Post by ScaryDan on Feb 2, 2002 4:20:59 GMT -5
The Gulf of Araby
by Katell Keineg
If you could fill a veil with shells from Killiney's shore
And sweet talk in a tongue that is no more
If wishful thought could bridge
The Gulf of Araby
Between what is
What is
What is
And what can never be
If you could hold the frozen flow of New Hope Creek
And hide out from the one they said you might meet
If you could unlearn all the words
That you never wanted heard
If you could stall the southern wind
That's whistling in your ear
You could take what is
What is
What is
To what can never be
One man of seventy whispers free at last
Two neighbours who are proud of their massacres
Three tyrants torn away in a winter's month
Four prisoners framed by a dirty judge
Five burned with tyres
Six men still inside
And seven more days to shake at the great divide
We would plough and part the earth to bring you home
We would harvest every miracle ever known
If they laid out all the things
That these ten years want to bring
We would gladly give them up
To bring you back to us
O, there is nothing we would not give
To kiss you and believe we can take what is
What is
What is
To what can never be
One man of seventy whispers not free yet
Two neighbors who make up knee-deep in their dead
Three tyrants torn away in the summer's heat
Four prisoners lost in the fallacy
Five, on my life
Six, I'm dead inside
And seven more days to shake at the great divide
~~
I had to share this...I've been listening to it ever since I saw Natalie perform it, and it is so powerful, and moving. Especially when prefaced with her speech about how, until she saw the exhibition about the stolen aborigines, she had never heard the term "Stolen Generation" it made me realise that...I don't know. I guess Australia isn't really the amazingly wonderfully beautiful country we make it out to be. Go and find an MP3 of the song [was released on Natalie's "Live In Concert" album - also Katell has a version herself, both are quite different. Natalie's is very powerful, anthemic, but Katell's is more folky, telling a story and encouraging people to go out with the song to do good. Natalie's is more a rousing battle cry. Both are damn fine.]
by Katell Keineg
If you could fill a veil with shells from Killiney's shore
And sweet talk in a tongue that is no more
If wishful thought could bridge
The Gulf of Araby
Between what is
What is
What is
And what can never be
If you could hold the frozen flow of New Hope Creek
And hide out from the one they said you might meet
If you could unlearn all the words
That you never wanted heard
If you could stall the southern wind
That's whistling in your ear
You could take what is
What is
What is
To what can never be
One man of seventy whispers free at last
Two neighbours who are proud of their massacres
Three tyrants torn away in a winter's month
Four prisoners framed by a dirty judge
Five burned with tyres
Six men still inside
And seven more days to shake at the great divide
We would plough and part the earth to bring you home
We would harvest every miracle ever known
If they laid out all the things
That these ten years want to bring
We would gladly give them up
To bring you back to us
O, there is nothing we would not give
To kiss you and believe we can take what is
What is
What is
To what can never be
One man of seventy whispers not free yet
Two neighbors who make up knee-deep in their dead
Three tyrants torn away in the summer's heat
Four prisoners lost in the fallacy
Five, on my life
Six, I'm dead inside
And seven more days to shake at the great divide
~~
I had to share this...I've been listening to it ever since I saw Natalie perform it, and it is so powerful, and moving. Especially when prefaced with her speech about how, until she saw the exhibition about the stolen aborigines, she had never heard the term "Stolen Generation" it made me realise that...I don't know. I guess Australia isn't really the amazingly wonderfully beautiful country we make it out to be. Go and find an MP3 of the song [was released on Natalie's "Live In Concert" album - also Katell has a version herself, both are quite different. Natalie's is very powerful, anthemic, but Katell's is more folky, telling a story and encouraging people to go out with the song to do good. Natalie's is more a rousing battle cry. Both are damn fine.]
