for six soloists, choir (SATB) and orchestra [2001]
commissioned by Canberra Choral Society
In 1901, Australia's six white colonies - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria - came together to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Our piece Black Ribbon was one of many projects commissioned to mark the centenary of this federation.
While it celebrates various aspects of the development of Australia, and of Australian society, in the previous one hundred years, the piece also wonders why the more than four hundred black nation states that existed in 1901 were ignored. This proved to be a controversial aspect of the piece, with several members of the choir refusing to sing it. But its performance in Canberra in 2001 went very well and was generally regarded as a great success.
Some of the music comes from pieces (by composers such as Donizetti, Handel, Herold, Rossini, Johann Strauss, Verdi & Wagner) performed at Federation concerts held in 1901.
The original version is 60' long. A shortened version (from Dreamtime to She Wore a Black Ribbon), for Sydney vocal ensemble The Song Company and orchestra, is currently being prepared. Meanwhile, many of the songs are available in versions for solo voice and piano. For information, email the composer or The Australian Music Centre.
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libretto
© 2001 Peter Wesley-Smith
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Walk in the Light (of Federation)
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Good evenin', brothers!
Good evenin', sisters!
Let us tell you why we're here tonight
We're gonna sing of this thing we call the light
We're gonna sing about the light of the world
Of this land, of Federation, of freedom
Of charity and tolerance, of love
But first let's hear what it says in the Bible
In the beginning heaven and earth
There was darkness on the face of the deep
And God said: "Fiat lux et facta est lux"
Once was a time, long long ago
When all was dark and there were no people here to see
What God had made for you and me
So He said, He said "Let there be light!"
That holy light, let it shine on thee
That holy light, let it shine on me
Let it shine through your lives
And through the fed'ral constitution
I tell you He said, He said "Let there be light!:
Et facta est lux!"
Saint Paul wrote to the Ephesians
"Have nothing to do with the things of the darkness
But bring them out to the light"
The good book says "Ye were sometimes darkness
But now ye are light in the Lord
Walk as children of light, of light"
Walk in the light, in understanding
With cries of wonder, the gift of sight
Keeping no secrets, it feels so right
Live in the spirit, walk in the light
Vote for your future, build on your past
Vote for Australia, long may she last!
One people for ever, let's all unite
Marching together, walk in the light
Walkin' in the bright white light of union
Walkin' in the sweet red heat of joy
Walkin' in the glow of freedom and security
Australia ahoy!
There's a light that comes with Federation!
We'll be marching together, friend with friend
With pride, security, free trade, White Australia
True-blue British to the end!
Let's walk in love, love ev'ry day
The Fed'ral government will guide the way
Love fears no evil, love knows no pride
Now and forever love will provide
Walk with the saviour, walk with us all
In temp'rance and freedom, walkin' so tall
We'll be a Commonwealth and she'll be right
Forward together, walk in the light!
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Dreamtime |
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In the beginning - the songs
The songs, learned by generation after generation
Sung, and borrowed, and sung again
And lived and shared and sung once more
The songs are the law
Songlines throughout the land
Ev'rything shared, freedom under law
Rev'rence for all things given
The songs, the Dreamtime, when time ran slowly
Rocks and hills, the waterholes and trees
Sprouted from the long dead land, investing it with meaning
Songlines, live in spirit, each tribe in its own territory
My solemn duty is to sentence you to be transported to New South Wales
There to serve a term of seven years
For your crime of stealing six cucumber plants
I trust you'll see the error of your ways
White men came to build a prison
Then settlers with their flocks of sheep
With guns to kill all that they saw
There were stations, missions, grog
Education, disease, prisons
To assimilate the poor benighted proud
Blackfella
Rejoice!
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Aboriginal states included:
Arabana, Aranda, Badimaia, Bagindji, Bagu, Balardong, Banggala,
Bibelman, Bigambul, Bindjareb, Bordaulum, Budidjara, Bulangu,
Bundamura, Burara, Darkinjung, Darug, Dieri, Djargudi Djaru,
Djawin, Djinba, Djirribal, Gadudjara, Gandju, Gangulu
Blackfella, Gari Waluwarra
Rejoice!
