Johnny Cash - Drums

from Johnny Cash's "Bitter Tears"

From the Indian reservation to the governmental school
Well they're goin' to educate me to the white men's Golden Rule
And I'm learning very quickly for I've learned to be ashamed
And I come when they call Billy though I've got an Indian name

And there are drums beyond the mountain Indian drums that you can't hear
There are drums beyond the mountain and they're getting mighty near

And when they think that they'd changed me cut my hair to meet their needs
Will they think I'm white or Indian quarter blood or just half breed
Let me tell you Mr teacher when you say you'll make me right
In five hundred years of fighting not one Indian turned white
And there are drums...

Well you thought that I knew nothing when you brought me here to school
Just another empty Indian just America's first fool
But now I can tell you stories that are burnt and dried and old
But in the shadow of their telling walks the thunder proud and bold
And there are drums...

Long Pine and Sequoia Handsome Lake and Sitting Bull
There's Magnus Colorado with his sleeves so red and full
Crazy Horse the legend those who bit off Custer's soul
They are dead yet they are living with the great Geronimo
And there are drums...

Well you may teach me this land's hist'ry but we taught it to you first
We broke your hearts and bent your journeys broken treaties left us cursed
Even now you have to cheat us even though you this us tame
In our losing we found proudness in your winning you found shame
And there are drums...

lyrics written by Peter LaFarge
lyrics written by Peter LaFarge
(son of Oliver LaFarge, familiar to us now for "Laughing Boy")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_La_Farge
...I could keep adding link after link for background & references, but here's an example of tech being a wonderful thing: you can too :)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Johnny
• Cash
• Drums
• Bitter
• Tears

[AmateurPhilosopher85]

this may be the most underrated song in history

[C0ke45smom]

dam i found the vinyl record in my grandma 's basement.

[Broxi57]

This song isn't about Indians, it's about every man who's worked for a living, every man who's struggled (and still struggles) for a living.

Times change, politics don’t and the drums are still beating.. God bless Johnny Cash.

[woods8870]

@OnceUponATime315 IM DRUNK

[OnceUponATime315]

@AmateurPhilosopher85 You are absolutley right. You have to listen to the words very carefully. There are even some funny lines in here if you listen closely enough.

[matthughes06]

"In our losing we found proudness in your winning you found shame"

[dbahr2]

Not just the most underrated song, it's one of the most underrated albums of all time!

[cs1zero]

WHY THIS ALBUM HAVE 2 PEOPLE WHO HATE EVERY SONG ON THIS ALBUM ?!!!

i need more arrow to kill them....

but i love this song and first love to singer...! but he was die... before i'm born...:(

[usaruss]

@oguitar200 3 shortcomings of the US Constitution: 1. Should have granted full rights of citizenship to American Indians 2. Should have granted full rights of citizenship to women. 3. Should have outlawed slavery.

[usaruss]

Never heard this before. A great song.

[oguitar200]

Beautiful song. It is shameful what Native Americans had to go through.

[holdenboy1960]

I'm in Australia , my mum painted a portrait of johnny cash & sent it to him , many yrs ago when i was a child , I'm now 50, in return MR cash sent mum a signed autograph of him self