Ahhh, Woodville High School, I am sure there were many good and important things there, but two things stick our from my memories of doing years 11 and 12.
Firstly, there was the exquisite joy for a 16 year old boy of getting minimum chips on the way back from the golf elective at Glanville. I think it was a blend of being with two mates, Victor and David, and having permission to leave school with our bikes, ride to Woodville Train Station, catch the train to Glanville Par 3 Golf Course, and then meander back with some time to spare. It was a heady combination of freedom and access to some of those “simple pleasures” that Tourism South Australia talks about a lot; perfectly made chips and a few games of pinball, all for less than a dollar.
Secondly, there was the exquisite fear and joy of being the only boy in the year 12 drama class and getting to perform an on-stage kiss in our main production. For a specialist in unrequited love at that stage, this was quite a thing. It was the first year that drama had been offered at matriculation level and our young teacher, Gaenor Roeger, gave it everything she had. I even remember her making a house visit during the final weeks of study for graduation exams, to provide calm and clarity, delivered in her bright green mini (from memory). I’ve since reviewed plenty of theatre at the Parks Theatre, where our major production was held, and the memories are always dense and delightful.
So, yes, this is a pretty strange filter of memories that probably doesn’t do Woodville High School justice, or does it? Is our time in school purely about what’s in the lesson plan, or is it about exposure to new ideas and situations so we can learn more about where and how we fit into the world?
The process of reflecting on teachers who really impacted me, revealed they were two English teachers and one drama teacher, namely, Carol Faegan (English, Unley High), Mr Murphy (English, Woodville High), and Gaenor Roeger (Drama, Woodville High). I’d never noticed that common thread before; yet another benefit of this project of writing songs.
I hope you enjoy this song and that it does get you thinking about school and things we learn and the ways we learn them, even if you’re not old enough to remember the time when minimum chips was just 40 cents.
PS I was originally thinking this was going to have a pscyhedelic 70s feel but as my virtual session band, The Virtualosos, got into it, I heard the lyrics differently, restructured the various chorus-like elements, and then felt like it had outgrown its brooding nature to become a lighter, more energetic song, matching the ska-influenced movement of those times.
Minimum Chips And An On-Stage Kiss Raw Scratchings
Minimum Chips And An On-Stage Kiss Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Year Eleven, Woodville High School
Was a crucial time for me
Mr Murphy taught me English
And I served in the canteen
As a new kid in the school
I worked hard to get involved
And then I saw that sweet elective
Beginners Par Three Golf
Every Thursday morning
Me, Victor, and Dave
Took our bikes down to the station
And we caught the Glanville train
After several hours
Of perfecting swings and hips
We’d stop at the local deli
For some, minimum chips
[Bridge 1]
Minimum chips
For fourty cents
That’s where
Pocket money went
And with change
We’d play some pinball
Until all Of it was spent
[Pre-chorus 1]
I suppose that
All my teachers
Wished I’d remembered
More than this
But that year at Woodville High School
Stands for
Those minimum chips
[Chorus]
What do you remember about school?
Was it anything your teacher said?
Was it just the golden rule?
Or only lessons learned behind the shed?
What do you remember about school?
Was it anything your teacher said?
Was it just the golden rule?
Or only lessons learned behind the shed?
[Verse 2]
Year Twelve, Woodville High School
And I enrolled in drama class
Seventeen girls and me
‘Cause the other boys gave it a pass
I was there for every lesson
And I always came on time
It was pure infatuation
How can that be a crime?
With graduation nearing
We had to choose a play
It had to push our boundaries
Had to show that we were brave
Then our teacher stunned us
She said here it is
The play was Chamber Music
And it had a long, on-stage kiss
[Bridge 2]
An on-stage kiss
Was what I’d dreamed of
I’d been wishing for this day
But when you finally
Stood before me
My bravado
Drained away
[Pre-chorus 2]
I suppose that
All my teachers
Wished I’d remembered
More than this
But that year at Woodville High School
Stands for
That on-stage kiss
[Chorus]
What do you remember about school?
Was it anything your teacher said?
Was it just the golden rule?
Or only lessons learned behind the shed?
What do you remember about school?
Was it anything your teacher said?
Was it just the golden rule?
Or only lessons learned behind the shed?
[Pre-chorus 3]
Minimum chips
And and on-stage kiss
These memories
Have such bliss
From my years at
Woodville High School
I don’t remember
More than this
[Chorus]
What do you remember about school?
Was it anything your teacher said?
Was it just the golden rule?
Or only lessons learned behind the shed?
What do you remember about school?
Was it anything your teacher said?
Was it just the golden rule?
Or only lessons learned behind the shed?
[Final pre-chorus]
Minimum chips
And and on-stage kiss
These memories
Have such bliss
From my years at
Woodville High School
I don’t remember
More than this
My years at
Woodville High School
I don’t remember more than this
Minimum chips
And and on-stage kiss