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Australian cricket team victory song “Under the Southern Cross I stand”: A history

Rod Marsh had started it all. Nathan Lyon carries the baton.

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Just like the Baggy Green, the victory song has been an Australian tradition over decades © Getty Images
Just like the Baggy Green, the victory song has been an Australian tradition over decades © Getty Images

Soon after the victory, a packed Adelaide Oval witnessed the victorious Australians break out into a victory song — a concept that had originated on August 16, 1972. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at the birth of a legend.

Nathan Lyon fired one down leg-side. Ishant Sharma missed it. Brad Haddin, the acting captain, took the bails off, and to the surprise of most, ran towards cover-point; he was soon followed by his other teammates. They stood on the big, gut-wrenching yet oddly fulfilling 408 on the huge arena.

The support staff joined in. Then Lyon took over. The team took his cue, and broke into the Australian team victory song — a concept as unique and the Baggy Green, and held in perhaps the same esteem by Australian cricketers over the past four decades. The performance had an encore later in the evening.

But what is the victory song? Let us go back to 1972.

Illy and Fusarium

Under Ray Illingworth, England had regained the much-coveted urn in the 1970-71 tour in what remains the only 7-Test series in history. There was spirited performance from the likes of John Snow, Geoff Boycott, Brian Luckhurst, and John Edrich; controversies raged; tempers flew; and amidst everything, the first ODI was played.

Back in England, Australia were blown away by Snow at Old Trafford. They struck back at Lord’s with Bob Massie famously taking 16 wickets on Test debut. Trent Bridge was a drawn affair, but Derek Underwood (10 for 82) turned out to be unplayable in the Fusarium Test at Headingley. The Ashes had been retained as the teams moved on to The Oval.

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Playing for honours

Illingworth chose to bat, Peter Parfitt and John Hampshire stitched an 83-run stand — but Dennis Lillee and Ashley Mallett rose to the occasion. Strolling at 133 for 2 at one point of time, a collapse saw England being reduced to 181 for 8 before Alan Knott took over. A fine 126-ball 92 (which included an 81-run ninth-wicket stand with Geoff Arnold) helped England reach 284.

The Australian openers fell early before the Chappell brothers took over. Both scored hundreds and added 201; Ross Edwards contributed too, but the lower order did not stand a chance before Underwood. From 296 for 3 Australia were bundled out for 399. The deficit was substantial, but though no Englishman reached a hundred they reached 356. Lillee finished with 10 for 181.

Set to chase 242, Keith Stackpole and Ian Chappell almost settled things when Australia looked all set for an easy win at 132 for 1. Then Tony Greig and Underwood struck twice each, and suddenly Ross Edwards and Rodney Marsh found themselves together, set to score 71 with 5 wickets in hand.

Edwards and Marsh did it. Though Australia could not regain the Ashes, they had managed to draw the series despite having reached as the underdogs. They celebrated in the dressing-room. Then something unusual happened. Greg Chappell later wrote that Marsh “jumped up on the dressing-room table and gave his famous, joyous, ringing rendition, guaranteed to flush the face, stand hair on end, and make dry eyes brimful.”

Marsh was inspired by Henry Lawson’s 1887 poem Flag of the Southern Cross. He had learned of the poem from Ian Chappell, who had, in turn, been “baptised” by Raymond Hogan, an Australian who played for Northamptonshire, in 1963. As per Ian Chappell, Hogan may have picked it from John McMahon, an Australian who played for Somerset and Surrey. Marsh’s lyrics, however, were completely his own, and ran thus:

Under the Southern Cross I stand
A sprig of wattle in my hand
A native of my native land
Australia, you f**king beauty!

Institute of Australian Culture (IAC), however, cites a similar song sung by the Royal Australian Engineers in the 1960s and 1970s. The lyrics of that song ran:

Two arms, two hands, two steely bands
Beneath the Southern Cross I stand
A hero of my native land, Australia!
Up the old red rooster
And more piss!

