We’ll build a future under Western Desert sun because we have a dream

I love this song, “Western desert sun” by Steve Grace.

I first saw Steve perform in 1986 in Perth, Western Australia as part of outreach for the America’s cup.

My dad did a tour of small country towns with him  and I helped to organise a concert for him in Broken Hill in 1991.

One of the things I love about him is the simplicity of his lyrics. There are artists who write songs that probably not even they understand, but Steve writes songs that are clear, simple and a bit confronting.

He is also unambiguously Australian. I love an old song of his about Ned Kelly.

This video brings together his Australianness with the simplicity of his lyrics and as Leeanne and I watched the video last night, I found myself moved to tears.

One particular verse stood out for me, its not complicated but it is profound:

Yesterday cannot be changed

All our failures, all our shame

But with forgiveness, and God’s love

With faith in Jesus, we’ll rise above

Cause we have a dream

We have a dream

we’ll work together in a place that we agree

We have a dream

in Jesus we are one

We’ll build a future under Western Desert sun

We have a dream

I also loved this verse:

Songs of Redemption

Songs of Hope and life

Sit down at the campfire on a Western Desert night

Brothers and sisters

We are Black and we are white

but we’ll keep believing and we won’t give up this fight

At Christmas we remember a little baby that came to bring hope in the face of failure and shame.

A little baby whose birth inaugurated a completely different kind of value system than the world had ever seen.

He doesn’t say it but I see what is special about Christmas coming through loud and clear in Steve’s song.

Let’s not lose sight of the very special dream.