Samantha On The Blocks

[Verse 1]
Bare feet on red dirt
Names carved in old school desks
Dreams drawn in biro
Circles
Stars
And running legs
Swim cap on in the dark
Long laps before the bell
Coach says
“Look at that start”
She thinks
“One day
I will”

[Chorus]
Samantha on the blocks
Whole crowd holding breath
First to break that water
Fighting every depth
From the islands to the lane
From a whisper to a yell
First to stand there with a medal
And a story they can tell

[Verse 2]
Grandma by the TV
Hands folded
Barely speaks
Sees that flag climb slowly
Feels the past inside her feet
Headlines spell her surname
Kids trace it with their thumbs
Little girl in Cairns asks softly
“Could I be like her
Mum?”

[Chorus]
Samantha on the blocks
Whole crowd holding breath
First to break that water
Fighting every depth
From the islands to the lane
From a whisper to a yell
First to stand there with a medal
And a story we can tell

[Bridge]
They said it wasn’t made for us
She dove in anyway (anyway)
Every stroke against the current
Cleared a pathway
Not just silver
Not just bronze
More than metal on a chain
It’s a door kicked open
When they call her name

[Chorus]
Samantha on the blocks
Whole crowd holding breath
First to break that water
Fighting every depth
From the islands to the lane
From a whisper to a yell
First Aboriginal Olympian
With a medal she excelled

[Outro]
Bare feet on red dirt
Kids racing in the sun
Every splash in every pool
Starts where she begun