A song about Sydney's homeless, many of whom shelter on the tiled verandah of the Old Supreme Court in King Street.
homelessness
brian ralston
homeless persons week
self tort
homeless people
Story behind the song
I am a barrister (lawyer/advocate) by day. In May 2009 I attended a mediation at the Old Supreme Court in King Street. The mediation went longer than expected and it was about 6pm when we departed the building in growing darkness. The tiled verandah was at that time almost completely covered by members of Sydney's homeless. Although I had worked in the city for over 25 years by that time I had never seen so many homeless persons huddled together to try to gain shelter. And like me, most of the city people walked past oblivious to the suffering of these people.
Lyrics
HOLDING COURT IN KING STREET
(Words and Music Brian Ralston)
Stephen never knew a family,
His childhood spent in cold and grey State homes
Earmarked to fail, in and out of gaol, released, then left to fend alone
He wanders lonely through the city,
Checking rancid bins, in ragged clothes
Cadging fags, his whole world in two bags, as he swears at unknown foes
But as black skies cloud St Mary's spires,
And as streetlights start to flicker in the dark
He takes his nightly trek, past the benches in Hyde Park
Cause they're holding court in King Street again tonight
The wretched and the homeless huddle out of sight
They laugh and joke, they squabble and fight,
They jostle for position under fag-end light
They're holding court in King Street again tonight
Janey once had a family,
She hasn't heard from them for years
Just an old photograph, kept firmly in her grasp, tattered, torn and stained with tears
So she takes another swig,
Tries to drown the screaming demons in her head
Shuffles past the pin-striped suits, on the way to her tiled bed
Cause they're holding court in King Street again tonight
The wretched and the homeless huddle out of sight
They laugh and joke, they squabble and fight,
They jostle for position under fag-end light
They're holding court in King Street again tonight
We head off for the comforts of our homes,
We leave the human scars behind
Not only justice is blind
Cause they're holding court in King Street again tonight
The wretched and the homeless huddle out of sight
They laugh and joke, they squabble and fight,
They jostle for position under fag-end light
They're holding court, and we don't give a thought
That they're holding court in King Street again tonight
Copyright 2009 Brian Ralston