Chords for Indigenous Musician And Activist Archie Roach Dies Aged 66
Tempo:
156.2 bpm
Chords used:
G
D
Bm
C
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Well, first, a warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers.
This next story contains the name and image of someone who is deceased,
and his family has given us permission to show him.
Musician and activist Archie Roach has passed away after a long illness.
The Gunditjmara Bundjalung senior elder was an inspiration to the end.
He was 66.
♪ Took [G] the children away
♪ The [C] children away
[D] He was the voice of the stolen generations.
♪ At 15 I left my foster home
♪ Looking for the people I call my own
[E] Taken from his family at just three,
[A] Archie was raised in Melbourne by foster [G] parents.
Wrongly [Bm] told his [Em] parents had died,
[D] it was only [C] as a [G] teenager he discovered the truth.
You think about your life and you [D] think about [Em] what happened [D] to you
and you feel [G] a bit miserable, you know, being taken away as a kid
and nobody give you any [B] answers why that was.
[Gb]
Archie battled the bottle for a decade,
[Db] living rough when he met the love of his life, Ruby [Ebm] Hunter.
She had that [Ab] spirit, that [Abm] nurturing spirit, that mother spirit,
where she'd [B] always, you know, she'd forsake herself
[Dbm] to look after me [Gbm] and [G] our children.
[D] ♪ I had no [E] choice, [A] I was at [C] UV
Through [G] music, the pair turned their lives [D] around.
♪ Then they took the children away
[G] ♪ The children away
People said, don't you get sick of singing that song, Arch?
I said, nah.
You see, [C] every time I sing it,
I let a little bit [G] of it go.
[D] So, yeah, that's the power of music.
[G] It was that song, Took The Children Away,
that held a spotlight to the trauma visited upon generations.
His voice, his music and his story came out of pain
but was informed by hope.
He sang for his people,
but he also sang in a way that made white Australia understand.
An eight-time ARIA Award winner, [C] Archie performed to [Am] the [G] end
at his 2020 induction into the [C] ARIA Hall of Fame.
♪ Yes, I came
[G] back
He moved the room to tears.
CHILDREN SHOUT
[Bm] Archie Roach, [G] songman, truth-teller,
[Bm] a healing voice that will [B] echo through [Bm] time.
♪ At my [G] brother before me
[Bm]
[D] ♪ [Bm] I'm a ten [A]-boxin' man
He had more [G] songs to sing.
[D] He had more [Bm] work to do, and yet he's taken from us [E] now.
It's a good life.
[Bm] But, you know, it's like a bad start.
[Em] You know, but, [Bm]
[D] uh
Yeah, you come [G] good.
[D] ♪ Rally round [Bm] the drum, boys
[G] ♪ [A] Rally round [Bm] the [A] drum
Well, Uncle Jack Charles worked closely with Archie Roach
as an ambassador for his foundation,
and he joins us now.
Jack, Archie was a great mate of yours.
First of all, our sincere condolences.
How will you remember him?
I'll remember him as one of the
..a
giant, a moral giant here in Australia
and, indeed, around [Bb] the world.
And [F] we're all going to [G] be, you know, sadly [Bb] [Eb]
missing him.
His records, [Gm] his EPs, will live on [C] forever.
[G] But I am shocked at his passing,
because only a week before,
he was at Collingwood Town Hall on Sunday
doing his show there, his final show.
Uncle Jack, he knew his health was failing in recent times.
He did.
He did do that.
He [N] did know that.
And you point out he kept performing right
..really
right to his last days.
He'd suffered so much
The very last moment, Hugh.
The very last moment.
And that takes a lot of gumption.
That takes a lot of, you know, a lot of energy.
So, this is a kind of
Nonetheless
This is a kind of a mystery to me.
It's almost like the sacred mystery of the man.
He'd suffered so much pain, and yet somehow,
including, of course, the loss of his beloved wife
back in 2012
2010 at Ruby
..where
How was he able to somehow convert
that suffering that he carried?
He never made a pretense he didn't have it,
and yet deliver so much support
and so much communion with people right across Australia.
Well, he never
Also, he never forgot
who were those that are struggling at our youth detention centres.
He and I would go into the youth detention centres [Em]
on day-off week without fail.
[B]
He was having his [D] momentary lapses of health
where he had to pull up and [A] have a rest.
