Les Darcy from ToiL by Steve Blaque

Les Darcy was written in 1989 and was recorded first back in 1991 with Dust Up Darcy a band that was imploding from The Repromaster's decline. The version recorded at that time is out there as a film clip somewhere but I had wanted to do it in more recent times in the way that my natural style of guitar and vocals had defaulted to, or arrived at. (i'll let you guys be the judge of that). This version from 2016 included all the regular players in the way I like to do things including a string quartet to give the feel of singing it around the time of Les Darcy (World War 1). I won't say too much about the story since the lyric will say more than is necessary. For a moment this song wasn't going to be on ToiL but it was one of the last recordings I was able to make still believing in full health and for this reason I wanted it included because it shows the energy, or at least reveals the energy I had for music during this time; sadly only a short time ago. There is something quite eerie about how this tune brings both of us down.

Tracklist

9.	Les Darcy	6:10

Lyrics

Les Darcy

He was a blacksmith's striker
a stocky man not too tall
Was he our greatest ever fighter
or did he lose to shirk the war.

From the back blocks of Maitland
in the nature of those bare knuckle days
he became a majorl drawcard
a national figure fighting for pay.

but a nation at war
had no time for such a sport
with distressed mothers sobbing tears
for their sons
they cried
cowardice and rort
cowardice and rort

some say white feathers
forced Les Darcy out
sadly but a common stowaway
was the national champion of stoush

These were times of misfortune
men of scurrilous corruption and graft
Les Darcy a long way from Maitland
In America enacting a farce

Forced to fight in vaudeville
some say he was taken for a ride
and on a training run in Memphis
deeply ill he collapsed and then he died.

Steve BLaque

Credits

from ToiL, released March 27, 2017

License