The Distant Call of Home

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When the sun is rising east
Won’t you think of me dear Mary
For the same sun will be setting
Where I lie on distant shore
Every letter you have sent
I keep folded to my chest
And I read them in the evening
When the shells are laid to rest

And it heartens me to learn
That you wait for our return
From hearth to trench so far away
Watching waiting day by day
The distant call of home

When the sun is rising east
At the end of Albert Street
How I think of you each morning
And the night that you will greet
And if there is any good
You’ll return to where you stood
Not a home is without sorrow
Not a house is without hope

Neighbours gather at the gate
As we watch and as we wait
Shadows fall from door to door
Things that once were are no more
The distant call of home

Yet the sun still rises east
Light dapples through the leaves
Of eucalypt and wattle
As though war had never been
In the eyes of those returned
Untold visions deeply burned
A grief that can’t be measured
For peace we ever yearn

Oaks and elms form avenues
In memory grow to honour you
A magpie sings out to the dawn
A song for those we mourn
A distant call from home

– The Orbweavers, “The Distant Call Of Home”

Much loved Melbourne band The Orbweavers have been a prominent part of ABC-TV’s dramatised four-part documentary series to mark the centenary of the First World War, The War That Changed Us. The evocative theme song for the series, “The Distant Call of Home”, was written by The Orbweavers (Marita Dyson and Stuart Flanagan). Fans of The Orbweavers will instantly recognise Marita’s exquisite voice singing the theme song, as well as a number of old songs from the World War I period, such as “‘Sing Me To Sleep”, “Good-Byee” and “Oh! It’s A Lovely War”.

The Orbweavers agree that working on The War That Changed Us; learning and recording traditional World War I songs for the soundtrack, and then writing an original theme song, has been an extraordinary experience for them as musicians. “To write the theme song, we searched for a connection between people of the past, who experienced the war, and the present”, Stuart Flanagan said.

‘Themes of time and distance became our focus”, explained Marita Dyson. “We thought about the rising of the sun in Australia signalling nightfall in trenches across the other side of the world; the sun as a link between people and places, thousands of miles apart.

“We stood at the gate of our house and looked down the street, imagining what family or a loved one would have felt in the same place, 100 years ago, waiting for news”, Marita remembered.”We thought about the Australian landscape of home, the sound and light – a tangible environment across time.”

• “It’s directed with a kind of cinematic lushness that brings it all to life in a way that is often surprisingly evocative — all tied together by the mesmerising, haunting voice of Marita Dyson and her song The Distant Call of Home, her whispery vocals capable of bringing tears to the eyes” – THE AUSTRALIAN
• “Particularly impressive is the use of music. Along with the haunting title track, Marita Dyson also reinterprets the popular songs of the day and tonight the contrast of her tinglingly pure voice, the ironically jaunty melodies, and the macabre lyrics packs a huge punch” – SYDNEY MORNING HERALD