Today (1 January 2017) I received a text from John White which says:
…started singing Eugene Terre Blanche to the tune of Sweet Gene Vincent in the shower this morning. One of yours – can you Ogblog it when you get a chance as it’s now an ear worm!
Well, John, what are friends for?
I want to elaborate on this one at some stage as it’s one of my faves and there are some tales to tell. But Janie and I are off to the pictures now, so you’ll have to make do with the bare minimum for now, in order to de-worm your ear.
The version below was written before I discovered NewsRevue – I’ll write more about this lyric’s journey through NewsRevue later. The extraordinary thing, to me, is that the version below will be 25 years old in a few weeks time.
Click here or below for the Ian Dury and the Blockheads version
EUGENE TERRE’BLANCHE
(to the tune of “Sweet Gene Vincent”)
INTRO BIT (Optional)
I like to get out of Cape Town sometimes and drive round the Karoo,
I like to watch youngsters run like Zola Budd and bowl like Garth Le Roux,
I like to watch the springboks rutting, I like to eat them barbecued.
Eugene Terre’Blanche, Neo-Nazi baas, Eugene Terre’Blanche.
Who, who, who’s that baas?
1st MAIN BIT (Compulsory)
White face-black shirt, whites rich-blacks poor, Afrikaner-Hottentot, white’s right-black’s not:-
Eugene Terre’Blanche,
There’s one in every town;
I’m fond of dressing up like the Ku Klux Klan,
In a pointed hat and gown.
Eugene Terre’Blanche,
I am a crashing Boer;
Before we cede power to the ANC,
We’ll fight a civil war.
Well, the Nationalist Party is much too soft,
I think they’re Botha jerk,
But I’d still sooner have to take my Pik,
Than F.W. de Klerk.
2nd MAIN BIT (Still compulsory)
White Meneer-black Kaffir, whites vote-blacks don’t, Afrikaner-Bantu, hate blacks and Jews:-
Eugene Terre’Blanche,
They say that I’m like Himmler;
I haven’t yet caused as much violence as him,
But our accents sound quite similar.
Eugene Terre’Blanche,
I’m the baas laager lout;
We’re gonna cause trouble in the RSA,
Until we get thrown out.
Eugene Terre’Blanche,
I’m just a big fat git;
I’d like to end this song on a profound note,
But I’m afraid that’s it.
7 February 1992