I Burn
I came in with a raging heart
Memories of bullets flying over head
Soft deer skin covering my feet
A warrior that would never surrender
When all was lost we stood our ground
On the frozen earth in the last winter
Pledging our souls return
Wooden stakes marked the spot
We retained our honour, our heritage
Our lineage, honouring our promise
To the great grandfather
The pain of this return
Into the heart of despair
The enemies arms embraced us
Birthed us, took us in
Held us close, told us, they loved us
Gave us everything, everything they promised before
Money, power, prestige and fortune
But this new heart beat as before
Red blood, red heat, red fire
I burn your schools
I burn your upbringing
I burn your system
I burn your fake memories
And in turn I recall
The sound of beating drums
The songs of life, the songs of war
Ready to sing the last death song
The ghosts of the elders walk with me
Calling over council fires
Sweet smoke rises and I remember
Lift my head from deep slumber
I remember, I remember everything
The genocide, the screams of children and mothers
Bearing the wounds of our ancestors
They push me towards awakening
They force me to remember
I can't sleep from their deafening whispers
From their incessant persistence
They say there is no release
Till I surrender, till I forgive
The enemies of my fathers
So for thirty years I bore this promise
Carried it like weighted rocks upon my back
As I drowned myself in fire water
I stumbled at the precipice
And would of fallen over
If you had not come to save me
To lift me from my destruction
To carry me home
To the hills of my forefathers
To the buttes of the forgotten
And there at Kingfisher falls
I broke the arrows
I tore them from my skin
And threw them in clear water
I took the suffering from my back
And buried it in the rocks below the river
I washed myself in its icy embrace
And forgave all those that had conquered
I poured medicines into the rushing waters
And called to grandfather, crying to heal me
Heal the nations and all our people
So no more would we return in anger
No more would we seek revenge
But instead, would walk in honour
The kind that we hold so dear
The reason why we fought
Till we were lost in the fight
Lost to the heart
Of this raging fire
I burn
Memories of bullets flying over head
Soft deer skin covering my feet
A warrior that would never surrender
When all was lost we stood our ground
On the frozen earth in the last winter
Pledging our souls return
Wooden stakes marked the spot
We retained our honour, our heritage
Our lineage, honouring our promise
To the great grandfather
The pain of this return
Into the heart of despair
The enemies arms embraced us
Birthed us, took us in
Held us close, told us, they loved us
Gave us everything, everything they promised before
Money, power, prestige and fortune
But this new heart beat as before
Red blood, red heat, red fire
I burn your schools
I burn your upbringing
I burn your system
I burn your fake memories
And in turn I recall
The sound of beating drums
The songs of life, the songs of war
Ready to sing the last death song
The ghosts of the elders walk with me
Calling over council fires
Sweet smoke rises and I remember
Lift my head from deep slumber
I remember, I remember everything
The genocide, the screams of children and mothers
Bearing the wounds of our ancestors
They push me towards awakening
They force me to remember
I can't sleep from their deafening whispers
From their incessant persistence
They say there is no release
Till I surrender, till I forgive
The enemies of my fathers
So for thirty years I bore this promise
Carried it like weighted rocks upon my back
As I drowned myself in fire water
I stumbled at the precipice
And would of fallen over
If you had not come to save me
To lift me from my destruction
To carry me home
To the hills of my forefathers
To the buttes of the forgotten
And there at Kingfisher falls
I broke the arrows
I tore them from my skin
And threw them in clear water
I took the suffering from my back
And buried it in the rocks below the river
I washed myself in its icy embrace
And forgave all those that had conquered
I poured medicines into the rushing waters
And called to grandfather, crying to heal me
Heal the nations and all our people
So no more would we return in anger
No more would we seek revenge
But instead, would walk in honour
The kind that we hold so dear
The reason why we fought
Till we were lost in the fight
Lost to the heart
Of this raging fire
I burn