1. |
Mothers of the Nation
05:12
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Mothers of the nation by Rosie McDonald & Cliona Molins
Mothers of the Nation, pay respect
Mothers of the Nation, your strength has brought us here
Mothers of the Nation, pioneers , weave the nations cloth
Mothers of the Nation, wise women of this land
Mothers of the Nation , elder women, women sing our song
Ooh …
Mothers of the Nation , Black and White
Written out of history
Mothers of the nation, Hold your heads high
Mothers of the nation ,Elders yarn,
her story of strength and fight
to carve out a life in this land
Chorus
There’s no roads, no statues named for them
Pioneers in land old and new
Those of you who arrived under sail
and those whose land we stole
Mothers of the nation , pay respect
Unsung unpaid
Mothers of the nation ,heartbeat of our land
Mothers of the nation ,convict girls
descendants we are now
1 in 7 of us here.
Chorus
Grandmothers of the nation , pay respect
Your strength brought us here
Mothers of the nation ,Goldfields, earth and bush
Mothers of the nation ,show resistance to the harsh rule
By your guidance and strength we are here
Chorus
Mothers of Nation Pay respect
Mothers of the nation, Wise women of our land
Mothers of the nation, we will sing your song
Mothers of the nation, weave the nations cloth
Mothers of the nation heartbeat of our land
Mothers of the nation …….Pay respect
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2. |
Banish My Misfortune
04:46
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Banish my Misfortune
From Cork to Port Jackson in 1818
on a convict ship ,with m'baby Aileen
Sent for the crime of stealing lace
to sell for food ,We were starving in place
Wee ones born ,Banshee women wailed
County Down to Kilkenny and Cork we hailed
old ties are broken, banished from home
sweet County Clare is a dream to me now
On St Bridget's day 1821, 109 women & 71 young,
marched down to the factory , troops by our side
stone walls so high , and a harsh life inside
no bed of my own to care for my child
Aileen now 3, by 4 she’ll be gone
sent to orphanage over the wall
punished for my crime, no fault of her own
Chorus
We weave the lines of cloth together
Life, land & blood our songs entwine
This harsh land our fate
no more returning
transported from from
the green fields of home.
Refrain
The bonnet I wear small help from the cold
Tunic and petticoat rough on my skin
The straw hat I wear small shade from the sun
God please save me banish my misfortune
To Parramatta factory, to weave, spin and work
lay out the linen for the fine folk
We live together, work together
cook clean and sew, face joy, loss and pain
many secrets kept here
We’ll sing together, weave ,tell old tales and new
in the heat of the sun ,the sky topaz blue
Oh i wish my dear Sean was here by my side
to steal me away to start a new life
Chorus
refrain
Shorn is my mane, my beautiful red hair
Mammy told me it would be my fortune
Shorn is my mane my red tempered mane
God please save me
Banish my misfortune
Banish misfortune - Lilting/tune
I’ll weave the lines of cloth
Life, land & blood our songs entwine
This harsh land my fate
no more returning
transported here
to weave a new life
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3. |
Little Parramatta Mary
04:25
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Little Parramatta Mary
Hundred days at sea, I held you, Mary
‘Nursed you well tho, many babes were lost
Here at the Female Factory you learned to dance with me
But at 4 - they took you from my arms
I’m staying good, so I can see you, Mary
Without you, the work is hard and the night’s are long.
Chorus
I’ll get you from the orphan school, my Mary
Prison’s not for you - my innocent child
But the walls are high up here in Parramatta
Your mother’s heart is broke, till I hold you tight
Alice Leonard had her cunning plan
She climbed that 9 foot wall many times,
But they caught her - with a peach from Matron’s garden
Now she’s locked in 3rd, - picking oakum since last week
Sure I’ll sow their clothes, till me fingers bleed, me darlin
Cause I’m staying good so I can see you soon.
Chorus
They paraded us in the yard to get a man
But no settler’ll take a mother as their bride
They sent me up Maitland with a master,
Who was cruel and he wanted me for his bed
But I didn’t ‘get caught’ with a baby like poor Sarah
Who’s hair was cropped though it was her master’s sin
Oh ‘Transported for Life’ I was - for the sin - of stealing a sheep
….As the ship left my Irish home….how could say “Goodbye”
You’re all I’ve left of me family here
And I won’t be far from you no more
So I’m back in 1st with me Parramatta Factory sisters,
Got me brown serge dress, I’m getting me ticket of leave
I’ll find you in the orphanage by the river
Together you and I - are family
Chorus
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4. |
Shower of Stones
03:37
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Shower of Stones by Cliona Molins and Rosie McDonald
You’ve cut all our rations, bead, sugar & meat
We are starved and thirsty ,working through this heat
Are we worth less than men, in over-crowded cells
So we are piling up stones, for the next riot day
Your cruelty is punishing, we make all your rope
We’re tougher than many ,but we’re losing our hope
In overcrowded cells, where the cold wind whistles in
So we are piling up stones, for the next riot day
You’d shame us by burning cropped locks of our hair
Now someone is earning by selling our share
We know who’s pocketing and the monitress agrees
So we are piling up stones, on this riot day
Ann Jarvis , the traitor she cut off our hair
and earned remission for 2 months from here
We all stand out ground ” Don’t cut our hair”
So we are piling up stones, on this riot day
Cruel Rev Marsden lashed two girls in chains
for “polluting our ears’ he sourly exclaimed
Instead of Pastoral care he profits from our work
So we pelted them with stones on this riot day
Climbing like cats on the roof of 3rd class
With stones in our pinnies, pockets and bonnets
The fear in Marsden’s eyes gave strength to our cause
So we threw showers of stones on this riot day
40 soldiers and their officers – to keep us in line
To come down from this roof we were threatened with time
Subdued us by force we had to concede
So we threw down our stones, on this riot day
we threw showers of stones for cutting our hair
we threw showers of stones as fast as we could
we threw showers of stones for the cruelty we bore
we were strong together on this riot day
we were strong together on this riot day
we were strong together on this riot day
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Mothers of the Nation Band Sydney, Australia
Inspired by the storytelling tradition and the music of Ireland, Cliona & Rosie (Singer/guitarist in Rosie and Nigel) have
collaborated for many years in Sydney band Folklore, and have played many times at the National Folk Festival.
Rosie and Cliona are joined by renowned bluegrass mandolinist Nigel Lever and double bass player Ann Palumbo.
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Contact Mothers of the Nation Band
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