Note to Instructor

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A friend of mine had written a book about Native Americans. She used to hangout with them during her youth. She told me about some events that took place a long ago that shaped Native Americans today, about their customs and forgotten traditions and some linguistics, which I used here. The phrase "as long as rivers flow" means for a very long time.You can google Wounded Knee Massacre or Sun Dance to get a glimpse of what it means here, but I tried to reflect from the NA POV, and only went into a first person at the last verse. Kinda "skin-walk" so to speak.

Lyrics

Where falling feathers floating fog
From looping flights of crows
There spirit-shadows guard the ground
As long as rivers flow

As long as rivers flow

But uninvited guests trespass
And start their shadow show.
The war uproots the Tree of Life
Reversing rivers’ flow

Reversing rivers’ flow

The Chief of Guests says to his men
“Let us enforce the law”
And sets the reservation camps
Along the rivers’ flow

Along the rivers’ flow

And then Great Spirit leaves to chase
The ghost of buffalo,
So wounds of Wounded Knee will bleed
As long as rivers flow

As long as rivers flow

By other guests I’m welcomed here,
But the value of its lost
Until I get one welcome more,
The welcome of the host

For as long as rivers flow

As long as rivers flow

As long as rivers flow

As long as rivers flow

(Initial lyrics)
Where falling feathers floating fog
From a looping flight of a crow
There spirit-shadows guard the ground
As long as rivers flow

The skin is pierced to honor land’s
Rebirth from melted snow
The summer spins in the Sun Dance,
As long as rivers flow

But uninvited guests trespass
And start their shadow show.
The war uproots the Tree of Life
Reversing rivers’ flow

The Chief of Guests says to his men
“Let us enforce the law”
And sets the reservation camps
Along the rivers’ flow

And then Great Spirit leaves to chase
The ghost of buffalo,
So wounds of Wounded Knee will bleed
As long as rivers flow

One wise man says, he has a dream
Since a long time ago
That ghosts and guests will meet in dance
As long as rivers flow

By other guests I’m welcomed here,
But value of its lost
Until I get one welcome more,
The welcome of the host

For as long as rivers flow

RIVERS FLOW

Note to Instructor

Lyrics