Paul Kelly honours footballer Eddie Betts in new song, Every Step of the Way

‘I feel proud to have this song written for me by someone who has always stood in solidarity with us mob,’ the retired AFL star says.

Singer-songwriter Paul Kelly has written a song from the perspective of the just retired AFL star Eddie Betts. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Last year, singer-songwriter Paul Kelly was one of many football fans who watched as AFL player Eddie Betts spoke from the heart about his experiences with racism on and off the field.

Three times, a frustrated Betts told a television interviewer that he was “sick and tired” of going through that rubbish week in, week out.

While empathising with his plight, Kelly’s creative ear heard something else.

“That was the start of the song, the first line of the chorus,” Kelly told The Australian. “That’s often how songs start. With a voice. I didn’t plan to write a song about Eddie but the voice wouldn’t go away.”

The result is Every Step of the Way, a moving single written from the perspective of Betts, who last month played his 350th and final AFL game.

“I’m so sick and tired of keeping it inside / I’m so sick and tired today,” sings Kelly. “I remember the old ones’ hard travelling / They’re with me every step of the way.”

Released on Wednesday, the sparsely arranged track is built on acoustic guitar, sighing strings and voice.

“I always thought it should be recorded minimally,” he said. “I wanted to keep the song intimate and raw. To me it’s a folk song. It doesn’t need dressing up.”

Eddie Betts playing for Carlton in May 2021, in round 7 of what would be his final AFL season. Picture: Michael Klein

Of the decision to write in the first person, Kelly said, “Some people say you can’t do that but I think a writer should feel free to go wherever a particular voice calls them. With that freedom comes responsibility. It’s a close to the bone song and I felt it was important that I checked with Eddie before releasing it.”

So he did.

“I was so honoured when Paul reached out to me with a song that he had written from his heart,” said Betts in a statement.

“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.

“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 – this song means a lot to me,” said Betts.

Artwork for Every Step of the Way, a single by singer-songwriter Paul Kelly about the AFL football player Eddie Betts, released in September 2021.

Every Step of the Way arrives two years after another football-related song, Every Day My Mother’s Voice, an upbeat rocker which Kelly wrote for the closing credits of The Final Quarter, the feature documentary about Adam Goodes’s decision to retire from the AFL in 2015.

Taken together as a footy duology of sorts, the two songs see Kelly creating something beautiful and positive out of the ugly experiences of Betts and Goodes, who both endured racial vilification throughout their years playing sport at the highest level.

“For thousands of years telling stories has been a way of dealing with pain and sorrow,” said Kelly. “It doesn’t make the pain and sorrow go away but it does help by putting something alongside those things, something you can turn to.”