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stream 'tend the garden': gangofyouths.co/tendthegarden
'my dad was a gifted and passionate gardener. it's where he funnelled a lot of his energy and sensitivity, and despite our humble surroundings, we were always surrounded by beauty. The journey he made from Samoa to NZ to Australia was a difficult and inspiring one, but also fraught with mistakes, regret and terrible choices. i like to think he was building something beautiful, and pondering what life had given him in spite of his mistakes and concealment. we never knew his story until after he died, so this is the most poetic interpretation of his affinity for gardening that I could think of.'
- dave
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LYRICS:
i was young it was the 60s you see
i never wanted to be the chief of anything
so it was singing in the church for me
behind the organ was as close as i'd ever be
there was a woman that i knew before
she was in auckland she was spoken for
my hair was short my skin was brown
i did construction work from town to town
there were things we did and should not have done
been half a century since i seen my sons
lord knows if
they would ever forgive me I won’t
forgive myself at least
there are strange forces
in the air only time can unleash
in a way i still believe
i fell in love it was the 90s you see
i met a woman across the tasman in ‘83
and we settled down and raised a couple kids
but i couldn't bring myself to tell ’em what I did
i hope that one day if they find my sons
they’ll tell ’em everything that I’ve become
and i will hold it ‘til my dying breath
when i tend garden i will think of them
but my youngest kid, he can't shut his mouth
i guess it won't be long ‘til the truth is out
lord knows if
they would ever forgive me I don't
forgive myself at least
there are strange forces
in the air only time can release
in a way i still believe
in the instance of pain
i look straight down at the iris
if the irises fade
i spend days out in the yard
in the absence of rain
i take a seat down at the organ
and I play
lord I play
ah!