(Verse 1)
In the sixteenth century, the tall ships came,
Portuguese and Spanish, looking for a name.
Meneses saw the "Papuas" with the frizzled hair,
While Ortiz saw "New Guinea" in the humid air.
For three hundred years, the mountains stood tall,
While the empires waited, just beyond the wall.
(Chorus)
From the Sepik to the Fly, a story told in two,
Of the German eagle and the Union Jack blue.
Australia took the reins as the world went to war,
Until the bird of paradise finally learned to soar.
(Verse 2)
Eighteen-eighty-four, the map was drawn deep,
While the people of the islands were fast asleep.
The Germans took the North for the coconut gold,
The British took the South, or so we are told.
A buffer for Australia, a line in the sand,
Two different masters for the very same land.
(Verse 3)
Nineteen-hundred-six, the British passed the prize,
To the young Australian nation under southern skies.
Then came the Great War, the German flags fell,
And the "Mandate" started a brand new spell.
But the mountains were silent until forty-two,
When the Japanese landed and the cannons blew.
(Verse 4)
On the Kokoda Track, through the mud and the rain,
The "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels" helped to ease the pain.
When the smoke finally cleared, the two became one,
The administrative union had finally begun.
The Kiaps went walking where the maps were still white,
Bringing law to the Highlands in the morning light.
(Bridge)
In the sixties, the voices began to rise,
With Michael Somare and the fire in his eyes.
"It’s time for our flag, it’s time for our way,"
And the world stood back for a brand new day.
(Chorus)
From the Sepik to the Fly, a story told in two,
Of the German eagle and the Union Jack blue.
Australia took the reins as the world went to war,
Until the bird of paradise finally learned to soar.
(Outro)
September seventy-five, the drums began to beat,
Independence was won, the journey was sweet.
Eight hundred tribes, now a single nation’s pride,
With the ghosts of the colonizers left on the tide.
One people, one country, Papua New Guinea.
[Male Vocal PNG O-Four vocal]
SSY2025
