This was a very moving song for me; not because I’ve been personally affected by what Ben is describing, but because he does it so well, and so subtly. It’s a melancholy tune with the strings used to great effect – very emotive. This is really an extraodinary piece of storytelling based on the 2005 Eyre Peninsula “Wangary” Bushfire. When I asked Ben about it, he said “I was working for the newsletter at that time flown in as the airport was burning”. Yes, he was there.
Musically it’s tempo and style is perfect for conveying the emotion, even if it took me a few listens to get the message straight. I’ve listened many times now and it just keeps growing on me.
I didn’t want to pre-empt people’s own journey of discovery of this song, so I asked Steve and Colin not to give it away when we talked about it.
I’ve put my interpretations, in order, at the bottom of this article; I would really like you to listen, note down your thoughts on what it was about, and do this at least two more times, and please, please let me know your interpretations in order, by comments below. If you are as moved by this song as I was, you’ll want to do it, believe me. The song segment starts at about 1hr and 7 minutes in.
Ben is a freelance photographer and photo-journalist and singer-songwriter.
“Ben Searcy has an extraordinary knack of being able to capture the thoughts within us all with disarming lyrics, great guitar work and, occasionally, a deliciously dark sense of humour”
My discovery of “Wangary” (don’t read until you’ve listened a couple of times!)
- The first listen, seemed to be about a bushfire; a guy who stayed and saved his house. I couldn’t work out why he changed his mind and didn’t think the fact his house survived and his neighbours’ didn’t was a good thing.
- The second listen I thought maybe his partner and kids wouldn’t come back because he stayed to fight the fire, or for some other reason.
- The third listen I thought he died fighting the fire and it was a kind of ‘beyond the grave’ style song. Quite moving.
- I think I got it on the fourth listen; it made me tear up.
What was your take?
For the record, here is our full discussion of the song from the podcast. We clipped it and put it here so that we didn’t spoil it for you before your first listen.