But [G] nonetheless, Hugh, he just kept on going,
right toasa [D] we saw, to the very end. Jack, what would it have meant to Archie to see the Prime Minister commit to constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians? Oh, he would have been over the moon if it ever happened. If it does happen. [Bb] He was a man for many You know, a man of many seasons, a man for many people. [G] And so he was renowned the world over, but especially to all Australians. Every Australian [Em] will [C] have taken a moment to reflect [G] on Archie's [C] life and [G] the impact that he had on the music industry. Uncle Jack, to hear that news this morning, I think so many people would have just been heartbroken to have lost that incredible voice, both musical and a community voice, that took care and supported so many. What do you think Archie's legacy will be? I hold him closely to my heart. You know, one of the great things about [Bb] being in this legend's presence, when he finally asked me to [F] sing We Won't Cry song, do [Bb] the Paul Kelly bits that Paul Kelly used to do, well, he asked me to do them. And it was the highlight of my life. You know, the bald legend and the feral legend singing We Won't Cry together [B] was a hoot for so many. It was a winning, winning, winning combination. Well, Uncle Jack, we know it's an incredibly tough time at the moment and we really thank you for sharing your memories of Archie with us tonight. Thanks, Lisa.
This next story contains the name and image of someone who is deceased,
and his family has given us permission to show him.
Musician and activist Archie Roach has passed away after a long illness.
The Gunditjmara Bundjalung senior elder was an inspiration to the end.
He was 66.
♪ Took [G] the children away
♪ The [C] children away
[D] He was the voice of the stolen generations.
♪ At 15 I left my foster home
♪ Looking for the people I call my own
[E] Taken from his family at just three,
[A] Archie was raised in Melbourne by foster [G] parents.
Wrongly [Bm] told his [Em] parents had died,
[D] it was only [C] as a [G] teenager he discovered the truth.
You think about your life and you [D] think about [Em] what happened [D] to you
and you feel [G] a bit miserable, you know, being taken away as a kid
and nobody give you any [B] answers why that was.
[Gb]
Archie battled the bottle for a decade,
[Db] living rough when he met the love of his life, Ruby [Ebm] Hunter.
She had that [Ab] spirit, that [Abm] nurturing spirit, that mother spirit,
where she'd [B] always, you know, she'd forsake herself
[Dbm] to look after me [Gbm] and [G] our children.
[D] ♪ I had no [E] choice, [A] I was at [C] UV
Through [G] music, the pair turned their lives [D] around.
♪ Then they took the children away
[G] ♪ The children away
People said, don't you get sick of singing that song, Arch?
I said, nah.
You see, [C] every time I sing it,
I let a little bit [G] of it go.
[D] So, yeah, that's the power of music.
[G] It was that song, Took The Children Away,
that held a spotlight to the trauma visited upon generations.
His voice, his music and his story came out of pain
but was informed by hope.
He sang for his people,
but he also sang in a way that made white Australia understand.
An eight-time ARIA Award winner, [C] Archie performed to [Am] the [G] end
at his 2020 induction into the [C] ARIA Hall of Fame.
♪ Yes, I came
[G] back
He moved the room to tears.
CHILDREN SHOUT
[Bm] Archie Roach, [G] songman, truth-teller,
[Bm] a healing voice that will [B] echo through [Bm] time.
♪ At my [G] brother before me
[Bm]
[D] ♪ [Bm] I'm a ten [A]-boxin' man
He had more [G] songs to sing.
[D] He had more [Bm] work to do, and yet he's taken from us [E] now.
It's a good life.
[Bm] But, you know, it's like a bad start.
[Em] You know, but, [Bm]
[D] uh
Yeah, you come [G] good.
[D] ♪ Rally round [Bm] the drum, boys
[G] ♪ [A] Rally round [Bm] the [A] drum
Well, Uncle Jack Charles worked closely with Archie Roach
as an ambassador for his foundation,
and he joins us now.
Jack, Archie was a great mate of yours.
First of all, our sincere condolences.
How will you remember him?
I'll remember him as one of the
..a
giant, a moral giant here in Australia
and, indeed, around [Bb] the world.
And [F] we're all going to [G] be, you know, sadly [Bb] [Eb]
missing him.
His records, [Gm] his EPs, will live on [C] forever.
[G] But I am shocked at his passing,
because only a week before,
he was at Collingwood Town Hall on Sunday
doing his show there, his final show.
Uncle Jack, he knew his health was failing in recent times.
He did.
He did do that.
He [N] did know that.
And you point out he kept performing right
..really
right to his last days.
He'd suffered so much
The very last moment, Hugh.
The very last moment.
And that takes a lot of gumption.
That takes a lot of, you know, a lot of energy.
So, this is a kind of
Nonetheless
This is a kind of a mystery to me.
It's almost like the sacred mystery of the man.
