Hourglass: Tears in Wounded Knee

The wind blew free across the Dakota plains
Before the iron cut the earth, before the final chains
They came with crosses, paper, and the shine of cold steel
Promising a peace that time would soon unseal
As long as the grass grows and the rivers flow
Said the voices of men who had nowhere to go

So, bury my heart at the bend of the stream
Where the blood turned to ice and dissolved the dream
Don't take me to the East, where the soul is leaden and gray
Leave my spirit where the people were taken away
Wounded Knee is the scar that time refuses to mend
Where the hope of a nation met its bitter end

We walked the trails of tears under a leaden Sun
Watching the buffalo fall till there were none
Cochise, Geronimo, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull
Names the dust of history tried to keep dull
They gave us reservations, fences, and a hollow hand
But you cannot put shackles on the spirit of the land

They signed the treaties with hands that felt no shame
They lied at the council in the Great Father's name
What is a border to those born of the horizon's light?
What is gold compared to the water's sacred right?
The gunpowder spoke louder than honor or grace
And Civilization became the death of a race

Now the asphalt covers what was once holy ground
But on moonlit nights, the past is the only sound
The cry of Sand Creek still echoes through the canyon walls
The Ghost Dance lingers where the shadow falls
We were not defeated, we were only pushed aside
Into names of rivers where the ancient spirits hide

Bury my heart at the bend of the stream
Where the blood turned to ice and dissolved the dream
Don't take me to the East, where the soul is leaden and gray
Leave my spirit where the people were taken away
Wounded Knee is the scar that time refuses to mend
Where the hope of a nation met its bitter end

Bury my heart
At the river's bend
Where the grass still tries to grow
Where the river still tries to flow