Weddings Parties Anything - A Tale They Won't Believe

A Tale They Won't Believe is a modern song but tells of an historical event of the 1820s. Alexander Pearce, a poorly behaved convict prone to escape attempts, was sent to Sarah Island for his transgressions. Located on the remote west coast of Tasmania, it was one of colonial Australia's worst penal settlements - and it wasn't long before the austere conditions and brutal workload drove Pearce to organise an escape with seven other convicts. As they moved inward through the thick and hostile mountain wilderness, unable to find or hunt food they resorted to murder and cannibalism, the weakest of the gang always falling prey to the others. Pearce was the last man standing and survived 'on the run' for some time - however he was recaptured, sent back to Sarah Island and once again participated in the cannibalisation of a fellow inmate. He was eventually hung in 1824.

The lyrics of this song tell of the murders and cannibalism in turn, one in each verse:

"Well the four of us kept marching to a place called Western Tiers
A country full of tasty game but for us it held no cheer
We had no guns we were traveling without hope.
But the axe it loomed so ominous, God's hand was at play
A sick man is a type of game that cannot run away
So stay easy, my poor man, your time's at hand.

So that night we made fires out of twigs and out of bark
And our stomachs they were grumbling all through the night so dark
I can't say I feel guilty, after all it wasn't me
But when the sun came up next morning the four had turned to three!"

Category:

Music

Tags:

• WPA
• Alexander Pearce
• Sarah Island
• cannibalism
• convicts

[toftmf]

This renders me speechless.

[musicinhistory]

Why's that, toftmf? Are you rendered speechless by the song or the cannibalism?

[stocky181]

Jees the tent was rocking that night - I was a couple of rows from the front awesome!

[rabbitoh14]

@quogequox fucking maybe??...cop on son, definately

[ROBERTFLETT]

Never seen them live but ,, what a band .. they rock..

[ThePalookaoftheCan]

One like from me is not enough. Rad.

[quogequox]

Best live band ever? Maybe

[HappyTrailsHans]

I first heard this song while going to the Apollo Bay music festival. It was a pretty creepy song to listen to while driving through woods

[RenkorDK]

this song is ledgend im fourteen and kids will rip at me merciless if they heard me listening to this but this is fucking epic its about real convicts its about this guy alexander pearce killing and eating fellow escapees! but he probably was a fairly decent guy all he did was steal shoes! and @toftmf think of it this way if you were pearce would you kill he that would slit your throat for one nights worth of dinner?his last words! Man’s flesh is delicious. It tastes far better than fish or pork

[JockRonayne]

If you never saw them live, your life is somewhat lacking.

[reefzoo]

Singing about the Tasmanian convict Alexander Pearce. Check out the story on Wikipedia.

[WFM123Bone]

@toftmf "It seems to me that a full belly is pre requisite to all manner of good." Check it out...well the link won't fucking work but search in youtube for "Confession Of A Cannibal Convict." Should come up with a Channel 4 drama, but it might not work outside the UK. If so and anyone wants to watch it let me know and I'll see about downloading it. Its a fairly downbeat drama about Pearce and his chums.