Mangaridji, Mangarei, Mandjindja, Njamal, Njibali, Njangomada, Ngugan, Ngarigo, Nangomeri, Nangadadara, Turrbal, Tongaranka, Togeman, Tiwi, Rembranga, Pita Pita, Pitjentjarrah, Nyekini, Jogula, Mulluk Mulluk, Jaraldi, Jabu, Ingada, Indjibandi, Loritja, Wurunjerri, Gidjingali, Gindungurra, Girimayi, Goa, Goara, Gogada, Golpa, Gugadja, Gunavidji, Gunbulan, Guradjara, Gurindji, Geawegal, Wailbri, Kuku Yalandji, Wathi-wathi, Mara, Wanamara, Jiwadja, Jandruwanda, Tangani, Wadjug, Wiranggu, Moola Boola
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The natives know that all people that on earth do dwell
Must sing to the Lord with cheerful voice
Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell
Come ye before Him - blackfella, rejoice
You are the weakest link. Goodbye!
Australia, Australia, Australia
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Our Nation, Where We Belong
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As Victor Trumper rules supreme
We dream a noble dream
We're national in cricket
It seems just the ticket
For a nation to follow the team
We love this old country
Its mountains and plains
Its flora so very much enjoyed
And those unique native animals
That were once ev'rywhere
Not to mention the forests of cedar
That we've recently destroyed
Mind you, there are people
Who don't get it at all
We don't understand
That God told his peoples
"Be fruitful, plant and grow things
Develop the land"
This is progress
This is Nature's decree
Such progress is destined to be
It is
This land was terra nullius
We love Mother England
The union, the British Empire
Our homeland 'cross the sea
But: I am, some aren't, you may be, but
We are Australian
The colonies of Australia will all be joined as one
As not just any galah would
We'll face Mister Larwood
Together we'll ping him for a ton
We'll waltz with Matilda, we'll all back Phar Lap
And we'll give Mister Alatas a gong
And the boys fighting at Gallipoli will kindle our pride
In Our Nation, were we belong
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Tarantara!
Our trumpets all sounded
The Poms were confounded
Tarantara!
How much is that rabbit in the window?
How much has it cost us that the pig-footed
Bandicoot has gone hippity hop?
Chippity chop
Not me
Nor my neighbours Betty and Roger, Kay
Sarah, and
Many other people such as
Molly and Stan want to
Develop the land - and why not?
Is it?
Is it Nature's decree that we should be
The destroyer?
Tarantara!
Tarantara!
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Two Four Six Eight! |
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Federation'll be sensational
Things colonial ain't harmonial
Indivisible sure ain't risible
Unanimity is sublimity
Give us unity for community
Regularity, solidarity
Two, four, six, eight
Let's go out and federate!
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Here's to Thee, Oh Federation
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Here's to thee, oh Federation
Celebrate your first centenary
It was rational to go national
With such splendid constitutional machinery
Though amended once or twice it is a worthy document
Though now and then it might be criticised it's still magnificent
It may be we fulfilled our destiny
That they gave us a miracle
All present would agree
Aborigines - they do not count
So let's not count them at all, at all
And let's bar niggers and Chinamen
Lascars, kanakas and all
White Australia - Asians keep out
Dirty, diseased, and depraved
Don't know their station
No miscegenation
Or we'll be enslaved
We are a virgin dressed in white
We're walking in the light
(Too many blacks about
At least there ain't no doubt
That soon they'll all die out
No doubt)
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British Hearts Beat Proud |
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Here's to things almost ethereal
And to matters more material
British interests imperial
That dear old rag the British flag
Shimmers like a star
British hearts beat proud
British throats all loud-
Ly acclaim the noble name
Australia
With British pluck endowed
We all rejoice and with one voice
Sing Australia
We are bringing home the bacon to awaken southern oceans
(All their God-forsaken, mistaken old potions)
And we'll keep them free of sermons by the Germans and the French
(Also other vermin determining notions)
Interstate trade and commerce shall be absolutely free
Interstate taxes shall disappear
To simply huge acclaim
(Trade and commerce shall be sweetly and completely free of taxes)
All the customs houses far and near
(Ev'ry customs house abolished and demolished over night)
And each customs agent and cashier
(And their registers, account books, and the smugglers' goods they seize)
Will lose its wheeze, what's more its squeeze will be dead and gone
