From Little Things Big Things Grow - Paul Kelly
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Gather 'round people let me tell you a story, an eight year long story of power and pride.
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British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiarri, were opposite men on opposite sides.
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Vestey was fat with money and muscle. Beef was his business, broad was his door.
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Vincent was lean and spoke very little. He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor.
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From little things, big things grow. From little things, big things grow.
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Gurindji were working for nothing but rations. Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land.
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Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter. Gurindju de-cided they must make a stand.
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They picked up their swags and started off walking. At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down.
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Now it don't sound like much but it sure got tongues talking, back at the homestead and then in the town.
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From little things, big things grow. From little things, big things grow.
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Vestey man said, I'll double your wages. Seven quid a week you'll have in your hand.
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Vincent said uh-aagh, we're not talking about wages. We're sitting right here 'til we get our land.
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Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered, you don't stand the chance of a cinder in snow.
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Vince said, if we fall others are rising. From little things big things grow.
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From little things big things grow.
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Then Vincent Lingiarri boarded an aeroplane, landed in Sydney. Big city of lights.
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And daily he went round softly speaking his story to all kinds of men from all walks of life.
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Vincent sat down with big poli-ticians, this affair they told him is a matter of state.
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Let us sort it out, your people are hungry. Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait.
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From little things big things grow. From little things big things grow.
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Then Vincent Lingiarri re-turned in an aeroplane, back to his country once more to sit down.
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And he told his people let the stars keep on turning. We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns.
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Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting 'til one day, a tall stranger a-ppeared in the land.
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And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony and through Vincents fingers poured a handful of sand
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From little things big things grow. From little things big things grow.
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That was the story of Vincent Lingairri but this is the story of something much more.
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How power and privilege can not move a people who know where they stand and stand in the law.
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From little things big things grow. From little things big things grow.
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From little things big things grow. From little things big things grow.
