In 2001, the Australian government faced a crisis when the Norwegian cargo ship Tampa rescued 438 Afghan refugees from a sinking Indonesian ferry and requested permission to disembark the weary travellers on Australian soil at Christmas Island.

'Dividing You' is a reflection on the Howard-led government's refusal to allow this, necessitating a reroute for the Tampa to Papua New Guinea. New Zealand and Nauru offered quarter to the refugees, flying them from PNG and processing their asylum claims upon arrival.

Written in the Netherlands in September 2001, this song attempts to highlight the ever-diminishing value of human life in the modern era.