Hey Mama

There once was a girl born in '73

It was the lady who created me

She had beautiful skin from her mixed nation

But her father was a part of the stolen generation

Her home's a house of horrors so she packed her bags and left

She's 15 and tryna' to make it to the South West

Some men pulled over and offered her a ride

She said "yes please" and she hopped inside

That was a mistake, they kept her for weeks

Forced themselves upon her and ignored the shrieks

Until the day that she managed to break free

But she was sent home, where she just couldn't be

She had the abortion and was labelled a whore

Even though she just survived motherfucking war

But she got out again, came to Margaret River

And already her story had made you shiver

 

She found a great man, he was so connected with Earth

They got married and at 16 Genny gave birth

But the baby was born missing a chromosome

The threads of his DNA were incorrectly sewn

She looked after the baby, then she had another

This time it was a girl who adored her brother

But it was hard to be a teen with a disabled baby

So they gave him away to a home where just maybe...

He'd have a better life with much better facilities

And not be judged because of his disibilaties

So with one kid left Gen felt a hole in her heart

That couldn't be filled, she was lonely and scarred

So she did the only thing she knew how to do

Ran away from her marriage, tore the family in two

She then discovered drugs, first to pop then to smoke,

And eventually inject, get sick and become broke

 

One time she had some E back in 1994

Then she conceived me, and then shortly two more

She bounced from man to man with no spaces inbetween

Let her men discipline her children if you know what I mean

By the time I was three I'd tried to run away

But mom's boyfriend found me, I'll never forget that day

I'd walked almost a mile trying to escape his property

If only I'd got away I maybe could've avoided poverty

When he found me he put me on the back of his bike

Rode home, beat me, and now I tell this to my psych

When mom left him she soon found a new mister

He wasn't too great but he gave me a little sister

He never let me see my dad for a year

I was a paranoid child constantly in fear

She later left that man and moved next door

We were happy not knowing what was soon instore

 

Genevieve was nasty, she thought I was a brat,

She told me I couldn't dance because I was too fat

I was 7 years old, crying standing on the scales

It became an eating disorder when I lived in New South Wales

The next boyfriend gave mom 2 more children

Although I knew from the start we was a real villain

He made mom kick me out when I was only still young

At 13 I was depressed, starving & highly strung

My grandparents had me from '08 for 5 years

Gave me a better life and wiped away my tears

I still had issues, I drank and I smoked weed

From the voices in my head I just wanted to be freed

I stuck my fingers down my throat after everything I ate

Dying for a sense of beauty I was trying to create

But after therapists and doctors, tests and medication

And finishing school, I had to leave that location

So I came back to the West Coast to settle down

And begin my adult life in my original hometown

 

Knowledge is power, so I got a business degree

Then scored an intellectual job in optometry

When I first saw my mom the difference was so huge

She'd lost her weight and her soul, then lived in a refuge

In two years I only saw her a handful of times

She hung around dangerous people, surrounded by crime

When we saw her she only ever looked worse and worse

She lost her teeth and had no money in her purse

Our hearts all broke when we saw our mother's smile

At that point we were no longer in denial

The woman's on meth, not too far off death

We need to save my sisters before the drug is in their breath

So my older sister came over and visited their house

The girls had matted hair and wore a dirty blouse

Elle offered to take the girls for a couple of weeks

Mom said yes, she smiled from cheek to cheek

I took them to the airport and we're not sending them back

We won't let them grow up with a mom who smokes crack

 

So it seems quite harsh but it's what we need to do

I don't want my baby sisters to ever be depressed too

Because I've got the illness and the scars to prove it

It runs in our family and I'm determined to lose it

Now my sisters are together over East and I'm relieved

Because now they have a much better chance to achieve

Mom is a lost soul but she may find her way home

If she ever reaches out for help I won't let her be alone

Because I've seen it all and I'm going to break the chain

I'm eliminating heartbreak and emotional pain

My children will never be abused or unloved

They'll never be on a diet and they'll never be judged

If I'm not with their Dad I'll never speak ill of him

My house will be warm and loving, not cold and grim

And even after everything mom put us through

It was only a reflection of what she'd lived through too

So I don't hate you Gen, this won't be forever

Once you're no longer sick we can all be together