Born in Peebles, Scotland, and emigrating to Australia in 1969, he currently resides near Adelaide, South Australia. Written in 1972, And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda is perhaps his best-known song, being a haunting evocation of the ANZAC experience fighting in the Battle of Gallipoli. It has also been interpreted as a reaction to the Vietnam War.
Bogle's songs cover a wide range of subjects, including bright comic songs, satires, protest songs and other serious considerations of the human condition. Some idea of the breadth of his work can be gained from the differing subject matter, ranging from The Aussie Bar-B-Q to a homage to Stan Rogers, entitled Safe in the Harbour. One of his most popular songs, Katie and the Dreamtime Land, is a tribute to American folksinger Kate Wolf, following her untimely death from leukemia in 1986.
In a similar vein to And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", his song, No Man's Land, refers to the old Scottish song, "Flowers of the Forest" being played over the grave of a World War I soldier. (Bogle has been known to call the song The Green Fields of France, a title it was first given by The Fureys and subsequently used by The Men They Couldn't Hang.) In 1997, British Prime Minister Tony Blair presented a Belfast girl who wrote to him about the Troubles with a framed copy of the lyrics to The Green Fields of France", calling it his favourite anti-war poem.
Other well-known songs, with lighter subject matter, include two homages to departed pets, Little Gomez" and Nobody's Moggy Now, and an acknowledgment of his folk music fans with Do You Sing Any Dylan?.
Many of his songs have been covered by other artists, particularly his anti-war songs. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda and No Man's Land both gained fame in versions by June Tabor, The Men They Couldn't Hang and The Clancy Brothers. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda was covered by John McDermott, Mike Harding and The Pogues, and "All the Fine Young Men" was recorded by De Dannan. Recently, the Dropkick Murphys covered "The Green Fields of France", and "Shelter" was covered by John Williamson on his album of great Australian anthems.
In 2000 a five CD collection was released called, Singing The Spirit Home. In 2006 he undertook a lengthy UK tour accompanied by long term friend and collaborator John Munro.
Future plans include recording a new CD for release in 2008.
Mirrors
Eric Bogle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
-Eric Bogle
Children are born with trust in their eyes
It's the first thing that we betray
Children are born believing in magic
It's the first thing we take away
Fill them with doubt instead of magic
And after awhile, they're just like us
On this earth there is a city
In a rich green pleasant country
Where they kill their children
The children of the streets
Free enterprise extermination
Why waste rehabilitation?
A bullet is forever
It's so final quick and cheap
And the despots all wear policemen's badges
Kill to supplement their wages
Earn their bloody bounty
With the gun and the club and knife
While profit-conscious businessmen
Upright solid citizens
Pay them a cew cruzeiros
For every murdered street kids life
(But they're children!)
They're garbage on the streets
(Oh the children!)
They're beggars, whores and thieves
(Oh pity the children!)
Cry pity if you will,
There's none on the streets
Of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
To bless this piece of paradise
High on a hill stands Jesus Christ
Gazing down with sightless eyes
At the daily blasphemy
A mocking marble coontradiction
Arms spread wide in benediction
Suffer the little children,
Suffer them to come to me
And the despots cry "amen, amen"
While they bow their knees to Bethlehem
They spit in the face of humankind
Turn our dreams to worthless dust
And the future, as it's always done,
Stares down the barrel of a gun
Which once more begs the question,
When will the despots come for us?
(But they're children!)
Have you seen their eyes?
(Oh the children!)
Hard and wary and street-wise
(Oh pity the children!)
There are no children here
Only old eyes full of hunger
And hate and hopeless fear
(But they're children!)
Abandoned and forsaken
(Oh the children!)
Useless human flotsam
(Oh pity the children!)
And pity us as well
For in our children's' eyes
We see mirrors of ourselves
The song "Mirrors" by Eric Bogle is a powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the treatment of children and the wider consequences of societal apathy towards their suffering. The opening verse highlights the fact that children are born with an innate trust and belief in magic, but these qualities are often stripped away as they grow older and are exposed to the harsh realities of the world. Bogle suggests that this loss of innocence is a direct result of societal neglect, as fear and doubt are allowed to take root where love and wonder could have flourished.
The second verse shifts focus to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where the brutal and systematic killing of street children is a tragic and ongoing reality. Bogle uses this example to highlight the callousness of those in power, who see the lives of these young people as disposable and worth nothing more than a bullet. The song recognizes the paradox of standing in the shadow of the statue of Christ the Redeemer while children are being murdered on the streets just below, and condemns those who use religion as an excuse for such heinous acts.
In the final verse, Bogle echoes the sentiments of the first by drawing attention to the fact that the suffering of these children is a reflection of the wider societal failings that we are all complicit in. The "mirrors" of the song's title refers to the fact that when we look into the eyes of these abandoned and neglected children, we are seeing a reflection of ourselves and the world we have created. The song ends with a sobering reminder that we should be wary of putting ourselves above others, for we are all capable of the same cruelty and indifference.
