Murray’s Lament

Once I was something, remember me then?

I ran so wild and free

From mountain to valley

Through redgum and mallee

I ran all the way to the sea

Thought I’d run for all time in those years of my prime

Now time’s running out for me

And as I lie dying, you’re not even trying

To help me run down to the sea

When you came along with your dance and your song

I was taken in by your charms

And you found your pleasures in all of my treasures

As you settled down in my arms

With your ploughs and your ditches, you made all your riches

From the bounty that I bestowed

And your sons and your daughters all drank from my waters

With no thought for the debt that they owed

But you can’t keep on and taking without something breaking

And the reckoning’s finally come

And where are you now, with all your know how

When it’s time to tally the sum?

After all we’ve been through, is it too much to do

To agree on what’s to be done?

If you really cared for all that we’ve shared

You’d find some way to help me to run

But your mouths just chatter with things that don’t matter

While mine’s gone silent and dry

And your banks are swollen with all that you’ve stolen

While mine are just left bare to die

It’s a cruel situation to feed a whole nation

And be treated like this by a friend

It's not me who'll be cursed if I die here of thirst

It’s you who’ll be damned in the end

Oh, but once I was something, remember me when

I ran so wild and free

From mountain to valley

Through redgum and mallee

I ran all the way to the sea

Thought I’d run for all time in those years of my prime

Now time’s running out for me

And as I lie dying, I wish you were trying

To help me run down to the sea

I hope that you know, I’m not ready to go

Help me run down to the sea

Could you, this time, be a true friend of mine?

Help me run down to the sea

Listen to me, please hear my plea

Help me run down to the sea

Help me run down to the sea

Help me run down to the sea

[Words by John Sutton, 30 May 2018, any use subject to an Attribution+ShareAlike (BY-SA) licence]

NOTE: The version sung by Tripple Effect modifies the above (original) version by replacing verses 3 &4 with the chorus, as follows:

Once I was something, remember me then?

I ran so wild and free

From mountain to valley

Through redgum and mallee

I ran all the way to the sea

Thought I’d run for all time in those years of my prime

Now time’s running out for me

And as I lie dying, you’re not even trying

To help me run down to the sea

When you came along with your dance and your song

I was taken in by your charms

And you found your pleasures in all of my treasures

As you settled down in my arms

With your ploughs and your ditches, you made all your riches

From the bounty that I bestowed

And your sons and your daughters all drank from my waters

With no thought for the debt that they owed

Oh, but once I was something, remember me when

I ran so wild and free

From mountain to valley

Through redgum and mallee

I ran all the way to the sea

Thought I’d run for all time in those years of my prime

Now time’s running out for me

And as I lie dying, I wish you were trying

To help me run down to the sea

But your mouths just chatter with things that don’t matter

While mine’s gone silent and dry

And your banks are swollen from all that you’ve stolen

While mine are just left bare to die

It’s a cruel situation to feed a whole nation

And be treated like this by a friend

It's not me who'll be cursed if I die here of thirst

It’s you who’ll be damned in the end

Oh, but once I was something, remember me when

I ran so wild and free

From mountain to valley

Through redgum and mallee

I ran all the way to the sea

Thought I’d run for all time in those years of my prime

Now time’s running out for me

And as I lie dying, I wish you were trying

To help me run down to the sea

I hope that you know, I’m not ready to go

Help me run down to the sea

Could you, this time, be a true friend of mine?

Help me run down to the sea

Listen to me, please hear my plea

Help me run down to the sea

Help me run down to the sea

Help me run down to the sea

Straight from the Heart (the Makarrata Song)

Straight from the Heart (The Makarrata Song)

They gathered in the heart of the wide brown land

Put their differences aside, said “together we stand

You asked what we want, so we’ll tell you straight

That our people are hurting, but it’s not too late

If you really want to help heal the wounds of the past

And really close the gap with some justice at last

We’ll tell you straight from the Heart

We’ll speak straight from the Heart

Of this land”

So they talked and they sang till they worked it all out

“Three tasks to do, one word to shout

There’s a Voice to be heard, there’s Truth to be told

There’s a Treaty to be signed, to right wrongs of old

It’s Makarrata we want, Makarrata’s the cry

From this great red rock under this southern sky

We speak straight from the Heart

We cry straight from the Heart

Of this land”

To Canberra they came, said “here’s what we say

If you wanna walk with us, this is the way”

But Canberra said “no, you ask for too much

We wanted something with a much lighter touch

Something we could sell to those on the right

Who can’t see past their blindfolds into the light

Of what’s straight from the Heart

Though it’s straight from the Heart

Of this land”

Well it’s been said before they know how to wait

But Makarrata's already two hundred years late

There’s no time like now to do what we must

And bury terra nullius under the dust

Of this blood-stained country, this heart-broken land

Where the red rock itself cries in the sand

Straight from the Heart

Straight from the Heart

Of this land

But the Heart of this land isn’t just Uluru

It’s what beats in the chest of me and of you

It’s what cries in the soul of this country we share

It’s what sings in our sighs for the dreams that we dare

It’s what lifts us to hope and to care for each other

It drives the blood of the bond between sister and brother

It’s what gives us our strength to rise above fears

It’s the rock of our dreams, our hopes and our tears

That come straight from the Heart

Straight from the Heart

Of this land

So if we want it to be, it’s over to us

We can’t leave it to others we’ve learnt not to trust.

It’s Makarrata we need, Makarrata’s the way

To a much better future, to a bran nue dae

When the clear light of Truth will finally be shone

On all of the lies about what has been done

When those who’ve been silenced will be given their Voice

And those who won’t listen won’t have any choice

But to sign that damn Treaty and pay the damn rent

For country and lives stolen and spent

So let’s sing it and shout it all over this land

Until justice prevails, and as one we all stand

Singing straight from the Heart

Crying straight from the Heart

Of this land

So let’s sing it and shout it all over this land

Until justice prevails, and as one we all stand

Singing straight from the Heart

Crying straight from the Heart

Singing straight from the Heart

Crying straight from the Heart

Of this land

[words by John Sutton, 26 April, 2018, any use subject to an Attribution+ShareAlike (BY-SA) licence]