In the shadows

“I see shadows on the hill, up beside the old saw mill, where my people were killed, I see shadows on the hill.”

“Shadows” is an extraordinary collaboration between two incredible indigenous musicians: country music star Troy Cassar-Daley and Briggs, a rapper, record label owner, actor, author and comedy writer.

There’s not much to chuckle about here, as “Shadows” tackles the Aboriginal massacres that are part of this country’s dark history of colonisation.

The single is an adaptation of a 2018 track from Cassar-Daley and the haunting country chorus is punctuated with new verses from Briggs, that reflect the anger and pain of generations of Indigenous people.

While the original song focused on a historic massacre, this new collaboration brings it right into the present.

“I see the shadows, I hear the shots. I feel the spirit from the fight that never stopped,” Briggs snarls.

“They want to talk about how far we got. Where the bodies dropped they built a f#%king parking lot. And they call that survival. Put us on a mission, force fed us bibles. They put statues on our land just to worship false idols. Cuffs on our hands just to keep us in the cycle.”

I haven’t been able to stop listening.

It’s a powerful piece of history, extraordinary song writing and an incredible performance that mixes banjo and beats with menace, fear, anger and sorrow.

Troy Cassar-Daley, rightly considered a legend of Australian country music, has never sounded better.

Briggs cements his reputation as a lyricist and social commentator: smart, incisive, relentless and brutal.

I can’t find the words to explain how this song makes me feel.

Proud – because it is world-class. Horrified by our history. Ashamed that reconciliation with the brutal reality of our past still feels out of reach.

“No justice no peace.”

November is Australian music month. Support local artists.