Line by Line Meaning
Children are born with trust in their eyes
From birth, children are innocent and trust the world around them
It's the first thing that we betray
However, we quickly teach them not to trust us or their surroundings
Children are born believing in magic
In addition to trust, children believe in the possibility of magic
It's the first thing we take away
But we steal their sense of wonder and replace it with doubt
Fill them with doubt instead of magic
We teach them to be skeptical and question everything, rather than embracing mystery and possibility
And fear instead of trust
Our approach leads to fear and suspicion instead of love and trust
And after awhile, they're just like us
Eventually, they become as jaded and distrustful as we are
On this earth there is a city
The song now jumps to discussing a specific location impacted by these themes
In a rich green pleasant country
The setting is described in contrast to the darkness to come
Where they kill their children
This setting involves murdering innocent children
The children of the streets
The victims are specifically the marginalized children of the community
Free enterprise extermination
The killings are framed as a business decision
Why waste rehabilitation?
Instead of helping these kids, they're murdered due to a lack of value placed on their lives
A bullet is forever
The brutal reality of a life taken by force is immeasurable and permanent
It's so final quick and cheap
In addition, this violent approach seems like the easy and quick option for those in power
And the despots all wear policemen's badges
The murderers are protected by powerful positions in the community
Kill to supplement their wages
These killers make extra money by taking lives
Earn their bloody bounty
Their rewards for committing murder is viewed through a lens of disgust
With the gun and the club and knife
These police seem to relish the violence they commit
While profit-conscious businessmen
The song highlights that even seemingly reputable figures profit off these crimes
Upright solid citizens
The businesspeople enabling this violence are viewed as typical, respectable people
Pay them a cew cruzeiros
They are willing to pay off the police and ignore the issue for profit
For every murdered street kids life
Their money is coming from the deaths of innocent young people
(But they're children!)
The song returns to the innocence of the murdered children
They're garbage on the streets
However, society has discarded them and given them no value
(Oh the children!)
The pain and injustice of their situation is highlighted
They're beggars, whores and thieves
The victims are completely stripped of their humanity and seen in a dehumanizing way
(Oh pity the children!)
Despite this, the song calls for empathy towards their plight
Cry pity if you will,
Even if people choose to take this apathetic view, others should still extend compassion
There's none on the streets
No love or care extends to these children
Of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
The location of the horror is revealed
To bless this piece of paradise
Despite the rampant violence and disregard for human life, this location is viewed as paradise
High on a hill stands Jesus Christ
Jesus is invoked as a symbol of hope and redemption
Gazing down with sightless eyes
However, the view of Jesus is also one of blindness and not intervening on behalf of the innocent
At the daily blasphemy
The violence and disregard of life is viewed as blasphemy against all religious values
A mocking marble coontradiction
The sight of Jesus seems to make this hypocrisy even more stark
Arms spread wide in benediction
The statue of Jesus seems to visually bless the crime and abuse of the community
Suffer the little children,
The song quotes directly from scripture to remind the audience of the need to value and protect the young
Suffer them to come to me
Additionally, the song implies that God is not present in this location, despite the statue of Jesus
And the despots cry 'amen, amen'
Those responsible for the pain of this community seem to view their actions as supported by God
While they bow their knees to Bethlehem
They make gestures of religious piety and obedience but are not true followers of Christ
They spit in the face of humankind
Their actions are shown to be antithetical to true humanity and empathy for others
Turn our dreams to worthless dust
We should all have hope and possibilities for the future, but violence and injustice destroys these dreams
And the future, as it's always done,
This cycle of violence robs the young of their futures
Stares down the barrel of a gun
Violence is always looming and seems inescapable
Which once more begs the question,
The song ends up questioning the root causes of violence and those that enable it
When will the despots come for us?
In the end, the song reminds us that violence always begets violence and that loving and valuing the young is the only way to truly make change
(But they're children!)
The final line calls back to the theme of innocence of the young, and how we should strive to protect it
Have you seen their eyes?
The song encourages deep empathy and understanding to truly see the pain of marginalized children around the world
Hard and wary and street-wise
Despite their youth and vulnerability, these children are forced to be tough and confrontational to survive
(Oh pity the children!)
The final emotional appeal once again reminds us of the power of empathy to move towards change
There are no children here
Despite appearing 'old' and street-wise, these children are still children and deserve love and protection
Only old eyes full of hunger
However, poverty and violence rob them of their childhood and instill them with hopelessness and despair
And hate and hopeless fear
This is the inevitable result when we betray the trust and wonder of the young and devalue the most vulnerable among us
(But they're children!)
The song circles back to the innocence of children and reminds us that this trait deserves protection and love
Abandoned and forsaken
We must work to ensure every child knows they are valued and loved
(Oh the children!)
The pain of the innocent is central to the theme of the song
Useless human flotsam
The song condemns the treatment of vulnerable children as worthless or less than human
(Oh pity the children!)
The final line is once again an emotional call for the audience to remember the value and importance of protecting our most vulnerable youth.
And pity us as well
This final addition implies that allowing the young and vulnerable to suffer ultimately makes everyone worse off and creates a more dangerous society
For in our children's' eyes
Our future is inextricably linked to the young and their ability to thrive
We see mirrors of ourselves
We can judge the success of a society by how well it protects its young and vulnerable members
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ERIC BOGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce Laidlaw
on Aussie Bar-B-Q Song
The lyrics given here are for a different song