Songs for Aboriginal Sunday / Day of Mourning / Australia Day 2024

Aboriginal Sunday / Day of Mourning / Australia Day 2024
To learn more about the Day of Mourning, celebrated in Uniting Churches in Australia, and find service resources here. There are additional resources here for Aboriginal Sunday from Common Grace; some of the suggestions below come from that resource.  There is also an excellent compilation of resources from Pilgrim Uniting Church. 

 

Songs from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities and songwriters

• TiS 383 Joyful the morning when Jesus Christ is risen (Traditional Torres Strait Islander) It's beautiful and joyful and Torres Strait Islander! We sometimes sing this at Easter, but could sing it at other times as well. 
• TiS 253 / AoV2-119 / AoVK-103 / GA419 O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr (Garrawarra family of Milingimbi) This simple song is easy to sing and talks of the timelessness of God’s love. “O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr, all the power belongs to you”. Lyrics. Sound sample.
• ATFG574 /  NCYC'97 You are our Father you live in heaven / Aboriginal Lord's Prayer (Warmun and Tiwi communities) Aboriginal Australian version of the Lord's Prayer. 
• ATE 290 We are gathering (Unknown source) While not written by an Aboriginal person or community, this song is important to many Aboriginal communities. The language for God is not inclusive. You can hear it here in English and in Language. 
• Online Resource Creator God you made this land (Keith Pearson) Words of reconciliation from the United Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. "Great Spirit in this ancient land, speak in the stillness deep within. Remove all prejudice and fear, give life to all, new hope begin. Then help us gently walk as friends, while on this land your peace descends". Sung to the familiar hymn tune ST PETERSBURG (TiS375). Lyrics (downloads a pdf) New words to old tunes. 
• Online Resource Yil-Lull (Joe Geia) This is just a great song, with a verse of praise to God, and the chorus is easy for the congregation to join in on. It's not immediately easy for church musicians to play, but if you have a guitarist, you'll be OK. Youtube. Story. 
• Online Resource When the deep cries out (Nelson Varcoe) Not really a congregational song, but if you have a good singer and guitarist, they could play it in a way that the congregation can join in for the repeated sections in the verses and choruses. Excellent words about Wisdom, Love and God, crying out to us. It's a good campfire song. Book available here.  
• Online Resource Meroo / Water seeping up outta the ground (Nelson Varcoe) The Dharug / Tharwal word "Meroo" means water. This is a song about the source of water. Simple chorus and good words about the importance of water, and a chorus about the rising of the Holy Spirit, carrying our prayers up to the sky. Book available here (BUC people, I have this book!).   

Other songs:

• Online Resource We're standing here on holy ground (John P Brown) Excellent words set to a simple Maluku tune. Lyrics here (scroll through many other excellent resources to get there.
  
• Online Resource If we can now say that we're sorry (Kerry Fletcher) Excellent words and a simple enough song to be sung by a congregation. Lyrics and sheet music.
• Online Resource Why Lord O Why? (David MacGregor) A song of lament which does not shy away from the role of the church in colonisation. Probably better to use it reflectively with the musicians singing rather than the congregation, but it's not too difficult for a congregation to join in on as the song goes on. Sound sample, sheet music sample and purchasing options. 
  
• Online Resource / Walk as One Beneath the Southern Cross (Catherine Burton / Malcolm Gordon) This song was written in New Zealand, but the lyrics are also applicable to Australia, in recognising God's presence under the Southern Cross. Video (with NZ-specific lyrics). Sheet music for purchase here (with lyrics that work in both Australia and New Zealand).    
  
• AoVK-130 Around this land we love so well (Bates) Very specific words; useful if you are talking about Aboriginal Reconciliation. The tune is quite straightforward, but if it is new it would work best sung by a soloist.
• Online Resource / Walk as One Here we are in the church (Leigh Newton) Written for the 2000 Assembly of the Uniting Church, this song has three verses recognising our roles in the church, in the world, and in the land Australia. Free sheet music.   
• Recorded Music Special treatment (Paul Kelly) This song could work well during a prayer of confession; I think Archie Roach has recorded it too, and I like his version better. Youtube. Lyrics
• ATW 433 At the dawn of the ages / You were in this place (Robin Mann) An Australian song about seeing God in this ancient land and in our indigenous people, and the blindness of the colonisers in seeing that God was here before the white man came. “Do we take after Jacob, blind to what lies at hand, needing dreams to inform us God is here in this land?”. Tune is very smooth and simple. Lyrics.
• Online Resource Follow the songlines (Shirley Murray) Excellent words of God's presence here before colonisation, and our call to follow. Lyrics and sheet music. 
• Online Resource Sing a song of freedom (Helen Wright) A song calling for justice among us, written for the #ChangeTheHeart prayer services. It will need to be taught. Youtube.
• Online Resource How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? (Craig Mitchell / David MacGregor) Excellent words for Australians to sing - how can we sing, and how can we move forward. Lyric video which you may wish to use in your service. Lyrics and sound sample. If you have Craig's book "Deeper Water" then you will have the sheet music. It's not so much a congregational song, as a song where the congregation might join in on the chorus. 
  
• TiS 590 / AHB 165 / AoVK-117 / NCH506 / UMH526 / VU663 / LBW439 / ELW742 / HPP408 / GtG465 / PH403 / CP532 / W&R473 / Cha585 / Srce 776 / StF531 / MP746 What a Friend we have in Jesus (Joseph Scriven) This is a favourite in many Aboriginal communities around Australia. There is a bit of masculine language, but the song has so many other good things about it it's worth singing. I like both tunes. AOVK has different lyrics, written specifically for kids, which I think are worth singing. Good for kids. Oldy-but-a-goody.