The Melbourne Divide
Danny McDonald (Perfect Pitch Publishing), 2013
Too thick to drink it, too thin to plough
It’s the Melbourne divide – you’re north or you’re south
The mud and the refuse, and God knows what else
It’s not a water supply, not a picture of health
But it breaks up the buildings and it breaks up the streets
Her murky façade creates a mystique
Invisible river, industrial dump
She flows upside down and chokes Punt Road
The history that she holds
The culture, down it flows
Steady as she goes
The culture down it flows
about
"Melbourne is a city divided by a river. The muddy, much-loved Yarra runs smack bang down the middle of the southern and northern suburbs, creating a sense of physical and cultural separation.
Perhaps it’s more apparent to me as a part-time resident, but it seems that each side of the city has distinct qualities which both reflect and help to shape the people that inhabit them. The Yarra is what exists in between, equally separating and uniting the two.
A lot has been written about the Yarra River over the years. One of the enduring impressions for some is that it doesn’t really serve any useful purpose other than for recreation.
From my perspective, the Yarra gives life and vibrancy to Melbourne’s otherwise ordinary landscape. And while it may never function as a hard, tangible piece of economic infrastructure, it will always be fundamental to defining our sense of place, culture and identity."
-- Danny McDonald, 2014
credits
released April 14, 2015
Written by Danny McDonald (Perfect Pitch Publishing) 2013
Produced and engineered by Nick Batterham
Danny McDonald - Vocals and guitar
Dave Kleynjans - Drums and percussion
Nick Batterham - Guitar, keyboards, glockenspiel
Paul Inglis – Bass guitar
Taken from PB100, Popboomerang Records’ 100th release, 2015
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