NAURU not NORWAY

For someone else to mother you
When we were stolen away
We ended up in NAURU
Not as we thought Norway
Far across the sea
Where enchanted mountains
Rose
Beautifully into the sky
Hoping they would pose

Freedom from oppression
But it was not to be
We were shipped to Nauru
Where nobody wanted Me
I remember it was awful
Tropical as well
Really hot and stuffy
Just another hell

Sent to a detention centre
Where we died inside
Three years in that awful camp
Nobody denied
How resilient we had to be
In what was venality
a total lack of principle
And insincerity

Our names were just boat numbers
Like criminals we were
Checked with metal detectors
It all became a slur
Of humanity personified
Expressions of such fear
Despite being so confident
It soon became quite clear

Being enthusiastic
Wanting to learn a lot
Trying to be positive
With everything you got
The detention centre
Basically took all hope away
Despite us being focused
We were all made to pay

Save the children
Their red tops
Gave us lots of care
But when the British changed all that
We became aware
They were out to harm us
Close the school and make
Us wander through depression
We also self harmed too
And Now awake

To what was the possiblity
That we never could return.
To Australia place of our birth
Rapidly we did learn
We would stay in Nauru
Our resettlement no more
Many of us wanted out
Suicide for sure

Looking back on the school there
The red rose cafe where
We all pretended we were doing business
And ofcourse the care
we got
Was quite remarkable
But after they closed down
The place we all had come to love
Our spirits soon did drown

The toilets were all dirty
Not like they were before
Girls smeared poop around the walls
Nobody could ignore
The changes they were everywhere
Our lives sunk to a low
Ebb we just were powerless
And didnt want to know

The Naureans became unfriendly
They shouted hate words they
Were always wanting to fight us
And tell us to go away
Some attacked us with machetes
A boy took me aside
He attacked me in the toilets
And then just upped and lied

AUstralia had been awful
Because we were not born white
Many committed suicide
And that was never right
Amnesty international tried to help us
But they
Didnt really help us
at the butt end of each day

Our lives were basically over
We were dumped our lives no more
What Australia did to us
We never could ignore
They left us in such danger
And most girls here became
Broken hearted and traumatised
With nobody to blame

We sewed our lips together
And went within ourselves
Emotionally degraded
Where the spririt delves
Nobody can ever
Come back from this pain
No child protection set up
Our sanity invain

Abandoned and distraught we were
Realising we
Were not of the right coloured skin
And thus just couldnt be
Part of that Australia
Who we imagined we
Could become part of
And just gave up
Reluctantly

And we hear that they are sorry
And the rules they put in place
Split up loving families
How it was such a disgrace
Blacks were not worth saving
They had no feelings they
Had no place in AUstralia
Where they were sent they would
Have to stay.

Our lives over we will never forgive them