Oh, the wind blows cold
On the trail of the buffalo
Oh, the wind blows cold
In the land of the Navajo
In the land of the Navajo
A hundred miles from nowhere out on the desert sand
One-eyed Jack, the trader, held some turquoise in his hand
By his side sat Running Elk, his long-time Indian friend
He vowed that he would stay by Jack until the bitter end
On the trail of the buffalo
Oh, the wind blows cold
In the land of the Navajo
In the land of the Navajo
A hundred miles from nowhere out on the desert sand
One-eyed Jack, the trader, held some turquoise in his hand
By his side sat Running Elk, his long-time Indian friend
He vowed that he would stay by Jack until the bitter end
Jack had gambled everything he owned to lead this wandering life
He might have had a happy home and a tender loving wife
But his hunger was for trading trapper's furs for turquoise stone
Anything that the Indians had, Jack wanted for his own
He might have had a happy home and a tender loving wife
But his hunger was for trading trapper's furs for turquoise stone
Anything that the Indians had, Jack wanted for his own
Said Jack to Running Elk, I'll gamble all my precious stones
Before I leave my body here among these bleaching bones
But now my time is drawing near and I'm filled with dark regret
My spirit longs to journey as the sun begins to set
Before I leave my body here among these bleaching bones
But now my time is drawing near and I'm filled with dark regret
My spirit longs to journey as the sun begins to set
For we raped and killed, we stole your land, we ruled with guns and knives
Fed whiskey to your warriors while we stole away your wives
Said Running Elk, what's done is done, you white men rule this land
So lay the cards face up and play your last broken-hearted hand
Fed whiskey to your warriors while we stole away your wives
Said Running Elk, what's done is done, you white men rule this land
So lay the cards face up and play your last broken-hearted hand
Refrain
When you're dealing cards with death, the joker's wild, the ace is high
Jack bid the Mississippi River, Running Elk raised him the sky
Jack saw him with the sun and moon and upped him with the stars
Running Elk bet the Rocky Mountains, Jupiter, and Mars
Jack saw him with the sun and moon and upped him with the stars
Running Elk bet the Rocky Mountains, Jupiter, and Mars
The sun was sinking in the west when Jack drew the ace of spades
Running Elk just rolled his eyes, he smiled and passed away
Jack picked up his turquoise stones and cast them to the sky
He stared into the setting sun and then made a mournful cry
Running Elk just rolled his eyes, he smiled and passed away
Jack picked up his turquoise stones and cast them to the sky
He stared into the setting sun and then made a mournful cry
Refrain
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: P. Rowan
Land of the Navajo lyrics © Sea Lion Music
Love the tune, the musical genre and the name of the band!
ReplyDeleteAh, glad you liked it. I was worried it was a tad too depressing.
DeleteYou ARE familiar with the album, aren't you?
Actually, I'm embarrassed to say that I've never heard of the band or their albums. I was never into the Dead. I started listening to the album on Spotify and am really enjoying it.
DeleteWell, the Dead did a lot of different stuff, but I thought this was one of the best that resulted from their attempts at bluegrass or folk. In case you're unfamiliar with some of the musicians, two that are particularly famous are Vassar Clements on violin and David Grisman on mandolin. If you haven't heard of them, you might enjoy looking them up and hearing some of their other work. Much of it is of similar (and excellent) vein.
DeleteActually, I think the only member from The Dead is Jerry Garcia.
Delete