DESCRIPTION:
This production was written, recorded and filmed over 5 days in April 2016 in Cairns NSW with a group of young Indigenous people from around Far North Queensland involved in the transitional & foster care system.

The project came about through a partnership between Desert Pea Media, The Smugglers of Light Foundation, APRA/AMCOS, The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Cairns Community Hub and Queensland Health.

The project involved a dialogue-based storytelling process that encouraged participants to analyze 'the real', 'the ideal' and 'the bridge'. In simple terms this means critically thinking about how to create positive change for individuals, for each other and for our communities.

This information was then directed into a narrative structure by local young people and Desert Pea Media staff. With the musical direction of Joel 'Roc West' Westlake, and mentoring from Queensland Health worker Zenith Bonner, we then turned the narrative into this awesome song, which we filmed immediately on location around Cairns.

Further mentoring support came from previous DPM project participants, including Vincent Scott and feature vocalist Shavonne Hansell from Cairns Murri Crew.

LYRICS

Cairns Island let you know where we from
Cairns City to the Straits FNQ we belong
to the country of my people, my dance and my song --
stay strong we got beats bala drop it like a bomb

Yarrabah, Besi - Cohen and Cairns
Horn Island but living on Irrukandji Land
Understand - Cairns Crew we can never say never
Together we make change that'll last forever.

Struggles like an everyday thing for my mob -
lotta drugs, lotta grog, no hope and no jobs
lotta cops lotta time spent fighting each other
Lotta trauma passed down from my great grandmother

lotta dance lotta song from the land that we on
lotta culture, lots of customs my people stand strong
hands to the roof keep it real to ya roots
gotta Whole lotta truth getting rapped in the booth

CHORUS

SING SONGLINE
Songline & rhyme
I love this country of mine

SING SONGLINE
Songline & rhyme
We been here for a very long time

We from Gimuy yeh we from Gimuy

We believe what we need to achieve
Is big goals big hopes and big dreams
No matter how hard it seems
Shine bright in the dark of the night like a sunbeam

Some dreams seem impossible to reach
It’s like ya trying to draw blood out of a stone
Remember when ya down and out
Circling the roundabout
Ya never have to do it on ya own.

Basically brother well you can take it from me
Having respect doing the work education is the key
Ask for help, seek support brother the truth will set you free
You gunna need some vocab to be a dope mc

Where my family at? I got a family that
Even despite all the struggles and stress they got my back
Man I’m proud of that, and no matter the dream
With my family behind me there’s nothin I can’t achieve

CREDITS

Young people in Cairns, QLD - Co-Director/ Co-Writer
Toby Finlayson - Producer/ Director/ Writer/ DOP/ Editor
Joel Westlake - Music Producer/ Co-Writer
Zenith Bonner - Co-Director/ Co-Writer/ Co-Producer
Roy Weiland - Colour Grading/Motion Graphics
David Nicholas - Audio Mixing & Mastering