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From Little Things Big Things Grow Lyrics
Gather round people I'll tell you a story
An eight year long story of power and pride
British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiari
Were opposite men on opposite sides
Vestey was fat with money and muscle
Beef was his business, broad was his door
Vincent was lean and spoke very little
He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Gurindji were working for nothing but rations
Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter
Gurindju decided they must make a stand
They picked up their swags and started off walking
At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
Now it don't sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
Back at the homestead and then in the town
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Vestey man said I'll double your wages
Eighteen quid a week you'll have in your hand
Vincent said uh-huh we're not talking about wages
We're sitting right here till we get our land
Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
You don't stand the chance of a cinder in snow
Vince said if we fall others are rising
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Then Vincent Lingiari boarded an aeroplane
Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
And daily he went round softly speaking his story
To all kinds of men from all walks of life
And Vincent sat down with big politicians
This affair they told him is a matter of state
Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Then Vincent Lingiari returned in an airplane
Back to his country once more to sit down
And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns
Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting
'Til one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
And through Vincent's fingers poured a handful of sand
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
That was the story of Vincent Lingairri
But this is the story of something much more
How power and privilege can not move a people
Who know where they stand and stand in the law
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
An eight year long story of power and pride
British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiari
Were opposite men on opposite sides
Beef was his business, broad was his door
Vincent was lean and spoke very little
He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor
From little things big things grow
Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter
Gurindju decided they must make a stand
At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
Now it don't sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
Back at the homestead and then in the town
From little things big things grow
Eighteen quid a week you'll have in your hand
Vincent said uh-huh we're not talking about wages
We're sitting right here till we get our land
Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
You don't stand the chance of a cinder in snow
Vince said if we fall others are rising
From little things big things grow
Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
And daily he went round softly speaking his story
To all kinds of men from all walks of life
This affair they told him is a matter of state
Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait
From little things big things grow
Back to his country once more to sit down
And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns
'Til one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
And through Vincent's fingers poured a handful of sand
From little things big things grow
But this is the story of something much more
How power and privilege can not move a people
Who know where they stand and stand in the law
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
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This song is so amazing. Its about the aboriginal people of Australia trying to get their land back 'That was the story of Vincent Lingairri But this is the story of something much more How power and privilege can not move a people Who know where they stand and stand in the law'
as an aspiring human rights lawyer this song means a hell of let to me.
While finding what this song is really about, I stumbled on this...Here is part of the article, but please follow the link at the bottom to read the full article. (Well worth the read!)
From Little Things Big Things Grow' is the anthem of the land rights movement in Australia, telling the story of the proud Gurindji people and their stand against the might of the cattle baron, Lord Vestey. It is a story of hope and optimism first sung by Paul Kelly & Kev Carmody and adapted by The GetUp Mob earlier this year.
The song's story has now been made into book, illustrated with paintings by children from the Gurindji community and is a not-for-profit project with all money raised going to the community to create an art room for sharing of skills and stories. You can buy your copy here.
Frank Hardy's daughter, Shirley Hardy-Rix who has coordinated the book writes about how it came to be published.
“Gather round people, I’ll tell you a story. An eight-year-long story of power and pride…”
Link: http://www.getup.org.au/blogs/view.php?id=1583
If you'd like to know more about the Wave Hill Walk-Off (the Aboriginal movement which inspired the song) read Frank Hardy's account of the strike "The Unlucky Australians"
If you'd like to know more about the Wave Hill Walk-Off (the Aboriginal movement which inspired the song) read Frank Hardy's account of the strike "The Unlucky Australians"