| Medicine Tree Music |
| "We Proceeded On" Lyrics |
Ballad of Sacajawea
In the shadow of the Shining Mountains,
Her people wandered free.
The People of the Grass Lodge,
Called the Shoshoni.
Stolen from her people
When she was just a girl,
Brought out of the mountains
Into the white man's world.
CHORUS:
Water, wind and song
Carry us along.
The river sings her song.
She never stops singing.
In the village of the Mandan
In the winter of 04,
She joined the expedition
To find the Pacific shore.
Just a teenage mother
With a baby at her breast,
When the Corps of Discover
Went up river headed west.
CHORUS
Grizzly bears, prickly pears,
mosquitoes, rattlesnakes.
The portage of the Great Falls ,
almost more than they could take.
Through all the toil and hardship,
Bird Woman kept her cool.
Captains Clark and Lewis realized
She was no man's fool
CHORUS
Sacajawea's story
continues to unfold,
That young teenage mother
Was worth her weight in gold.
When they finally reached the Pacific Ocean.
Sand, fog, and the seagull's cry.
Sacajawea stood upon the beach
and looked a whale in the eye.
Thomas Jefferson's vision
Of a pathway to the sea,
Across the wild mountains
The land of the free.
In the shadow of the Shining Mountains,
Her people wandered free.
The People of the Grass Lodge,
Called the Shoshoni.
Stolen from her people
When she was just a girl,
Brought out of the mountains
Into the white man's world.
CHORUS:
Water, wind and song
Carry us along.
The river sings her song.
She never stops singing.
In the village of the Mandan
In the winter of 04,
She joined the expedition
To find the Pacific shore.
Just a teenage mother
With a baby at her breast,
When the Corps of Discover
Went up river headed west.
CHORUS
Grizzly bears, prickly pears,
mosquitoes, rattlesnakes.
The portage of the Great Falls ,
almost more than they could take.
Through all the toil and hardship,
Bird Woman kept her cool.
Captains Clark and Lewis realized
She was no man's fool
CHORUS
Sacajawea's story
continues to unfold,
That young teenage mother
Was worth her weight in gold.
When they finally reached the Pacific Ocean.
Sand, fog, and the seagull's cry.
Sacajawea stood upon the beach
and looked a whale in the eye.
Thomas Jefferson's vision
Of a pathway to the sea,
Across the wild mountains
The land of the free.
Rough and Tumble Lads
Rough and tumble, lads you must be
To join the Corp. of Discovery.
Light out for the territory
And find the pathway to the sea.
Jefferson said “Men do your best,
And find me the river of the west.”
If you make it back you’ll be well known
If a grizzly bear ain’t chewin your bones.
CHORUS
Hey Ho! Pull it up slow.
If she’s out in the current then down she’ll go!
Hey boys! Look at me now
I ain’t back east pullin a plow!
Red Bird, red bird sittin on a fence
Once I had a mighty fine wench.
She turned saucy and had to go.
Snatched up the rosin for my bow.
Hoot owl why you screech all night?
Cuz I lost my heart’s delight.
Searchin for a gal who wants to play’
Court all night and sleep all day.
CHORUS
Mandan had corn and buffalo
Picked up Janey and Charbonneau.
Captains say “Men it’s time to go
The ice is breakin up let’s heave ho!”
Rough and tumble, lads you must be
To join the Corp. of Discovery.
Light out for the territory
And find the pathway to the sea.
Jefferson said “Men do your best,
And find me the river of the west.”
If you make it back you’ll be well known
If a grizzly bear ain’t chewin your bones.
CHORUS
Hey Ho! Pull it up slow.
If she’s out in the current then down she’ll go!
Hey boys! Look at me now
I ain’t back east pullin a plow!
Red Bird, red bird sittin on a fence
Once I had a mighty fine wench.
She turned saucy and had to go.
Snatched up the rosin for my bow.
Hoot owl why you screech all night?
Cuz I lost my heart’s delight.
Searchin for a gal who wants to play’
Court all night and sleep all day.
CHORUS
Mandan had corn and buffalo
Picked up Janey and Charbonneau.
Captains say “Men it’s time to go
The ice is breakin up let’s heave ho!”
Walk in Beauty
May you be kind as the summer.
Welcome as spring.
As sweet as the lullaby your mama always sings.
Like a coyote’s call,
In a sacred manner you will grow.
Brilliant colors of the fall,
The strong heart of a buffalo.
CHORUS:
May you walk in beauty.
May you always be kind.
Beauty before you.
Beauty behind.
Life has a purpose,
A pattern, a rhyme.
Moon, sun, and river,
We’re all intertwined.
It’s all a great mystery,
No one knows what it means.
Let’s go to sleep now
In our blanket of dreams.
May you be kind as the summer.
Welcome as spring.
As sweet as the lullaby your mama always sings.
Like a coyote’s call,
In a sacred manner you will grow.
Brilliant colors of the fall,
The strong heart of a buffalo.
CHORUS:
May you walk in beauty.
May you always be kind.
Beauty before you.
