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Indian Reservation Lyrics

Artist: Raiders
Album: Indian Reservation

Indian Reservation

Artists: Paul Revere and the Raiders (peak Billboard position # 1 in 1971)
Words and Music by John D. Loudermilk

They took the whole Cherokee nation
Put us on this reservation
Took away our ways of life
The tomahawk and the bow and knife
Took away our native tongue
And taught their English to our young
And all the beads we made by hand
Are nowadays made in Japan

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die

They took the whole Indian nation
Locked us on this reservation
Though I wear a shirt and tie
I'm still part redman deep inside

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die

But maybe someday when they learn
Cherokee nation will return, will return, will return, will return, will return

Transcribed by Ronald E. Hontz
ronhontz
worldnet.att.net

Comments/Interpretations

by Hipster on 6/17/2008 4:50pm
One of my all time favourite meaningful songs! I just love it, shame it's not such a remembered classic :(

by D-Mc on 7/15/2008 10:37pm
I love this song and have not forgotten it. I was surprised to learn that the Raiders started in Boise. I lived there once and didn't know that until now.
Thanks for posting these lyrics.

by Lisa on 2/14/2009 4:00pm
Uhhhh, thought there was another verse???

by Linz on 4/5/2009 6:02pm
Nope. there isnt another verse unless you have another version...but I love this song. Its really powerful

by RDA on 8/14/2009 7:14pm
saw them in concert 1969 Toys for Tots Louisville Ky.

by tina on 9/10/2009 10:06pm
real powerful...hits deep. wish i could go back in time and give back what those englishmen and spaniards took from the natives.

by Paigey on 9/16/2009 7:32pm
this is an amazing song so powerful and cool i would have loved to see it performed in real life. plus i would go back and make the english and spanish see what they went to and make them go through it

by Brini on 11/30/2009 7:54pm
I love this song one of my favs by revere and the raiders PEACE OUT :)

by goldbaron357 on 1/19/2010 9:42pm
They need to make an updated sequel... About how the Mexicans are making Americans learn Spanish... And all this affirmative action is resulting in so much reverse discrimination, I somehow see Americans being put on reservations by the Mexicans like we did to the natives if we don't stop this policy of wanting to give amnesty to them all and let them walk all over our laws.

by mike1432 on 5/27/2010 8:04pm
screw you goldbaron we arent making you do anything you let us do all those things and thats why we do it and that is so stupid and ignorant of you to compare yourselves to the indians. that just goes to show how ignorant and lazy most americans are. how dar you even think of comparing yourselves to them. and next time go do your research before you talk because i study all about the indians and the things they suffered thing like the indian removal act and the trail of taers an i bet you dont know anything about either of thos so just shut up. ill take all this back the day i here of the "American Removal Act" in mexico

by taylor on 6/15/2010 12:49pm
nicky otten <3

by stranger on 1/1/2011 3:19pm
linz: there are so many versions of this song it'll make your head spin. some do have altered verses and lyrics (wiki it if you don't believe me
goldbaron: shut up and quit making the rest of us look bad.

mike1432: just because he's a racist douche, it doesn't mean he's totally wrong. unlike the earlier immigrants, the are a lot of mexicans actively attempting to marginalize the majority culture (both anglo and afro aspects) with an absurd amount of political sanction. this will eventualy lead to bad things if it continues. finally you stupid racist pig, just because because someone's beliefs and ideologies are radically different from yours it does not mean they are "stupid and lazy". using that phrase as a catch-all argument against americans is.

by Olivier on 4/22/2011 3:49am
I'm french and i remember this title by Don Fardon (i always have the 45^^)
Just wonderful

by Steve on 7/7/2011 2:27pm
I love this song and so did my grandmother who was full blooded cherokee. we use to listen to it all the time and it was so funny how shed get into the song but now that imm older now I understand why she did, I hear it and get goose bumps, great song

by NIGHTHAWK on 9/9/2011 9:50am
GAY AS FUCK

by MEEEE on 9/9/2011 9:51am
My english teacher was playing this song.. pretty good, i liked it. And im only 17! :D

by Me on 9/9/2011 9:51am
Im here cause my school is gay...and i actually have to use this song in an essay

by bill on 9/9/2011 9:53am
songs dumb

by Bill on 9/9/2011 9:55am
Songs super dumb and a waist of my life.

by anynomous on 9/9/2011 9:55am
.........

