The phrase you are referring to is likely a variation of a line from “Songline of the Moonbird,” an evocative Aboriginal song and poem that ends its chorus with the imagery of a place “where the songline of the moonbird still lies.” What is the “Moonbird”?
In Australia, the moonbird is the traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal name for the short-tailed shearwater (commonly known as the muttonbird). These remarkable birds are famous for:
Massive Migrations: They embark on an annual 30,000-kilometer journey around the Pacific Ocean before returning to the exact same nesting burrows.
Dusk Returns: They are nicknamed “moonbirds” because they fly out to sea to fish during the day and return to the shore en masse just as darkness falls and the moon rises. The Story Behind the Song
The piece was composed by Aboriginal poet Dyan Summers from Flinders Island and is frequently performed by her husband, Indigenous elder Ronnie Summers, alongside community choirs.
The Theme: The song captures the profound, enduring relationship between the Tasmanian Aborigines and the moonbird. Muttonbirding is a multi-generational cultural tradition, particularly on Cape Barren Island and the Furneaux Group in the Bass Strait.
The Cultural Meaning: In the lyrics, the flight and path of the moonbird serve as a spiritual metaphor for finding one’s way back home. It emphasizes family, ancestry, and deep connection to country. Key Lyrics
The chorus beautifully highlights the imagery of the landscape where these traditions live on:
“We’ll walk the path of the moonbird.The mountains will touch the sky.And carry you back to your ‘ome once again.Where the songline of the moonbird still lies.”
If you are looking for audio or video recordings of this piece, you can find regional performances through resources like Illawarra Primary School’s shared curriculum material or folk archival recordings on YouTube.
Were you looking for this specific Aboriginal song and its cultural history, or were you perhaps thinking of a specific book, poem, or fictional place by a similar name? Ronnie Summers and choir sing, Songline of the Moonbirds
Leave a Reply