Kangaroo? (song)

Lyrics in Spex, June 1981

The quote in Why Does Language Matter to Philosophy? pg.150

Lyrics

On their voyage of discovery Of privation and cartography The sailors said to Captain Cook "Come over here and have a look We've caught a creature with a pouch That leaps and springs and seems to crouch Its head is small, its ears are long Its legs and tail are thick and strong."

No-one knew what the creature was Some men were sent ashore because Animals must have a name (And the natives knew the game)

Meanwhile, the captive, pushed and shoved Was given leather boxing-gloves

The men returned, trusty and true "They tell us it's a kangaroo."

(The truth emerged much later when On trips by less resourceful men The Aborigines told those who'd come to stay That kangaroo meant What did you say?)

Chronology

• Kangaroo?
  • Lora Logic - vocals
  • Too Dark to Read

Retrospectives

Art & Language, 1981

The Western name for a kangaroo has a genetic character, a history. So do all representations, in general. The story of the name tells us about the history of its producers. Our culture, particularly our high culture, has names and conventions as certainties to cover the hiatus of its contradictions.

In 2017, Art & Language installed the lyrics (a French translation by Fabien Vallos) in the Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Interpretations

The song is based on a quotation in Ian Hacking's 1975 book Why Does Language Matter to Philosophy?

On their voyage of discovery to Australia a group of Captain Cook's sailors captured a young kangaroo and brought the strange creature back on board their ship. No one knew what it was, so some men were sent ashore to ask the natives. When the sailors returned they told their mates, 'It's a kangaroo.' Many years later it was discovered that when the aborigines said 'kangaroo' they were not in fact naming the animal, but replying to their questioners, 'What did you say?'

Various artists compilations

• May 1981: Rough Trade New Releases 6 (UK)