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Before Their Ship Arrived

from Spies Are Reading My Blog by David Rovics

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Dedicated to both of the main parties that rule over the institutionally racist nation of Australia.

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My father's mother's parents came here on a boat
They came from a land of kings and queens,
but on the wrong side of the moat
My father's father's parents came here on one, too
They didn't want to leave Austria, but it was the thing for Jews to do
I don't know your story but I bet it's more or less the same
What kind of war or famine was on when your family came
Before their ship arrived

Did your folks come here to discover and explore
Or were they refugees running from the war
Did they cross the freezing mountains to make it to the sea
All the while wishing that they never had to flee
Were they marched across the jungles with chains around their feet
Nearly dying of exhaustion in the desert heat
Before their ship arrived

Did they make a life here or were they kidnapped and detained
Held for years in limbo as their optimism waned
Were they turned down for asylum and told they shouldn't lie
Then sent off to be tortured, sent back home to die
Did they get to move here, create their lives anew
Or are they held on Christmas Island asking what on Earth they can do
Before their ship arrived

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from Spies Are Reading My Blog, released November 4, 2013

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David Rovics Portland, Oregon

Singer/songwriter, writer, podcaster (on Spotify, Substack & Patreon), anarchist, dad, lover of life.

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