He'd suffered so much pain, and yet somehow,
including, of course, the loss of his beloved wife
back in 2012
2010 at Ruby
..where
How was he able to somehow convert
that suffering that he carried?
He never made a pretense he didn't have it,
and yet deliver so much support
and so much communion with people right across Australia.
Well, he never
Also, he never forgot
who were those that are struggling at our youth detention centres.
He and I would go into the youth detention centres [Em]
on day-off week without fail.
[B]
He was having his [D] momentary lapses of health
where he had to pull up and [A] have a rest.
But [G] nonetheless, Hugh, he just kept on going,
right toasa [D] we saw, to the very end. Jack, what would it have meant to Archie to see the Prime Minister commit to constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians? Oh, he would have been over the moon if it ever happened. If it does happen. [Bb] He was a man for many You know, a man of many seasons, a man for many people. [G] And so he was renowned the world over, but especially to all Australians. Every Australian [Em] will [C] have taken a moment to reflect [G] on Archie's [C] life and [G] the impact that he had on the music industry. Uncle Jack, to hear that news this morning, I think so many people would have just been heartbroken to have lost that incredible voice, both musical and a community voice, that took care and supported so many. What do you think Archie's legacy will be? I hold him closely to my heart. You know, one of the great things about [Bb] being in this legend's presence, when he finally asked me to [F] sing We Won't Cry song, do [Bb] the Paul Kelly bits that Paul Kelly used to do, well, he asked me to do them. And it was the highlight of my life. You know, the bald legend and the feral legend singing We Won't Cry together [B] was a hoot for so many. It was a winning, winning, winning combination. Well, Uncle Jack, we know it's an incredibly tough time at the moment and we really thank you for sharing your memories of Archie with us tonight. Thanks, Lisa.
Key:
G
D
Bm
C
A
G
D
Bm
_ Well, first, a warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers.
This next story contains the name and image of someone who is deceased,
and his family has given us permission to show him.
_ Musician and activist Archie Roach has passed away after a long illness.
The Gunditjmara Bundjalung senior elder was an inspiration to the end.
He was 66.
♪ Took [G] the children _ away
♪ _ _ _ _ The [C] children _ _ away_
[D] He was the voice of the stolen generations.
♪ At 15 I left _ _ my foster home
_ ♪ Looking for the people _ I call my _ own_
[E] Taken from his family at just three,
[A] Archie was raised in Melbourne by foster [G] parents.
_ Wrongly [Bm] told his [Em] parents had died,
[D] it was only [C] as a [G] teenager he discovered the truth.
You think about your life and you [D] think about [Em] what happened [D] to you
and you feel [G] a bit miserable, you know, being taken away as a kid
and nobody give you any [B] answers why that was.
_ [Gb]
Archie battled the bottle for a decade,
[Db] living rough when he met the love of his life, Ruby [Ebm] Hunter.
She had that _ [Ab] _ spirit, that [Abm] nurturing spirit, that mother spirit,
where she'd [B] always, you know, she'd forsake _ herself
[Dbm] to look after me [Gbm] and [G] our children.
[D] ♪ I had no [E] choice, [A] I was at _ _ _ _ [C] UV_
Through [G] music, the pair turned their lives [D] around.
♪ Then they took the children away
_ [G] ♪ The children _ _ away_
People said, don't you get sick of singing that song, Arch?
I said, nah.
You see, [C] every time I sing it,
_ _ I let a little bit [G] of it go.
_ _ [D] So, yeah, that's the power of music.
[G] It was that song, Took The Children Away,
that held a spotlight to the trauma visited upon generations. _
His voice, his music and his story _ came out of pain
but was informed by hope.
He sang for his people,
but he also sang in a way that made white Australia understand.
An eight-time ARIA Award winner, [C] Archie performed to [Am] the [G] end
at his 2020 induction into the [C] ARIA Hall of Fame.
♪ Yes, I came _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ back_
He moved the room to tears.
CHILDREN _ _ SHOUT
[Bm] _ _ _ Archie Roach, [G] songman, truth-teller,
[Bm] a healing voice that will [B] echo through [Bm] time.
♪ At my [G] brother before me
[Bm] _ _
[D] ♪ _ [Bm] I'm a ten [A]-boxin' man_
He had more [G] songs to sing.
[D] He had more [Bm] work to do, and yet he's taken from us [E] now.
It's a good life. _
[Bm] But, you know, it's like a bad start.