IAC cites another song that is not too different in lyrics. Composed by Rev. Thomas Hilhouse “Toso” Taylor, the song was even called “the recognised Australian National Anthem” in a 1908 advertisement. An excerpt ran thus:

For heart to heart and hand to hand,
Beneath the Southern Cross we stand
And shout “God bless our Native land”
Australia! Australia!

There is an ‘official’ version of the song that uses the word “little” or “bloody” before “beauty”, but for obvious reasons the above version is the more popular one. It certainly did not amuse Justin Langer, who had a go at purists in Australia You Little* Beauty: Inside Test Cricket’s Dream Team: “It would be silly of me to suggest that’s what [“little” or “bloody”] we really sing. It simply doesn’t have the oomph as the other word [“f**king”], which is hardly out of place in a locker room.”

[Note: Several sources suggest that the team song was started by Marsh after the first Test at The Gabba in 1974-75; some also refer to SCG 1974-75, where the urn was regained; but most sources point at The Oval.]

Heirloom

The victory song continued. Ian Chappell later wrote to a curious Langer: “I’m not sure it was after every victory. And it wasn’t always in the dressing-room. Bacchus [Marsh] tended to be the one to start the singing. As a responsible captain, I stayed in the background, especially when it was a crowded restaurant such as in Sydney when we won the Ashes.”

Marsh led the victory song for some time. Allan Border took over from Marsh, but when Border became captain, he passed it on to (could there be a better choice?) David Boon.

As for the tune, it is certainly not really the most mellifluous of compositions, though it can bring a tear to the hardest of souls. As Anthony Sherwood wrote for Daily Telegraph, “’singing’ is a rather generous description of what in reality should be called chanting.” When he first heard the “chant” in an empty WACA, Peter Lalor confessed: “What was surprising was the volume of it. I’ve never seen such enthusiasm.”

Since then new victory leaders have been appointed only after existing leaders retire or are elected captain. When Boon quit the mantle passed on to Ian Healy; Ricky Ponting took it over from Healy once he retired; when Ponting was named captain Langer took over; Langer handed over the legacy to Michael Hussey; and Lyon has been performing the duties since Hussey’s retirement. With the advent of ODIs, Langer did not make it to the shorter version; the onus fell on Adam Gilchrist to sing in yellow clothes.

How are chorus leaders chosen? Boon was not very vocal about it in an interview with The Age: “(The selection of the singer) not necessarily singing ability. That doesn’t come into it…It’s one of those hidden honours you have within the Australian cricket team.”

Whatever the method is, it is definitely an honour cherished by the recipient. Langer later told The Age of the pride he had felt: “That was the most emotional thing. I have to say, I’ve never captained Australia, but it [being chosen as the chorus leader remains] one of the absolute highlights in my career.” He also confessed that he was so pumped up when he sang it for the first time that he threw Matthew Hayden, no less, “around if he were a child”.

It is not only about cricketers, either. John Buchanan recollected in If Better is Possible: “My first call to voice came after my first Test match as coach. Justin Langer, as he has done for those new to the occasion, scribbled the word on a piece of paper for me and said ‘Mate, you are going to need these.’”

The spirit of the song was not lost on Buchanan: “It’s something distinctly Australian. Most Aussie males revel in sport-related boding, linking arms together in a raucous dressing room, bursting into a victory song, being Australian. I was fortunate.”

Brief scores:

England 284 (Peter Parfitt 51, Alan Knott 92; Dennis Lillee 5 for 58, Ashley Mallett 3 for 80) and 356 (Barry Wood 90, Alan Knott 63; Dennis Lillee 5 for 123) lost to Australia 399 (Ian Chappell 118, Greg Chappell 113, Ross Edwards 79; Geoff Arnold 3 for 87, Derek Underwood 4 for 90) and 242 for 5 (Keith Stackpole 79) by 5 wickets.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

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