Paul Kelly pens musical tribute to Eddie Betts’ racism battle

Beloved songwriter Paul Kelly has written an emotional new piece in tribute to the Aussie rules legend’s relentless fight against discrimination. Listen to the song here.

Australian music legend Paul Kelly has released an emotive new song inspired by Eddie Betts and his ongoing battle with racism.

The Adelaide-born singer-songwriter was moved to write the ballad, Every Step of the Way, after hearing the AFL champion talk last year about his lifelong struggle with racial abuse.

Kelly said he wanted to honour the recently retired former Crows and Carlton great, as well as highlight the lingering issue of racism in Australia.

“You could see it was painful for him to talk about and he was getting emotional,” Kelly, 66, told The Howie Games Artist Series podcast on LiSTNR.

“I thought his courage was immense that he was talking about it, and I knew it wasn’t the first time, this everyday racism that he experiences.

Paul Kelly playing at Glenelg beach, Saturday, November 4, 2020. (Photo: Brenton Edwards)

“He said in that interview at least three times, ‘I’m sick and tired of it’. So that was the start of the song.”

After former Crows skipper Taylor Walker’s racism scandal brought the issue back into the headlines last month, Kelly decided to seek Betts’ blessing before sharing the track with the world.

“It was like, ‘Here we go again, nothing's changed’, or, in fact, it’s gotten worse,” Kelly, a Crows fan, said.

“So I thought that I should check with Eddie, see what he thinks about it, whether he’d mind if we released it at some stage.

“As you’d expect, I got a beautiful, gracious, generous response from Eddie. He said he really liked the song and he was honoured.

“He said, ‘I’m going to play it in the car to the kids when I go play my last game’. I thought that’s a big compliment from Eddie.”

The song imagines Betts’ pain, frustration and anger every time he is subjected to racism even as “Thousands smile when I go through my paces, They fall at my dancing feet.”

Eddie Betts is chaired from the ground by Crows Bryce Gibbs and Cam Ellis-Yolmen. Picture: Daniel Kalisz

Eddie Betts is chaired off the field again at Carlton. Picture: Getty Images)

It also pays tribute to his ancestors, who are “with me every step of the way” and give him the courage to continue speaking out and educating Australia about the scourge of racism.

Betts, 34, who retired at the end of 2021 after 350 matches and 640 goals with Carlton and the Crows, said Kelly’s song “meant a lot to me”.

“He has always empowered us mob with his music, and his authentic and heartfelt collaborations have always been enjoyed by myself and all my family for many years,” Betts said.

“I feel proud to have this song written for me by someone so respected here in Australia and someone who has always stood in solidarity with us mob.”

Kelly previously wrote Every Day My Mother’s Voice, which he recorded with Dan Sultan for the Final Quarter documentary about the racist abuse suffered by Adam Goodes during the final years of his playing career.

Originally published as Paul Kelly pens musical tribute to Eddie Betts’ racism battle