_ _ _ [Em] You know, but, [Bm] _
_ [D] uh_
Yeah, you come [G] good. _
[D] ♪ Rally round [Bm] the drum, boys _
_ _ [G] ♪ _ [A] Rally round [Bm] the _ _ _ _ [A] drum_
Well, Uncle Jack Charles worked closely with Archie Roach
as an ambassador for his foundation,
and he joins us now.
Jack, Archie was a great mate of yours.
First of all, our sincere condolences.
How will you remember him?
_ _ I'll remember him as one of the_ _ _ _ _
..a
giant, _ _ a moral giant _ _ here in Australia
and, indeed, around [Bb] the world.
_ And [F] we're all going to [G] be, you know, sadly [Bb] _ _ [Eb]
missing him.
His _ records, [Gm] his EPs, will live on [C] forever. _ _ _
[G] But I am shocked at his _ passing,
_ because _ only a week before,
_ _ he was at Collingwood Town Hall on Sunday
doing his show there, his final show.
Uncle Jack, he knew his health was failing in recent times.
He did.
He did do that.
He [N] did know that.
And you point out he kept performing right_
..really
right to his last days.
He'd suffered so much_
The very last moment, Hugh.
The very last moment.
And _ that takes a lot of gumption.
That takes a lot of, you know, a lot of _ _ energy.
So, this is a kind of_
Nonetheless_
This is a kind of a mystery to me.
It's almost like the sacred mystery of the man.
He'd suffered so much pain, _ and yet somehow,
including, of course, the loss of his beloved wife
back in 2012_
2010 at Ruby_
_ _ ..where_
How was he able to somehow convert
that suffering that he carried?
He never made a pretense he didn't have it,
and yet deliver so much support
and so much communion with people right across Australia.
Well, he never_
Also, he never forgot
who were _ those that are struggling at our youth detention centres.
_ _ He and I would go into the youth detention centres _ _ [Em]
on day-off week _ without fail.
[B] _
He was having his [D] momentary lapses of health
where he had to pull up and [A] have a rest.
But [G] nonetheless, Hugh, he just kept on going,
right to_as_a [D] we saw, to the very end. Jack, what would it have meant to Archie to see the Prime Minister commit to constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians? Oh, he would have been over the moon if it ever happened. _ If it does happen. _ [Bb] He was a man for many_ You know, a man of many seasons, a man for many people. [G] And so he was _ renowned the world _ over, but especially to all Australians. Every Australian [Em] will [C] have taken a moment to reflect [G] on Archie's [C] life and [G] the impact that he had on the music industry. Uncle Jack, to hear that news this morning, I think so many people would have just been heartbroken to have lost that incredible voice, both musical and a community voice, that took care and supported so many. What do you think Archie's legacy will be? I hold him closely to my heart. _ You know, one of the great things _ _ about [Bb] being in this _ _ legend's presence, _ when he finally asked me to [F] sing We Won't Cry song, do [Bb] the Paul Kelly bits that Paul Kelly used to do, well, he asked me to do them. And it was the highlight of my life. _ You know, the bald legend and the feral legend singing We Won't Cry together [B] was a hoot for so many. _ It was a winning, winning, winning combination. _ Well, Uncle Jack, we know it's an incredibly tough time at the moment and we really thank you for sharing your memories of Archie with us tonight. Thanks, Lisa. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This next story contains the name and image of someone who is deceased,
and his family has given us permission to show him.
_ Musician and activist Archie Roach has passed away after a long illness.
The Gunditjmara Bundjalung senior elder was an inspiration to the end.
He was 66.
♪ Took [G] the children _ away
♪ _ _ _ _ The [C] children _ _ away_
[D] He was the voice of the stolen generations.
♪ At 15 I left _ _ my foster home
_ ♪ Looking for the people _ I call my _ own_
[E] Taken from his family at just three,
[A] Archie was raised in Melbourne by foster [G] parents.
_ Wrongly [Bm] told his [Em] parents had died,
[D] it was only [C] as a [G] teenager he discovered the truth.
You think about your life and you [D] think about [Em] what happened [D] to you
and you feel [G] a bit miserable, you know, being taken away as a kid
and nobody give you any [B] answers why that was.
_ [Gb]
Archie battled the bottle for a decade,
[Db] living rough when he met the love of his life, Ruby [Ebm] Hunter.
She had that _ [Ab] _ spirit, that [Abm] nurturing spirit, that mother spirit,
where she'd [B] always, you know, she'd forsake _ herself
[Dbm] to look after me [Gbm] and [G] our children.
[D] ♪ I had no [E] choice, [A] I was at _ _ _ _ [C] UV_
Through [G] music, the pair turned their lives [D] around.
