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Took the Children Away (V2) Lyrics by Archie Roach

1990

This story's right, this story's true
I would not tell lies to you
Like the promises they did not keep
And how they fenced us in like sheep
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away
Took the children away
The children away
Snatched from their mother's breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away
The welfare and the policeman
Said you've got to understand
We'll give them what you can't give
Teach them how to really live
Teach them how to live they said
Humiliated them instead
Taught them that and taught them this
And others taught them prejudice
You took the children away
The children away
Breaking their mother's heart
Tearing us all apart
Took them away
One dark day on Framingham
Come and didn't give a damn
My mother cried go get their dad
He came running, fighting mad
Mother's tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground
He said 'You touch my kids and you fight me'
And they took us from our family
Took us away
They took us away
Snatched from our mother's breast
Said this was for the best
Took us away
Told us what to do and say
Told us all the white man's ways
Then they split us up again
And gave us gifts to ease the pain
Sent us off to foster homes
As we grew up we felt alone
Cause we were acting white
Yet feeling black
One sweet day all the children came back
The children come back
The children come back
Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The children came back
Said the children come back
The children come back
Back where they understand
Back to their mother's land
The children come back
Back to their mother
Back to their father
Back to their sister
Back to their brother
Back to their people
Back to their land
All the children come back
The children come back
The children come back
Yes I came back
Credits
Archie Roach

Archie Roach

About “Took the Children Away (V2)” by Archie Roach

Read the complete lyrics to "Took the Children Away (V2)" by Archie Roach in 1990. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Took the Children Away (V2)" is performed by Archie Roach. in 1990 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Took the Children Away (V2)", explore more songs by Archie Roach using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Took the Children Away (V2)" is credited to Archie Roach. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Took the Children Away (V2)" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Archie Roach artist page at /artist/archie-roach for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.