 The song " Black Tears " from the album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence originally had the lyric " An island watchhouse bed , a black man 's lying dead " , which sparked fears that it might prejudice the trial of the former Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley over the 2004 Palm Island death in custody case . The band claimed that the song 's lyrics primarily dealt with the climbing of Uluru by tourists despite requests from the Indigenous people of the area to respect their sacred sites and not climb . The original version of the song was retracted from the album , and replaced with an alternative version with the criticised material removed . The legal team for Hurley , who was charged with manslaughter over the death of Mulrunji in 2004 , had referred the song to the Attorney @-@ General of Queensland , Kerry Shine , in their attempt at altering the track . One of Hurley 's lawyers , Glen <unk> , stated that " the content and proposed timing of the song 's release raises some serious concerns regarding Mr Hurley 's trial " . Powderfinger 's band manager , Paul Piticco , stated that Fanning had confirmed that a line in the song was related to the case . However , he added that the lyric in question could refer to " a watchhouse in The Bahamas or something " . 
