DOWN IN THE YEARS, WHEN THE VALLEYS WERE GREEN,
WHEN THE BIRDS USED TO SING WE WERE THE PRAYERS OF THE WIND
THROUGHOUT THE ASHES OF TIME, I STILL REMEMBER THOSE DAYS
WHEN WE TALKED TO THE SUN, TO THE RIVERS AND LAKES
“…We love the forest but I see the whites hunting everything and setting fire to everything. Everything's gone. They will finish this place off and they will lead us to extinction...The only bit of forest we have left is here. The ranchers and settlers are all over the place and we are being pushed and pushed and pushed, and now we are at the limit. We are prepared to fight back if demarcation doesn't happen, but we are weak because there are so few of us. There is no way we can match white man in any way, except our honour and our strength of spirit…”
DOWN IN THE YEARS, WHEN THE VALLEYS WERE GREEN,
WHEN THE BIRDS USED TO SING, WE WERE THE PRAYERS OF THE WIND
THROUGHOUT THE ASHES OF TIME, I STILL REMEMBER THOSE DAYS
WHEN WE TALKED TO THE SUN, TO THE RIVERS AND LAKES
Chorus:
WE WERE PART, PART OF NATURE
MOTHER EARTH, A LOVELY PLACE
WHEN YOU CAME I ASKED TO MYSELF
SHOULD I SMOKE THE PEACE (PIPE) OR PAINT THE FACE?
FORCED TO ACCEPT A STRANGE GOD THAT MEANS NOTHING TO ME
WHILE MY MOTHER IS RAPED I CAN SEE MY MISTAKE WAS MY HONESTY...
AND NOW IN THE RIVERS OF EXHILE, I CANNOT HEAR MY ANCHESTORS VOICE,
I’M FARAWAY FROM HOME, PRAYING TO THE WIND, IS MY ONLY CHOICE
Chorus:
WE WERE PART, PART OF NATURE
MOTHER EARTH A LOVELY PLACE
WHEN YOU CAME I ASKED TO MYSELF
SHOULD I SMOKE THE PEACE (PIPE) OR PAINT THE FACE?
HOW CAN WHITE MAN ASK TO SELL OUR LANDS? THEY AREN’T OURS. THEY BELONG TO THIS EARTH, THIS BEAUTIFUL PLANET THAT IS OUR HOME, THAT FEEDS US, HEALS US AND GIVES US SHELTER. WE CAN NEVER SELL ANYTHING THAT ISN’T OURS. AGAIN, ONLY WHITE MAN CAN ASK SUCH IMPOSSIBLE THING…