Galamaay Brothers - 'Murri On Fire''

This production was written, recorded and filmed over 5 days in September 2015 in the community of Moree NSW - in Gomeroi Country (Northwest NSW - Black Soil Plains) as part of a Desert Pea Media (DPM) collaboration with local men's group - Galamaay Brothers and UNLtd.
This project represents a full circle story for Desert Pea Media, as we returned to the country where it all began.
Co-founder, mentor and strategist Maf Priestley is a Gomeroi man and born and raised in Moree. He founded the Galamaay Brothers, and invited DPM to tell an hugely important community & cultural story upon his grandmother's country.
With the support of Maf's brother Alfred Priestley, who co-wrote and performed in the piece, and the broader Moree community - we worked together under a gum tree to develop a narrative that speaks of men's responsibility in community. The story deals with the realities of life as an Indigenous man in Moree, and strategies for creating a stronger and healthier community.
This information was then directed into a song structure by local young people, community members and Desert Pea Media staff. We then crafted the narrative into this awesome song, which was filmed immediately on location in Moree, and also at the sacred mountain Mt Kaputar near Narrabri NSW.
Thanks to Andrew Nichols, Lyall Munro, Stan Washington, Tony Whitton aka Uncle Culla and all the young Gomeroi warriors in Moree NSW.
Special thanks to The Galamaay Brothers Group - METS
Matthew Priestley - Director/Co-Producer/Co-writer
Alfred Priestley - Co-Writer/ Co-Director/ Performer
Toby Finlayson - Project Producer/Film Director/Co-Writer/DOP/Editor
Joel Westlake - Music Producer/Co-Writer
Josh Nicholas - Music Producer/ Co-Writer
Roy Weiland - Colour Grading/Motion Graphics
David Nicholas - Audio Mixing & Mastering
Local Young People - Co-Writers/ Performers
LYRICS
Come kick back boy let me sing you a song
Bout how your old man learnt right from wrong
My father sardine wasn’t much like me
He flew in with the wind and blew out like the breeze
Never learnt me nothing, I was one of four sons
I'm the youngest, and he died when I was 21
Piss pot, lost, grog since day dot
Never really had a dad only my pop
So tell me how is it you became a good dad
Coz I love ya and i want ya to have what I never had
I wanna be there when ya happy when ya scared when ya sad
Watch ya grow up and be a proud black granddad
Ya great grandmother she was one of the last
Queens of the mehi reflection of the past
Burraa brolga bunnagay AI
Stomp on the black soil, eyes to the sky
Look to the sky
See that Murri on fire
Look to the sky
See that Murri on fire
Look to the sky - Murri see, Murri do
See the same thing everyday me and my crew
Truth is - my people got too much to lose
Walk a mile in my shoes - what would you do?
Black fella broke pump a jeep to get a feed
Everybody sleep while we prowling the streets
We the black sheep broke, no jobs and no hope
Everybody chasin, so start slangin dope
Get out the game, start going to class
Look to the future, forget about the past
Don't want rumpers seeing needles in the park
"Boy get home before it get dark"
Brothers need to step up, yep, keep ya head up
If ya fall down - there to help you get up
Stop it with the robbery, droppin the corroboree
Gomeroi warrior - ain't no stoppin me
Look to the sky
See that Murri on fire
Look to the sky
See that Murri on fire