Beauty behind.
Life has a purpose,
A pattern, a rhyme.
Moon, sun, and river,
We’re all intertwined.
It’s all a great mystery,
No one knows what it means.
Let’s go to sleep now
In our blanket of dreams.
John Colter
When John Colter got back to the Mandan
He said Civilization's not for me.
I’m heading back to the wide-open spaces
Where a mountain man can be free.”
He made his way up to the Tetons and the land of the
Yellowstone,
The Bighorn, the Snake, his fortune to make.
The mountains were his home.
He spent his days setting trapline
Wading through the icy streams.
In London,I’m told
A pelt is worth it’s weight in gold and
A man can live out his dreams.
Up in that big sky country,
Where the three rivers become one,
The headwaters of the Missouri,
John Colter made his run.
John Colter ran from the Blackfeet.
He ran naked through the prickly pear.
Man alive, how did that boy survive
Every breath a prayer.
He ran six miles to the river
Warriors on his trail.
Able to dodge into a beaver lodge
That free trapper did prevail.
There’s a voice in the wind, can you hear it?
The spirit of the wild and free
Raising a toast to John Colter’s ghost
And that wide-open wild country.
When John Colter got back to the Mandan
He said Civilization's not for me.
I’m heading back to the wide-open spaces
Where a mountain man can be free.”
He made his way up to the Tetons and the land of the
Yellowstone,
The Bighorn, the Snake, his fortune to make.
The mountains were his home.
He spent his days setting trapline
Wading through the icy streams.
In London,I’m told
A pelt is worth it’s weight in gold and
A man can live out his dreams.
Up in that big sky country,
Where the three rivers become one,
The headwaters of the Missouri,
John Colter made his run.
John Colter ran from the Blackfeet.
He ran naked through the prickly pear.
Man alive, how did that boy survive
Every breath a prayer.
He ran six miles to the river
Warriors on his trail.
Able to dodge into a beaver lodge
That free trapper did prevail.
There’s a voice in the wind, can you hear it?
The spirit of the wild and free
Raising a toast to John Colter’s ghost
And that wide-open wild country.
DogSong
Man's best friend, faithfull to the end
Come what hardships may bring
Fulfill our quest, journey bravely west
Travel through summer, fall and spring
The challenge before, to reach the western shore
And find out what lies in between
We gave it our best, put our souls to the test
And saw wonders that few have ever seen
CHORUS
At times our feet were draggin' and spirits often saggin'
We proceeded on time after time
Through triumph and disaster, loyal to my master
And those whose lives were on the line.
At night my coyote cousins spoke to me by the dozens
Singin' by the light of the moon
They told me a tale of refusing to fail
And courage not to give in too soon
Took their message to heart, did my best to do my part
And friend to man always strive
With courage undaunted, we got just what we wanted
All but one made it back alive
CHORUS
Down the River of the Setting Sun
Behold the country of legends.
In the heart of the wild.
Thirty-one men, a woman, a child.
Across an ocean of prairies,
Over mountains unknown,
In the heart of the wild.
Now we’re on our own.
CHORUS
We proceeded on.
Down the river of the setting sun.
Down the river of the setting sun
Beneath the wing of the thunderbird.
Blackfoot, Sioux, Crow and Cheyenne
Dreamers of the herd.
Making buffalo medicine, voices share the sound.
Heartbeat drum of Mother Earth
Enduring and profound.
CHORUS
Nez Perce, Salish, Flathead, Shoshoni, Mandan.
Guns, horses, salmon, furs.
Speaking with our hands,
Sign language of gestures,
Beads, blankets, songs.
Leaving a trail of gifts across the land,
We proceeded on.
CHORUS
Crying for a vision, in the mountains, in the snow.
Sending a voice into the canyon below.
Over the western mountains, we stretch our hands.
Reaching for that rendezvous
Where the sea meets the land.
CHORUS
Praise and gratitude are the two hands of prayer.
Down the river of the setting sun,
I’ll meet you there.
When we reach the sea, I’ll taste the salt in your hair.
And that wild freedom with which nothing can
compare.
Behold the country of legends.
In the heart of the wild.
Thirty-one men, a woman, a child.
Across an ocean of prairies,
Over mountains unknown,
In the heart of the wild.
Now we’re on our own.
CHORUS
We proceeded on.
Down the river of the setting sun.
Down the river of the setting sun
Beneath the wing of the thunderbird.
Blackfoot, Sioux, Crow and Cheyenne
Dreamers of the herd.
Making buffalo medicine, voices share the sound.
Heartbeat drum of Mother Earth
Enduring and profound.
CHORUS
Nez Perce, Salish, Flathead, Shoshoni, Mandan.
Guns, horses, salmon, furs.
Speaking with our hands,
Sign language of gestures,
Beads, blankets, songs.
Leaving a trail of gifts across the land,
We proceeded on.
CHORUS
Crying for a vision, in the mountains, in the snow.
Sending a voice into the canyon below.
Over the western mountains, we stretch our hands.
