More information is given in the song and the My Map at the end of the post.
Parihaka by Tim Finn
My friend, My friend, I hate to see you suffer,
Events conspire to bring us to our knees,
My friend, my friend, you've taken this the wrong way,
Rise up, defend yourself, never give in,
Look to the sky, the spirit of Te Whiti,
The endless tide is murmuring his name.
I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,
And even at the darkest hour,
His presence will remain.
I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.
Te Whiti he used the language of the spirit,
Then stood accused, the madman and his dream,
He saw the train go roaring through the tunnel,
He heard the voice travel on the magic wire,
But he loved the silence of the river,
He watched the dog piss on the cannon's wheel.
I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,
And even at the darkest hour,
His presence will remain.
I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.
One day you'll know the truth,
They can't pull out the roots,
Come and take me home,
To weep for my lost brother.
They gather still, the clouds of Taranaki,
His children's children wearing the white plume,
So take me for the sins of these sad islands,
The wave still breaks on the rock of Rouhotu.
And when you taste the salt that's on your pudding,
And when you taste the sugar in your soup,
Think of Te Whiti, he'll never be defeated,
Even at the darkest hour,
His presence will remain,
I'll sing for you the song of Parihaka,
Come to Parihaka,
Weep for my lost brother,
The spirit of nonviolence,
Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka.
The message of this song is to remember what happened at Parihaka, this song explains the significance and importance of what happened in Parihaka.
The line, 'the spirit of nonviolence, has come to fill the silence, come to Parihaka.' explains the passive resistance method - showing how to fight peacefully, using nonviolence. This line also means that when you come to Parihaka, you will find peace.
The line, ‘you can’t pull out the roots’ refers to their ancestors, their background, the connection to the land, our tribe. 'Rise up, defend yourself, never give in,' and 'I know Te Whiti will never be defeated, and even at the darkest hour, his presence will remain.', these lines show evidence of their determination.
This song shows the significance of Parihaka because generations are still affected by what occurred in Parihaka and this is a well-known song.
