Midnight Oil 'Song a Day' #21 "Jimmy Sharman's Boxers"

"Jimmy Sharman's Boxers"
From the red dust north of Dalmore Downs
Sharman's tents roll into town
Twelve will face the auctioneer
Sharman's Boxers stand their ground
Their days are darker than your nights
But they won't be the first to fall
Children broken from their dreams
But they won't be the first to fall
Fighting in the spotlight
Eye's turn blacker than their skin
For Jimmy Sharman's boxers
It's no better if you win
Standing in the darkness
Lined up waiting for the bell
The days are wasted drinking
At the first and last hotel
Why are we fighting for this?
Why are you paying for this?
You pay to see me fall like shrapnel
To the floor
What is the reason for this?
There is a reason for this?
What is the reason they keep coming back for more?
The blows now bring him to his knees
But still the crowd calls out for more
The drums are burning in his ears
The man keeps counting out the score

Why are we fighting for this? Why are you paying for this?
Great questions about entertainment v exploitation, talent v stereotyping

It's a haunting reflection on the costs to the participants of this kind of 'entertainment troupe'
Powderworkers will be familiar with the brilliant t-shirt doing the rounds!!