Willie McRae... as himself

These are songs by me. As me.

Willie McRae Jukebox

Here are 8 songs for your listening pleasure.
You can click the player once to hear them all in order, or pick your favourite.

Now Playing: Jungle Law



Jungle Law

I wrote this somewhere around 2010 while I was living in Brisbane.
Eddie Vendetta is playing the bass.
I programmed the drums (using Fruity Loops, I think) and laid down the voices and guitars in our house in Yeerongpilly.
I was probably thinking a lot about The Phantom to begin with, and things take a kind of Cthulhu-ish turn at the end…
I play a rocked up version live sometimes.

Ohhh oh na na naa

Take my hand,
And come with me,
Your body is tight,
And your eyes so pretty,
But that won’t help you here,
You’re in the lands of the mists and rain.

You’ve gotta stay close to me,
If you want to survive,
Stick with me,
If you want to stay alive.
Cause we’re not in the city anymore,
I think it’s time you learned about the Jungle Law.

It’s dark and hot,
And wet and sticky,
You try to scream,
But there really is no need,
Cause I can help you here,
Where the sunlight breaks through the canopy.

You’ve gotta stay close to me,
If you want to survive,
Stick with me,
If you want to stay alive.
Cause we’re not in the city anymore,
I think it’s time you learned about the Jungle Law.

Ohhh oh na na naa

(Spoken word)
I just wanted some adventure
It seemed like a good idea at the time
But now…
Oh god I’m so scared,
It’s so unforgiving here,
There’s no electricity,
No mobile reception,
I’m so lucky I found a nice guy to help me,
It’s just that, now, I can’t find him,
He’s gone,
He said he’d be back,
But I don’t know what to believe any more,
I can hear…voices in the distance,
It’s smoky, and it’s getting dark,
What am I going to do?
I don’t want to die here.



Space Trucker (When I Get To Where I'm Going)

This was written and released as “When I Get To Where I’m Going” but almost everyone who hears it thinks “Space Trucker” or “Moon Trucker” is a better title, so I’m changing it.
I was channeling ZZ Top with the synth bass sounds and lead guitar style.
I was channeling Nev Nichols with the lyrical approach.
There are some sound effects at the start, bridge, and outro I like, including CB radio and some didgeridoo to give it Australian flavour.
I used to drive around a lot listening to cassette tapes of truck driving music.
I thought the future truckers might want to keep tape decks in their futuristic rigs, so there they are.

I’ve been driving all night long,
The stars are bright,
And my tape deck is on.

So ride with me,
Come on little baby,
Ride with me,
Come on and get crazy
Let’s ride.

Ride with me
Come on little baby,
Ride with me,
Come on and get crazy,
I don’t know which way the wind is blowing’
But I’ll figure it out when I get to where I’m goin’

I’ve been a-rollin’ all night long,
Across the Milky Way,
Into the dark beyond.

So ride with me,
Come on little baby,
Ride with me,
Come on and get crazy
Let’s ride.

Ride with me
Come on little baby,
Ride with me,
Come on and get crazy,
I don’t know which way the wind is blowing’
But I’ll figure it out when I get to where I’m goin’



Back From Hell

This is part of the Farmer Zombie Trilogy.
I recorded it using a mix of programmed and organic drums, SFX, bass and my axe.
Most parts are one take, which is my preference.
I think the bass is my favourite part, especially in the outro.

Flame and fire haunt me,
But my bones do not care,
For I have lived a thousand years down there,
In the pits of the damned I was sent for my crimes,
Now I pay the devil’s debt on the land.

Hand remember the axe it would strike hard and true,
Through skin and bone making rivers of blood,
Now I walk on the fields until the end of the Earth,
As long as crude oil exists for my wheels.

I return to my homeland from Hell I have come,
I care not to talk about times down below,
For I so much work to do with shovel and pick and hammer and with hoe,
It was long time ago that I worked on these lands now in this time of strife I return.

Down, down, down I go…
Down, down, down I go…
Down, down, down I go…
Down, down, down I go…

Spiralling towards fiery pain I pay for my crimes as I lie on burning hot coals,
Spiralling towards fiery pain I pay for my crimes as I lie on burning hot coals.

Chains, chains, chains grip me…
Chains, chains, chains grip me…

No end in sight I will do what is right please release me into the world above,
No end in sight I will do what is right please release me into the world above.



The Black Knight

I wrote this as a country song and turned it into a sort of rock song.
No bass.
I’ll fix that in a re-record sometime.

Sword in hand,
I think back to the days,
When I dreamed of fighting and dying for glory,
My father taught me,
The ways of battle,
Of the sword and the axe and the bow,
My father taught me the ways of honour.

Now with ancient steel in my hand,
I stand guard over ancient land,
I’ll kill for what I know is right,
And my enemies will never get to see a new day’s light.

My life I gave,
In service to thee,
From humble beginnings to great destiny,
Betrayal!
The memory lingers on,
And now I will fight,
With vengeance and fury,
Yes I will cut you down.

Now with ancient steel in my hand,
I stand guard over ancient land,
I’ll kill for what I know is right,
And my enemies will never get to see a new day’s light.



