Jen Cloher - I Am The River, The River Is Me (Official Video) 

Jen Cloher - I Am The River, The River Is Me (Official Video)
Taken from Jen Cloher’s fifth album Ko Au Te Awa, Ko Te Awa Ko Au // I Am The River, The River Is Me which is out out now on Milk Records!/ Marathon Artists.
Buy/ stream the new album here: jen-cloher.lnk...
The title track of my new album is taken from the Māori proverb Ko Au Te Awa, Ko Te Awa Ko Au or I Am The River, The River Is Me. It was first spoken by Rangitihi Rangiwaiata Tahuparae and holds especially deep significance for Iwi (tribes) along the Whanganui River in the North Island of Aotearoa, NZ. In 2017 they won a landmark legislation when the New Zealand government granted the Whanganui River legal personhood-a status that is in keeping with the Māori worldview that the river is a living entity. The legislation refers to the river as an “indivisible, living whole,” conferring it “all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities” of an individual.
At the heart of this album is a remembering of our purpose as human beings. We are not of this earth, we are the earth. When we frame our dependence in this way, we remember our purpose as guardians, caretakers - as kaitiaki.
Catch Jen playing tracks from Ko Au Te Awa, Ko Te Awa Ko Au // I Am The River, The River Is Me live across Australia, UK & EU dates this year. All tickets listed on www.jencloher.com
Credits:
Te Hononga o ngā Iwi are: Fallon Te Paa, Breanne Peters, Kaycee Merito, Chiquita Seu Vaotu’ua, Kodie Heremia, Treylin Pakoti and Douglas Rangiawha.
Starring: Manaaki Heremia as the teen son.
Nick Mckk - Director & DOP
Claire Giuffre - 1st AC
Francis Healy Wood - Gaffer
Loni Thomson - 1st AD
Mike Ridley - Colour grade
Veisinia Tonga - Set design and floral installations
Tāne Te Manu McRoberts at Te Arawa Designs - Costume / Kākahu
Anaru Tawha - Ta Moko design and application
Wendy Ngyuen - Hair and Makeup
Jen Cloher’s band are: Jen Sholakis, Anika Ostendorf, Rob Wrigley and Nathalie Pavlovic.
Ngā mihi nui: Sammie Tawha, Leah, Aiva and Edith Avene, Nathalie Pavlovic and Quincy McLean.
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Follow Jen Cloher:
Instagram: / jencloher
Twitter: / jencloher
Facebook: / jencloherofficial
Web: www.jencloher.com
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Lyrics:
Hey you, how you doing?
Have I caught you at a time
where you can listen
Are you sitting on a plane
with the clouds below you
When it feels unreal
like you’re in a movie
Wrote a song for you
cos I know you’re trying
On a planet that you love
that you know is dying
And the grief you feel
is real it’s something
Deep and wide
and filled with longing
The feeling that you feel
is your birthright
You’re only here
because of everything
Your people survived
From the mountains to the sea
I am - the river - is me
Tiaki mai i ahau (Look after me)
Māku anō koe e tiaki (And I’ll look after you)
Hey you, how you doing?
Are you sitting in a car
with the motor running
When you’re going nowhere
But it’s overwhelming
Too busy just trying to
get by surviving
Wrote a song for you
Cos I know you’re dreaming
Of the river as it guides you
home to feeling
And the love you feel
is real it’s something
Deep and wide and filled with knowing
The feeling that you feel is
Your birthright
Papatuānuku breathing you to life (Mother Earth)
From the mountains to the sea
I am - the river - is me
Tiaki mai i ahau
Maku ano koe e tiaki
E kōrero ana ōu tūpuna ki a koe:
(Your ancestors are speaking to you)
We hold you precious moko
There is a place here for you
To rest your heart and body
And to be free of worry
To fall apart
To not know
To feel the grief and let go
E rere kau ana te awa
mai i Te Kāhui Maunga ki a Tangaroa,
ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au
(From the mountains to the sea, I am the river, the river is me)
#JenCloher #officialvideo #newalbum