by hi on 9/9/2011 11:59am
this song is horrible

by landon on 9/9/2011 11:59am
so powerful

by english sucks on 9/9/2011 12:00pm
dewd.

by english 11 sucks the big one on 9/9/2011 12:01pm
I can't believe we watched this stupid video. How does this have anything to do with class?

by Hairy Butts on 9/9/2011 12:01pm
this song sucks sooooo bad!

by Mike litoris on 9/12/2011 9:24am
This is sooooooooo gayyyyyyyyyyyyy. wtf.

by was in the same class guys >.< on 9/13/2011 7:43am
just because you dont like the song doesn't mean you have to be a troll, personally i didn't favor it either but look at it this way, the older generations probably think our music is crappy too.

my dad calls it devil music that leads kids astray

by Mike Hunt on 9/22/2011 7:39am
Just because you don't favor our opinion doesnt mean you have to voice your own douchey opinion. we could care less about the actual song. It's just retarded that we listened to this...then told what the damn song means for a fucking assignment..

by NIGHTHAWK on 9/22/2011 7:42am
yea you lil troll, who says troll lol

by MYSTICMAIDEN on 11/4/2011 1:37pm
This comment goes out to: hi, mike hunt, hairy buttt, mike litoris, & EVERYONE ELSE that has posted some STUPID REMARK about this song! EVERY WORD in this song is TRUE! Our goverment in 1838 thru 1839, REALLY DID DO THIS to MY PEOPLE! I am a FULL BLOODED CHEROKEE AMERICAN INDIAN from Tahlequah, Ok. the CAPITAL OF THE "CHEROKEE NATION." I challenge ANYONE of you to come to my reservation and LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT "THE FIRST REAL AMERICAN PEOPLE!" or to learn about the "TRAIL OF TEARS" Those of you that "have to study" in school about this song, feel free to contact me on this site, I would be HAPPY to answer any of your questions about my heritage, my ancestors,or my people and my tribe. I JUST WANT TO ASK THE PEOPLE WHO ARE POSTING NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT WHAT HAPPEND TO MY PEOPLE, AND ALL OF THE OTHER TRIBES, PLEASE DONT POST ANYTHING THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING AB
OUT!
Wadoo! ( means Thank you in my Native Tongue)
Nah~Kah~Sah~Me

by MISTICMAIDEN on 11/4/2011 1:53pm
Just wanted to comment about the end of this song "CHEROKEE NATION WILL RETURN," Well it has, thanks to Wilma Mankiller, also known as "CHEIF MANKILLER" of the "CHEROKEE PEOPLE"

by scuba1500 on 5/4/2012 12:36pm
MYSTICMAIDEN very well put, ignorant people put neg comments on this, the cherokees as well as all the other nations will live forever, thanks

by Elizabeth Warren on 6/1/2012 12:06pm
Speak truth to Power.
Go Nation Go

Elizabeth Warren for Senate

by larry on 6/28/2012 1:13pm
This was my first "45" in 1971. Played the grooves off the vinyl. Loved it then and still do. It's unfortunate we have so many young people with such shallow minds!

by gr on 9/5/2012 9:24am
This is a great song both lyrically and musically. I love the drive. They don't make music like this anymore. It is a classic. Does anyone know what brand organ was used for the last riff? Sounds like a Hammond/Leslie.

by jose luis on 10/10/2012 2:38am
linda cancion greetings from costa rica

by by jose luis on 10/10/2012 2:41am
great song saludos de costa rica

by by jose luis 09 10 2012 on 10/10/2012 2:43am
great song saludos de costa rica

by Lionheart on 4/2/2013 10:46pm
mexico is a no good drug dealing murdering country this so. is beautiful Full respect to all indians who didi suffer...

Mexicans need to suffer and throwen back into the toilet they came from !

by mona on 8/25/2013 7:12pm
mystic maiden is awesum. i live in lakota sioux country (south dakota) and they are great people hanging on to thier heritage.....strong and beautiful

by Cuban Guy on 2/13/2014 12:31pm
Seems everywhere the settlers went the local tribes payed the price, in my native Cuba the indians were totally extinct by the Spaniards.

by niehema on 10/17/2014 12:08pm
i like thisbsong and it funny.

by Russny on 10/18/2014 4:54pm
This song is well written and should remind us of our shameful past.

by PROVE IT on 3/18/2015 10:19am
PROVE IT