185 years ago, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, to facilitate the confiscation of Native American territories. This forced relocation became known as the Trail Of Tears. A friend of ours' great-grandfather was on the Trail. This is dedicated to him, and to the Cherokee Nation.

All BIAB.


https://90dbband.bandcamp.com/track/trail-of-tears




Trail Of Tears
©2015 Robert Randall Burke

Long ago and far away
I have heard the old folks say
Was a dark and bitter day
That echoes through the years
Ol' Hickory swore to clear the land
Of every single Indian band
So he sent them down The Trail Of Tears.

All the Creek and Cherokee
Seminole and Muskogee
Choctaw and Chickasaw
Driven from their land
Osceola stood his ground
They could never run him down
Till his flag of truce
Lay in the sand.

A thousand miles of dust and pain
You'll never see your home again
This is the sum of all your fears
Nations that were proud and free
Broken
On the Trail Of Tears.

The white man called them “Civilized”
Sold them on a pack of lies
White man's smile, a thin disguise
After all these years
Take your children by the hand
And make them understand
So they'll remember
The Trail Of Tears.




Regards,

Bob

I always enjoy your songs. I've also always been particularly interested in Osceola because after he was captured he was imprisoned in my hometown of Charleston, SC and died there is 1837 and buried with military honors.

This is a good song and I enjoyed my listen.


Charlie

A very good song about a shameful act in American history. Interesting arrangement and excellent production. Well done!

Bob,

What a haunting song about a dark period of history.
I want to write about the vocals and the production BUT the story makes that impossible, suffice it to say I sat in silence for a few minutes after the 1st listen, shaking my head.

Thanks for the song, so sad yet so beautiful.
I never specifically knew of the Trail of Tears but read "Bury my heart at Wounded knee" many times when younger.

Alyn

Hi Bob,
I enjoyed my listen.

Guenter

Hey Charlie,

Thanks for the kind words. I've always been fascinated by Osceola. He was the only chief who was never defeated.


Regards,

Bob

Jim,

Thanks for listening. It was shameful, but I think it's a story worth retelling.


Regards,

Bob

Alyn,

Thanks for listening (you're one of the few who actually listened all the way through)
and the kind remarks. Hope you're on the mend.


Regards,

Bob

Excellent write, Robert. Tight.

Nice production - allows that vocal (and lyric) to shine.
The mandolin is nice.

A super listen. Cool ending (I don't recognize that last RT )

"this is the sum of all you fears" < nice!

floyd

A powerful song. Amazing production.
The finale was certainly surprising, and very effective.

A nicely written and effective production. Good choice of backing and strong lyrics.

Good work Bob.

What was done to the native Indians in the name of manifest destiny is a shame. If you haven't already, get a copy of Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. It will make you cry.

Your song reminded me of Seminole Wind by John Anderson as I was listening....

Enjoyed it.

Guenter - Thanks.


Regards,

Bob

floyd,

Thanks for the kind remarks. The ending is a Cherokee morning chant.


Regards,

Bob

Curt,

Thanks for listening and the nice comments.


Regards,

Bob

Peter,

Thanks for listening and commenting.

Regards,

Bob

Herb -

Thanks. I wrote this for a friend who is part Cherokee. His great-grandfather was on the Trail. I'm giving it to him for his birthday, and am having it produced at Kunaki with the works.


Regards,

Bob

WOW, this is absolutely fantastic!

Great vocal on this one and the backing tracks are perfect but the lyrics are some of the best ever written!

Super song!

All I can do is echo what's already been said: good write, excellent vocal, great production.

And "Old Hickory" is still on the $20 bill. In a
reasonable world his mug would be replaced
with a Native American.

"The white man called them “Civilized”
Sold them on a pack of lies
White man's smile, a thin disguise
After all these years
Take your children by the hand
And make them understand
So they'll remember
The Trail Of Tears.'

That is historical poetry.

So many do not realize that many Cherokee were
farmers who owned land and their houses...and
they were literally torn away from it. Shameful,
indeed.

We love NA history so this is right in our wheelhouse
both historically and musically. The arrangement fits
the excellent vocal and lyric very effectively.

There's a ton of things to like about this.

J&B

Mario,

Thanks for the kind remarks.


Regards,

Bob

David,

I appreciate the listen and nice comments.


Regards,

Bob

Beautiful song.
Both the music and the vocals sound so good!
Well done.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Bob,

Another great tune! As has been repeatedly stated, this is about a very sad part of our nation's history. Very well presented, and I really like the ending.

Steve

J&B,


Thanks for listening and the kind comments. Interestingly, Osceola was actually Creek, not Seminole, and his father was a white man. Strange world.

We hear a lot about slavery, but little about the intentional genocide of the NA peoples.



Regards,

Bob

Ron and Anne-Marie,

Thanks for the listen and nice remarks.


Regards,

Bob

Hey Steve,

Thanks for listening and the kind remarks. Hope you and yours are well.


Regards,

Bob

Really nice story telling Bob!! And you did a great job of delivering it-vocal and arrangement work perfectly. Bruce Cockburn has a song called Indian Wars with a similar feel. You should check it out. Great job on this! Take care. Greg

Hey Greg,

Thanks for listening and the kind remarks. I hadn't heard that BC song before - I like it. Thanks for the tip.
In case others may want to hear it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t1a5DLmR8U



Regards,

Bob

I really enjoyed this, I'm kind of a history buff, this is well written and performed. All instruments sound great in the mix.

Kenny

Kenny,

Thanks for listening and the kind comments.


Regards,

Bob

Wow! What a wonderful song! The lyrics are suburb and the melody perfect. Your vocals here are spot on and the production tight.

Simply a superior song all around!

I'm glad I didn't miss this one.

Lawrence,

Thanks for listening and the kind remarks.

Regards,

Bob