A higher stature, a grander name
A bolder posture, a broader fame
Calm and laconic, often ironic, anti-heroic
Stoic the native-born man and boy
A longer arm-span, a bigger game
A wider wing-span, renown, acclaim
Tough, sentimental, rough, rather gentle, bushie, suburban
Urban the native-born man and boy
We do proclaim Australia
We've lit the flame - Australia
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The Crimson Thread of Kinship |
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Pride of place
A sense of space
And the crimson thread of kinship
It's the blood of true British yeomen
And it surges through us all
In this sunburnt southern land
We have heard a nation call
It's a continent, a nation
With federation
One flag, one hope
One glorious destiny
We are one indissoluble nation
Six colonies as one
Oh Lord thy will was done
Humbly relying on all the blessings
(Humbly beseeching almighty God)
Bestowed on us by the Almighty Lord
One firm voice as in one accord
We're marching together now and forever
Marching together on bended knee
In unison and in harmony
An island proudly girt by sea
Good God! We place our faith in thee
In nation and in continent
In God we trust
Good God! This place a timeless
Wide brown country
With its mountains full of rocks and dirt
And we are girt by sea
To federate was a must!
Our God is just!
Federation!
It's our home, this land
Sweeping plains and mountain ranges
Highways, roads, and huge interchanges
Thus to us it you must hand
Oh noble heart
Beating fiercely proud and loyal
Beating fiercely for any Royal
It's our land's true-blue red heart
So true, Blue
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True to the King |
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True to the green and gold and the red, white, and blue
True to the bunny and the cute kangaroo
True to the King and his fabled federation
United we stand
Hand clasped in hand
True to this grand land
Australia fair
Dinkum
Home of the free
And girt by sea
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She Wore a Black Ribbon |
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She wore a black ribbon to tie up her hair
And a black arm-band, black dress, black gloves
She grieved for her children, stolen away
Lost past, lost future, lost culture, lost loves
She wore a black ribbon to tie up her hair
But her hair and her heart were grey
But her hair and her heart were grey
She wore that black ribbon through all of her years
And the black arm-band day after day
Black gin, black heart, black laughter, black tears
Black beauty, black children stolen away
She wore that black ribbon to tie up her hair
But her hair and her heart were grey
But her hair and her heart were grey ...
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Walk in the Light (of Federation) |
Dreamtime |
Our Nation, Where We Belong |
Two Four Six Eight! |
Here's to Thee, Oh Federation |
British Hearts Beat Proud |
The Crimson Thread of Kinship |
True to the King |
She Wore a Black Ribbon |
I'm a City Boy |
Rule Australia |
Poor Old Poms |
The Don |
The News |
Mabo |
Why Weren't We Told? |
So Much to Give |
It's Time Now |
How to Write an Anthem |
These Are Our Symbols
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I'm a City Boy |
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I'm a city boy, hails from Melbourne
I was born on the right side of the line
I s'pose I've done okay
In an ordinary sort of way
You've got yours, but I've got mine
Back then growing up there in Melbourne
Most of my friends they were much the same
They were whitefella blokes
Sort of ordinary decent folks
A touch of pride, no sense of shame
Nobody told me 'bout the Dreamtime
The Rainbow Snake, the totem and taboo
All I ever heard about the rainbow was the pot of gold
Nobody told me, I never knew
We are city boys and girls, what do we know
About blackfella culture and the land?
They'd go walkabout
And anyway they'd all die out
We didn't care or understand
Take that Uluru: great big boulder
I clambered up one summer night
Up top I saw
A source of blackfella law
A spiritual place, a sacred site
Nobody told me 'bout the Dreamtime
The Rainbow Snake, the totem and taboo
All we ever heard about the rainbow was the pot of gold
Nobody told us, we never knew
I'm a city boy, but I know our culture
Comes from our kinship with the soil
We'll take the flamin' lot
And the land can all go rot
Coal and uranium, timber and oil
Aborigines once knew better
The stories, dances, and the songs
Each rock, bird, and tree
Given meaning in corroboree
Each in its place, everything belongs
Nobody told me 'bout the Dreamtime
Though ev'ry day I'd hear a didgeridoo
But now I know about the rainbow and that black arm-band
Nobody told me, what do I do?
