Skip to content
FreeGuitarTabs

From Little Things Big Things Grow

Paul Kelly
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
Gather  round people  let me tell  you a story
 An eight year long story of power and pride
 British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiarri
 Were opposite men on opposite sides
 (Continue with these chords the whole song)
 Vestey was fat with money and muscle
 Beef was his business, broad was his door
 Vincent was lean and spoke very little
 He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 Gurindji were working for nothing but rations
 Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
 Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter
 Gurindju decided they must make a stand
 They picked up their swags and started off walking
 At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
 Now it don't sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
 Back at the homestead and then in the town
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 Vestey man said I'll double your wages
 Seven quid a week you'll have in your hand
 Vincent said uhuh we're not talking about wages
 We're sitting right here till we get our land
 Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
 You don't stand the chance of a cinder in snow
 Vince said if we fall others are rising
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 Then Vincent Lingiarri boarded an aeroplane
 Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
 And daily he went round softly speaking his story
 To all kinds of men from all walks of life
 And Vincent sat down with big politicians
 This affair they told him is a matter of state
 Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
 Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 Then Vincent Lingiarri returned in an aeroplane
 Back to his country once more to sit down
 And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
 We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns
 Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting
 Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
 And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
 And through Vincent's fingers poured a handful of sand
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 That was the story of Vincent Lingairri
 But this is the story of something much more
 How power and privilege can not move a people
 Who know where they stand and stand in the law
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 From little things big things grow
 (When the didgeridoo comes in, an electric guitar is heard playing the C-Am-Em-G pattern with power chords.)
 enjoy playing!

Source: Songsterr · Rights holder? Request removal.

Readable chord sheet for From Little Things Big Things Grow by Paul Kelly

[C] [Am] [Em] [G]

[C]Gather round [Am]people let me t[Em]ell you a stor[G]y
An eight year long story of power and pride
British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiarri
Were opposite men on opposite sides

(Continue with these chords the whole song)

Vestey was fat with money and muscle
Beef was his business, broad was his door
Vincent was lean and spoke very little
He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Gurindji were working for nothing but rations
Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter
Gurindju decided they must make a stand

They picked up their swags and started off walking
At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
Now it don't sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
Back at the homestead and then in the town

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Vestey man said I'll double your wages
Seven quid a week you'll have in your hand
Vincent said uhuh we're not talking about wages
We're sitting right here till we get our land
Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
You don't stand the chance of a cinder in snow
Vince said if we fall others are rising

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Then Vincent Lingiarri boarded an aeroplane
Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
And daily he went round softly speaking his story
To all kinds of men from all walks of life

And Vincent sat down with big politicians
This affair they told him is a matter of state
Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Then Vincent Lingiarri returned in an aeroplane
Back to his country once more to sit down
And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns

Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting
Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
And through Vincent's fingers poured a handful of sand

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

That was the story of Vincent Lingairri
But this is the story of something much more
How power and privilege can not move a people
Who know where they stand and stand in the law

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

(When the didgeridoo comes in, an electric guitar is heard playing the C-Am-Em-G pattern with power chords.)

enjoy playing!

More songs by Paul Kelly

Browse more →