Reach Out and Hold On
15/03/23 08:28
I wrote the song “Reach Out and Hold On” two weeks ago following the torrential rain and flooding that came with a cyclone which devastated the north and east coast of New Zealand and the amazing efforts of locals and emergency services who rescued people from the roofs of their flooded houses.
The lyric speaks of their heroic actions to reach out and hold on and bring people to safety. It is also about the wider commitment we have made to reach out and hold on to those whose homes, livelihoods and dreams have been buried in mud or swept away - that we are there to support them. It has a subtext that references climate change and that we must learn from such disasters and plan for the future.
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LYRICS
Lines on the walls / Lines through the trees
Lines down near the river / lines through so many dreams
Reach out and hold on / We want you to know
Reach out and hold on / we won’t let you go
Down in the valley / down from the hills
Down in the river/ where the levee spills
There’s a sign from the North/ Showing what reaches the East
points to the South leaving no doubt/of its a warning to all in the West
The people and all of the places/The houses, the farms and the fields
Lost in the deluge / and only the memory remains.
There are bridges for crossing / There are bridges to burn
There are bridges to nowhere / Building bridges to learn
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LYRICS
Lines on the walls / Lines through the trees
Lines down near the river / lines through so many dreams
Reach out and hold on / We want you to know
Reach out and hold on / we won’t let you go
Down in the valley / down from the hills
Down in the river/ where the levee spills
There’s a sign from the North/ Showing what reaches the East
points to the South leaving no doubt/of its a warning to all in the West
The people and all of the places/The houses, the farms and the fields
Lost in the deluge / and only the memory remains.
There are bridges for crossing / There are bridges to burn
There are bridges to nowhere / Building bridges to learn
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