Poor

I wrote this in my late 20’s after a slew of misadventures left me in financial trouble.
Synth bass, in the spirit of ZZ Top.
Hand claps and a self-chorus of background vox.

Well I was living,
But now I’m dying,
I was laughing,
But now I’m crying,
Well I was on top of the world,
But now I’ve gotta stop,
Before I top.

Cause I’m poor,
I’m poor, poor, poor,
Poor.

I was swimming,
But now I’m drowning,
I was smiling,
But now I’m frowning,
I never cared much about having money,
But now that I got none I can’t even get a honey.

Cause I’m poor,
I’m poor, poor, poor,
Poor.

I used to get,
What I wanted to get,
But now I’m up to my normal ears in this normal debt,
So I’m watching everything I’m spending,
In a desperate attempt to stop lending.

Cause I’m poor,
I’m poor, poor, poor,
Poor.



Gumeracha Frog

This was the first song I wrote and recorded in my home studio after finishing up with High Stakes in the mid 2000’s.
I was inspired by a trip to Gumeracha.
I took this to Popkomm in Germany around 2008.
I sometimes rock it up into kind of bluesy, Elvisy sort of thing.

Well I’m a Gumeracha Frog,
And I’m sitting in the creek,
I’m thinking about the girly frogs that I want to meet,
I’m gonn sing ‘em a song,
Make them wanna sit with me,
And spend all night long in the Gumeracha creek.

I’m singing boh boh boh boh-boh boh-boh,
Boh boh boh boh-boh boh-boh boh.

Yeah I’m a Gumeracha Frog,
I’m sitting on a log,
Thinking about the girly frogs so fine,
I’m thinking about how I’m gonna make ‘em mine.

I’ll sing ‘em boh boh boh boh-boh boh-boh,
Boh boh boh boh-boh boh-boh boh.

And all the girly frogs in this town,
They now that I’m the best frog around.

Cause I sing boh boh boh boh-boh boh-boh,
Boh boh boh boh-boh boh-boh boh.



Farmer Zombie

This is also part of the Farmer Zombie Trilogy.
I was experimenting a lot with SFX.
I thought this song was good enough that the official release includes a radio edit.
The spooky keyboard is supplied by my good friend Tom Bettany, aka Sad Sad Tim and Nathanial Beard.

I don’t remember how I died,
But I know it was a watery grave,
Maybe a dam breaking,
Causing a tidal wave.
In life I was a good man,
I’d treat everybody well,
But years of lonely undeath,
Have turned me into a farmer zombie from Hell.

Stay away from me,
Cause I’m a farmer zombie from Hell,
Get off my land,
Cause I’m a farmer zombie from Hell,
I work the fields at night,
Then by day,
I return to my grave.

As the last light of day,
Goes slipping away,
I appear in the moonlight,
And I start bailing hay,
Just because I’m dead,
Don’t mean that I ain’t got bills to pay,
And my cows don’t give milk anymore,
In fact they don’t even moo,
Cause I got lonely and I killed them all,v And now they are zombies too.

Stay away from me,
Cause I’m a farmer zombie from Hell,
Get off my land,
Cause I’m a farmer zombie from Hell,
I work the fields at night,
Then by day,
I return to my grave.



Day By Day

I wrote this one when I was feeling pretty good about life, or at least pretending to be.
Lots of inspiration from Billy Bragg.
It’s all electric guitar and voice.

25 and still alive,
I’m making Boost Juice to survive,
And I’m sitting by the pool,
Looking cool,
I’ve got no work, no family, no school,
Just the sun beating down on me,
Burning my skin and giving me the big C,
Complications been driven so far far away,
Relaxing by the pool and I’m taking things day by…

Day by day,
I’m living a good good life,
Relaxing all day long,
Making love through the night.
Day by day,
Oooh little baby won’t you come with me,
Living day by day.

27 and I’m doing ok,
Cause I’m gonna live my life my own way,
And the sound of the alarm clocks won’t make me cry,
Cause I know that one day we’re all gonna die,
But I’ve got reggae music and rock ’n’ roll too,
Got my friends and family and I’ve got you,
So it’s business as usual I say,
But if you wanna roll with me you better be living life day by…

Day by day,
I’m living a good good life,
Relaxing all day long,
Making love through the night.
Day by day,
Oooh little baby won’t you come with me,
Living day by day.



COMING SOON. "Songs That Must Be Released" x27

Train Of War

Starting Over Again

Tonight I'm Gonna Bury It

The Promise Of A Man Soon To Die

Battle Cry Of The Indigenous Man

Coming Back To You

The End Of The Line

The Flaming Skull Of Death

Let's Talk About You

Truck Driver's Code

All I'm Living For

A Nice Night To Be Alone

Killing Time

Heading For The Horizon

Whispers In The Wind

The Man Who Mutters

Pornographic Pirate

Spiders On The Ceiling

Cooked With Love

Living In Moorooka

The Murder Of Jake Catlin

Hard Times

Tease Me

Another Day Another Place

Jenny

Becky

Interstate Girlfriend Blues