tomasetti", copyright Glen Tomasetti. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Australian folk singer, songwriter, writer and activist (1929-2003), based in Melbourne; a prominent voice in Australia's anti-Vietnam War and equal-pay movements ('Don't Be Too Polite, Girls'). [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

ANZUS · Anti-War · Draft

In collections

Australian & New Zealand Songs · Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]