Archie Roach – Took the Children Away

Describe how he feels in

What words show his

emotion?

This story's right, this story's true Told us what to do and say
I would not tell lies to you Told us all the white man's ways
Like the promises they did not keep Then they split us up again What effect
did the
And how they fenced us in like sheep. And gave us gifts to ease the pain removal have
Said to us come take our hand Sent us off to foster homes on Aboriginal
Sent us off to mission land. As we grew up we felt alone people?
Taught us to read, to write and pray Cause we were acting white
Then they took the children away, Yet feeling black
Took the children away,
The children away. One sweet day all the children came back
Snatched from their mother's chest The children come back
Said this is for the best The children come back
Took them away. Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The welfare and the policeman The children came back Why did
Said you've got to understand Said the children come back the
children
We'll give them what you can't give The children come back come
Teach them how to really live. Back where they understand back?
Teach them how to live they said Back to their mother's land
Humiliated them instead The children come back
Taught them that and taught them this
And others taught them prejudice. Back to their mother
You took the children away Back to their father
The children away Back to their sister
Breaking their mothers’ heart Back to their brother
What do we learn
Tearing us all apart Back to their people in the last line of
Took them away Back to their land the song? How
All the children come back does it make us
feel?
One dark day on Framingham The children come back
Come and didn't give a damn The children come back
My mother cried go get their dad Yes I came back.
He came running, fighting mad
Mother's tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground. Why did the
He said 'You touch my kids and you fight government
me' think that
taking the
children away,
And they took us from our family. ‘for the best?’
Took us away
They took us away
Snatched from our mother's breast
Said this was for the best Glossary
Took us away. Missions were areas of land owned and run by religious groups, for Aboriginal
people to live.
Prejudice is judging someone, or having an opinion about something, before
you actually know anything about them or the topic.
Framingham is a small country town in Victoria.