Reaching for that rendezvous
Where the sea meets the land.
CHORUS
Praise and gratitude are the two hands of prayer.
Down the river of the setting sun,
I’ll meet you there.
When we reach the sea, I’ll taste the salt in your hair.
And that wild freedom with which nothing can
compare.
Coyote’s American Dream
Old Turtle swam through the darkness
Bringing mud from the bottom of the sea,
To Grandfather Coyote who rolled and stretched it
Into the land of the free.
Then Coyote stole a basket of stars
And danced at the edge of the sky,
Spilling out galaxies and scattering
Stars up high,
CHORUS
Now that’s how the story is told,
We are all part of something very old.
Bear said “Winter should last forever.”
Little Red Squirrel said “No. No. No.”
Bear said “I must dream!”
Squirrel said “ I’ll freeze in the snow!”
Coyote said “I’ll shape the year for you.
I’ll break it right in two.
Half bone, Half mud, Half breath, Half blood,
Half day, Half night, Half dark, Half light,
One part moisture, one part pollen,
One part rising, one part falling,
One part water, one part steam.”
It’s all Coyote’s holy dream!
CHORUS
Old Turtle swam through the darkness
Bringing mud from the bottom of the sea,
To Grandfather Coyote who rolled and stretched it
Into the land of the free.
Then Coyote stole a basket of stars
And danced at the edge of the sky,
Spilling out galaxies and scattering
Stars up high,
CHORUS
Now that’s how the story is told,
We are all part of something very old.
Bear said “Winter should last forever.”
Little Red Squirrel said “No. No. No.”
Bear said “I must dream!”
Squirrel said “ I’ll freeze in the snow!”
Coyote said “I’ll shape the year for you.
I’ll break it right in two.
Half bone, Half mud, Half breath, Half blood,
Half day, Half night, Half dark, Half light,
One part moisture, one part pollen,
One part rising, one part falling,
One part water, one part steam.”
It’s all Coyote’s holy dream!
CHORUS
Teton Waltz
It was along time ago and the places we know
Were settled by true pioneers
And the folks we have met talk of fond times and yet
Have a hard time holding back tears
Now there weren't many chances save for school house dances
To kick back and kick up your heels
And a trip into Jackson meant at least a good day friend
You'd better check that list twice, "Good day Maam"
CHORUS
And the Tetons they say seem a stone's throw away
You know this land fits me like a glove
And the song in the wind brings me back home again
To the friends and the ones that I love
If you you look to the west as the sun slowly sets
You can still catch a glimpse of that time
And the new friends we've met will be old friends I'll bet
'Cause our lives have become intertwined
CHORUS
It was along time ago and the places we know
Were settled by true pioneers
And the folks we have met talk of fond times and yet
Have a hard time holding back tears
Now there weren't many chances save for school house dances
To kick back and kick up your heels
And a trip into Jackson meant at least a good day friend
You'd better check that list twice, "Good day Maam"
CHORUS
And the Tetons they say seem a stone's throw away
You know this land fits me like a glove
And the song in the wind brings me back home again
To the friends and the ones that I love
If you you look to the west as the sun slowly sets
You can still catch a glimpse of that time
And the new friends we've met will be old friends I'll bet
'Cause our lives have become intertwined
CHORUS
Spirit of Adventure
Children gather round and dream of days to come
Many, many, many things yet to be done.
Dwell beneath the waves, go drifting with the whales.
Soar the canyons of Mars, catch the wind in your sails.
Live in a treehouse to get some breathing room.
Zoom past Crab Nebula, play soccer on the moon,
Climb a volcano just to see it fume,
Anything can happen, you may even clean your room!
CHORUS
Heroes come and go but they’re never really gone
That spirit of adventure sticks to you like a song.
Lasso a shooting star just to see where it goes,
Cuddle with a dinosaur, let her nibble on your toes,
Slow down. Take it easy, sometimes stop and smell a rose.
If things don’t go your way, well that’s how life goes.
If you sit upon the couch watching TV all the time,
Your precious brain becomes a stinking piece of slime.
Get up! Get out! Get in touch with the sublime.
Don’t be a pain. Use that brain,
You’ve got mountains to climb.
Children gather round and dream of days to come
Many, many, many things yet to be done.
Dwell beneath the waves, go drifting with the whales.
Soar the canyons of Mars, catch the wind in your sails.
Live in a treehouse to get some breathing room.
Zoom past Crab Nebula, play soccer on the moon,
Climb a volcano just to see it fume,
Anything can happen, you may even clean your room!
CHORUS
Heroes come and go but they’re never really gone
That spirit of adventure sticks to you like a song.
Lasso a shooting star just to see where it goes,
Cuddle with a dinosaur, let her nibble on your toes,
Slow down. Take it easy, sometimes stop and smell a rose.
If things don’t go your way, well that’s how life goes.
If you sit upon the couch watching TV all the time,
Your precious brain becomes a stinking piece of slime.
Get up! Get out! Get in touch with the sublime.
Don’t be a pain. Use that brain,
You’ve got mountains to climb.