♪ Then they took the children away
_ [G] ♪ The children _ _ away_
People said, don't you get sick of singing that song, Arch?
I said, nah.
You see, [C] every time I sing it,
_ _ I let a little bit [G] of it go.
_ _ [D] So, yeah, that's the power of music.
[G] It was that song, Took The Children Away,
that held a spotlight to the trauma visited upon generations. _
His voice, his music and his story _ came out of pain
but was informed by hope.
He sang for his people,
but he also sang in a way that made white Australia understand.
An eight-time ARIA Award winner, [C] Archie performed to [Am] the [G] end
at his 2020 induction into the [C] ARIA Hall of Fame.
♪ Yes, I came _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ back_
He moved the room to tears.
CHILDREN _ _ SHOUT
[Bm] _ _ _ Archie Roach, [G] songman, truth-teller,
[Bm] a healing voice that will [B] echo through [Bm] time.
♪ At my [G] brother before me
[Bm] _ _
[D] ♪ _ [Bm] I'm a ten [A]-boxin' man_
He had more [G] songs to sing.
[D] He had more [Bm] work to do, and yet he's taken from us [E] now.
It's a good life. _
[Bm] But, you know, it's like a bad start.
_ _ _ [Em] You know, but, [Bm] _
_ [D] uh_
Yeah, you come [G] good. _
[D] ♪ Rally round [Bm] the drum, boys _
_ _ [G] ♪ _ [A] Rally round [Bm] the _ _ _ _ [A] drum_
Well, Uncle Jack Charles worked closely with Archie Roach
as an ambassador for his foundation,
and he joins us now.
Jack, Archie was a great mate of yours.
First of all, our sincere condolences.
How will you remember him?
_ _ I'll remember him as one of the_ _ _ _ _
..a
giant, _ _ a moral giant _ _ here in Australia
and, indeed, around [Bb] the world.
_ And [F] we're all going to [G] be, you know, sadly [Bb] _ _ [Eb]
missing him.
His _ records, [Gm] his EPs, will live on [C] forever. _ _ _
[G] But I am shocked at his _ passing,
_ because _ only a week before,
_ _ he was at Collingwood Town Hall on Sunday
doing his show there, his final show.
Uncle Jack, he knew his health was failing in recent times.
He did.
He did do that.
He [N] did know that.
And you point out he kept performing right_
..really
right to his last days.
He'd suffered so much_
The very last moment, Hugh.
The very last moment.
And _ that takes a lot of gumption.
That takes a lot of, you know, a lot of _ _ energy.
So, this is a kind of_
Nonetheless_
This is a kind of a mystery to me.
It's almost like the sacred mystery of the man.
He'd suffered so much pain, _ and yet somehow,
including, of course, the loss of his beloved wife
back in 2012_
2010 at Ruby_
_ _ ..where_
How was he able to somehow convert
that suffering that he carried?
He never made a pretense he didn't have it,
and yet deliver so much support
and so much communion with people right across Australia.
Well, he never_
Also, he never forgot
who were _ those that are struggling at our youth detention centres.
_ _ He and I would go into the youth detention centres _ _ [Em]
on day-off week _ without fail.
[B] _
He was having his [D] momentary lapses of health
where he had to pull up and [A] have a rest.
But [G] nonetheless, Hugh, he just kept on going,
right to_as_a [D] we saw, to the very end. Jack, what would it have meant to Archie to see the Prime Minister commit to constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians? Oh, he would have been over the moon if it ever happened. _ If it does happen. _ [Bb] He was a man for many_ You know, a man of many seasons, a man for many people. [G] And so he was _ renowned the world _ over, but especially to all Australians. Every Australian [Em] will [C] have taken a moment to reflect [G] on Archie's [C] life and [G] the impact that he had on the music industry. Uncle Jack, to hear that news this morning, I think so many people would have just been heartbroken to have lost that incredible voice, both musical and a community voice, that took care and supported so many. What do you think Archie's legacy will be? I hold him closely to my heart. _ You know, one of the great things _ _ about [Bb] being in this _ _ legend's presence, _ when he finally asked me to [F] sing We Won't Cry song, do [Bb] the Paul Kelly bits that Paul Kelly used to do, well, he asked me to do them. And it was the highlight of my life. _ You know, the bald legend and the feral legend singing We Won't Cry together [B] was a hoot for so many. _ It was a winning, winning, winning combination. _ Well, Uncle Jack, we know it's an incredibly tough time at the moment and we really thank you for sharing your memories of Archie with us tonight. Thanks, Lisa. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _