Cherokee Rose

Pine straw on the ground around a fallen Cherokee rose
It's got me wonderin' why those mighty winds of change must blow
Once this land was free from fences and shotguns
Back when the people killed here for food instead of fun
When the earth was sanctified, cherished in the red man's eyes

Before the Cherokee rose
The Cherokee rose
The Cherokee rose

My boots sink down into the soft red Georgia clay
Bought with their blood, this land here never was ours to take away
Disheartened souls unjustly driven from their homes
Many died along the way now we build our houses upon their bones
After all these years, I can see the trail of tears

Damn this Cherokee rose
Oh the Cherokee rose
The Cherokee rose

Oh they call us the land of the free and the home of the brave
But I don't hear much about the
Injustice that we've done along the way
We try to block it out, never think about the price they had to pay
We never cry for what was lost or shed a tear for the heavy cost
Of what we call freedom

All the gold in the world couldn't pay the debt we owe
We'll never right those wrongs, but I believe we should let them know
That we won't forget and sure as hell won't justify
And we'll do our best to keep their memories alive
Oh the least that we can do, is dedicate one lonesome bloom

Won't you take this Cherokee rose
Oh the Cherokee rose, oh
The Cherokee rose
The Cherokee rose, oh
The Cherokee rose