Almost immediately after the introduction of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill in March 1985, opponents began organising vocal campaigns against it. Many framed their opposition through religious belief, drawing on arguments and tactics already being used in anti-gay campaigns in the United States.
A nationwide petition against the legislation was soon launched. Leaders within the The Salvation Army took a leading role, using the organisation’s networks and resources to gather signatures across the country. Volunteers went door-to-door, school-to-school, collecting names from those who believed the proposed reform threatened the moral fabric of the nation.
In the musical, the principal opponents of reform appear together as a small vocal barbershop group known as The Carpenters. They present themselves as ordinary, simply trying to “build” and protect society as they believe it should be.
The home page for the musical can be found here. The human-authored lyrics and dramatic structure by Gareth Watkins are licensed under the CC BY 4.0 licence; reuse and adaptation with attribution are permitted and encouraged. See the full licensing statement.
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[Verse 1]
We are but carpenters
Doing God’s work
And this is not in His plan
Certainly not in His plan
It’s simply a sickness
A deviation
A queer aberration
Some would say a virus
[Verse 2]
And we are but carpenters
A small vocal group
And we feel such sincere concern
But, sympathy is not sanction
They are disordered
They need to be converted
Shocked with E.C.T.
into hetero normality
[Verse 3]
So in my firm left hand
I raise a petition
Promoted by the Salvation Army
To strike this law reform down, down, down
Yes the righteous army
The captains and cadets
Going school-to-school
And door-to-door
[Instrumental Break]
[Break]
Take this example
Going to our neighbours
In a neighbourly way
Knocker, knocker, knock
[Verse 4]
What’s your name sir
Oh, Adam
And ... Steve?
Gentlemen let’s stop you there
Let’s say Adam, if you don’t sign
And Steve, if you won’t sign
Suspicions may start
Stories may circulate
[Verse 5]
You may start out as buddies
A couple of bachelor boys
But whispers can start
And curtains can twitch
And then there’s talkback radio
This is not a threat, Adam and Steve
Because we are just God’s carpenters
And we are all doing His work
Tap, by tap, by tap
[Verse 6]
We are but carpenters
Sweeping away
What should stay unseen
For our social stability
To summarise
We don’t hate the sinner
We will simply silence their stories
Suppress them and strip them of space
[Bridge]
And if the sinner persists
If the sinner resists
If the sinner survives
We’ll hammer them
[Outro]
For we are but carpenters
Doing God’s work
Tapping every Adam
Tapping every Steve
Tap, by tap, by tap.
Voices