[Editor: A song published in The South Bourke & Mornington Journal, 22 February 1882.]
A Ballad for the Brutal.
The crimes of larrikins are found
So much increased of late,
Accompanied by violence
Alarming to the State;
And the practice of assaulting
Has grown to that extent,
That a bill’s a coming to check the same,
By corporal punishment.
The practice, &c.
The member for Great Mandurang,
Has framed the intended act
Which makes all baser larrikins
Liable to be whacked.
“Quick” through its readings it will pass,
So now, my coves beware,
You’ll get a precious good hiding,
If you don’t take precious good care.
The practice, &c.
Oh, won’t you cry and halloo,
And twist like any eel,
A receiving of that correction,
Which the Cat will make you feel.
As many as twenty lashes,
Inflicted at a time.
Larrikin, when your back is scratched,
You’ll then lament your crime.
The practice, &c.
The stripes will sore affect you,
Although a hardened bloke,
You’ll find the cat-o-nine tails,
Is not at all a joke —
Or a joke that sharply stings you,
Though others may call it fun,
To see you brought to wince and wail,
For the cruelty you have done.
The practice, &c.
Source:
The South Bourke & Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic.), 22 February 1882, p. 3
The Institute of Australian Culture
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