Hokey Australian wobble-boarder Rolf Harris has apologised for the racist language in his 1960 hit 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport'.
Speaking to Radio Scotland in an interview which will be aired on Sunday December 10, Harris expressed regret at including the derogatory term "abo" for Australian Aborigines in the 1960 song which launched his career.Alongside refrains like "Take me koala back, Jack" and "Mind me platypus duck, Bill" the song features a verse revolving around the phrase "Let me abos go loose, Lou" and "They're of no further use". When it was written in 1957, aboriginal rights in Australia were virtually non-existent. During World War II only Aborigines who fought were granted citizenship in their own country, it took until 1963 for them to be guaranteed the vote and 1968 to be entitled to a minimum wage.
The song topped Australian charts and went top ten in the UK and US in 1960. A re-recorded version replaced "abos" with "emus". In the interview, Harris explained, "At the time, I was 27 or something when I wrote that. But since 1960, I have never sung that verse."
