N'we Jinan Artists - "DON'T GIVE UP" // Tuktoyaktuk, NWT

'Don't Give Up' was written and recorded by a group of youth from Tuktoyaktuk in the North West Territories.
Written and recorded by: Eriel, Jones, Zion, Darryl, Miley, Carmen, Sophie Deana, Kiara, Peter, Waylon and Natalie.
Traditional singing by: Betty
Traditional singing and drumming by: Tucker and Trent
Video by: Andrei Savu
Produced & Mixed by: Milan André Boronell, Andrei Savu and Derwin Watt
Mastered by: Kristofer Harris
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For more information:
www.nwejinan.com​
www.inpath.ca
Special thanks to Western Arctic Youth Collective: www.wayc.ca/
Media inquiries: [e-mail]
LYRICS:
ERIEL
I think about it everyday
I feel like we don’t have a say
We’re not the cause but we feel it all
You must be blind but we see it all
JONES
All these erosions, I’m exploding
With emotion, I feel broken
I hope we can, keep the culture going
Push past our limits and keep the culture growing
ZION
I love hunting caribou
Let me show you how we do
Cut the ribs and make a stew
Take it home on the skidoo
DARRYL
I wanna get my message straight
No I’m not feeling great
I see the waves, when the seasons change,
my people’s pain, we gotta stay
CHORUS
No No No we don’t wanna relocate (THIS IS MY HOME, MY HOME)
No No No there’s no better place (WE LIVE HERE)
And we’ll never go
MILEY
Bad memories, float like a boat, with the children from my past
In my family, It’s haunting me
Gotta go, in my soul, let go of what they stole
CARMEN
They thought we were fools
They sent us to school, on a boat with their rules
I feel hurt but I must be strong
Searching for the light at the break of dawn
SOPHIE DEANA
Flashbacks and panic attacks
I don’t belong, I’m trapped
But listening to music keeps me calm, that’s a fact
I had to raise myself, it wasn’t safe
Now I use art as an escape
PETER
Most of us have depression
We all show one, bad expression
From sundown to sunrise
That’s when the long lonely nights arrive
WAYLON
I saved my sister’s life, twice
I was scared, I was hopeless
But now I got a voice, I can fight for the kids that don’t wanna live
Forgiveness and love, is all that I give
NATALIE
Life is hard, you’ve been through enough
Keep moving on, and don’t give up