Nobody told us, we never knew
(She wore a black ribbon to tie up her hair
But her hair and her heart were grey)
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Poor Old Poms |
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Poor old Poms sing at the Proms
"Britannia rules the waves"
Both here and there, everywhere
You'll find their white man's graves
Fighting for the flag, stiff upper lip
For Country and Queen, flannelled fools
Batting in a Test match, playing the game
They're scoring some runs, but then
Warnie takes a wicket!
Now Poms all know they'll lose the cricket
Unless Britannia waives the rules
Dear old Poms sing at the Proms
"Britannia rules the waves"
Here and there, everywhere
You'll find their white man's graves
Fighting for the flag, stiff upper lip
For Country and Queen, flannelled fools
Battling in a Test match, playing the game
They're scoring some runs, but then
Oo ah Glen McGra'!
Poms all know they'll lose the cricket
Unless Britannia waives the rules
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The Don |
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At last the game is over, The Don departs
After an innings much admired
No-one bats on forever, but in our hearts
The Don is not out, he's just retired
When The Don was batting
And fours came fast and free
Ev'ry day was a rainbow day for me
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Mabo |
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Hey! Eddie Mabo! What have you done?
You had the law of the land in your sights
You went to the High Court, they gave you your rights
Hey! Eddie Mabo! You won!
But poor Eddie Mabo, you're dead and gone
You were so charming, determined, and brave
After your vict'ry they smashed up your grave
Yet poor Eddie Mabo lives on
Sovereign nationhood and unity
In accord with each community
But the aborigines
Their sovereignties
Were utterly despised
Not recognised at all
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Here's to thee, oh Federation
There must be a celebration
Virgin white
Not won by might
Nor ringed with steel
Deep-rooted in the commonweal
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Why Weren't We Told? |
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Why weren't we told? Why didn't we know?
Why were we sold a lie?
Why were there secrets not so long ago?
Can anyone tell us why?
Those were the bad old days back then
These days it's diff'rent somehow
Our leaders are hon'rable women and men
Just what aren't they telling us now?
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So Much to Give |
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Fair-go society, live and let live
Cherish diversity, so much to give
Might and authority give way to right
Fed'ral Australia, walk in the light
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City boy meets pretty girl
She's a new Australian born in Singapore
They're soon in love, they sing the same tune
Now they're walking together in the light
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It's Time Now |
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One hundred years ago,
We became a federation
A nation imagined,
A country invaded
And a people corrupted
It's time now to remember
To acknowledge and move on
As a nation
Was it just the familiar story
Federation for trade, defence
The white race, and for glory?
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How to Write an Anthem |
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To write a nation'l anthem
You must choose an appropriate theme
With a steady beat
And a text replete
With a regular rhyming scheme
And when you've got
A patriot-
Ic suitably stirring tune
Then all you need is a rousing chorus
And the thing will be over soon
Make sure you have a nation
Where men walk proud and free
So ev'ryone can cry
"Australia for aye!"
And "Australia for me!"
Alas a nation'l anthem
Must have lines (that are) full of grandiloquence
Some that stride and strut
With some none too subt-
Ly emotional sentiments
Some words sublime
An anti-clim-
Ax, an island that's girt by sea
Then all you need is some rousing fanfares
And a drumroll for Liberty
Your statesmen and your soldiers
Have made your nation's mark
So ev'ryone declare
"Advance Australia Fair!"
And "Advance Australia Dark!"
(Ratatata)
Federation! Jubilation!
Our Nation Australia!
All people that in China do dwell
Want to come over here, so we must
Federate, federate, federate rate rate!
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These Are Our Symbols |
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Bradman, Ned Kelly
Phar Lap, Dad 'n' Dave
That bounder the kangaroo
Echoes of Dreamtime
Resound from the grave
Waltzing Matilda, she'll do
Ginger Meggs, Gallipoli
That Snowy bloke's ride
Each flamin' Aussie boy's shed
These are our symbols
Of national pride
Enough said ...
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Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Lamingtons
Pavlovas, Chiko rolls
Vegemite, Hills Hoists
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