Carrington Cabaret
View chords used in this chart
Intro
A Em A Em A
D F#m G A
Verse
D F#m
Are you proud white Australians wherever you are?
D A
Beer in your hand and your elbow on the bar
D F#m
All you people from Darwin to the south
G A
With your blue faded jeans and a joint in your mouth
D F#m
Young sophisticates making the scene
G A
At the Lion Hotel in your rolled up jeans
D F#m
Something going on, we're all employed
G A
Last night another pickininny died
G A
D F#m G A
D F#m
In the dirt filled gutters on the cold concrete
G A
At the nightclub end of Hindley Street
D F#m
Sit dusky young ladies learning the rules
G A
From drunks and traps and the hard knocks school
D F#m
Milky brown eyes from drinking all day
G A
Till it's time at the Carrington Cabaret
D F#m
Down at the port a sick black mum
G A
Rings for a taxi but the taxi won't come
G A
G D A
Bm F#m
It's probably too painful for us to understand
G A D A
But two hundred years ago we overran their land
D A Bm F#m
Dreamtime's just a nightmare now, an alcoholic sleep
G A G A D A D A D A
Australia land of things to do have you got time to weep
D F#m G A
D F#m
Oh our great free land of fire and rain
G A
White man's wealth and black man's pain
D F#m
You've got to be white if you want to get in
G A
It's the black man's country but the white man's in
D F#m
Too utter distasteful for civilized man
G A
Hide them away in Arnhem Land
D F#m
Shake your head and say "That's that"
G A
As you kick away the bottles on Pinky flat
D A Em A D A
Bm F#m
It's probably too painful for us to understand
G A D A
But two hundred years ago we overran their land
Bm A Bm F#m
Dreamtime's just a nightmare now, an alcoholic sleep
G A G A
Australia land of things to do have you got time to weep
Outro
G A G A
How to play Carrington Cabaret
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is A. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.