Johnny Cash - As Long As the Grass Shall Grow

from Cash’s “Bitter Tears“ album As long as the moon shall rise As long as long as the rivers flow As long as the sun will shine As long as the grass shall grow The Senecas are an Indian tribe of the Iroquois nation Down on the New York Pennsylvania Line you’ll find their reservation After the US revolution Cornplanter was a chief He told the tribe these men they could trust that was his true belief He went down to Independence Hall and there was a treaty signed That promised peace with the USA and Indian rights combined George Washington gave his signature the Government gave its hand They said that now and forever more that this was Indian land As long as the moon shall rise... On the Seneca reservation there is much sadness now Washington’s treaty has been broken and there is no hope no how Across the Allegheny River they’re throwing up a dam It will flood the Indian country a proud day for Uncle Sam It has broke the ancient treaty with a politician’s grin It will drown the Indians graveyards Cornplanter can you swim The earth is mother to the the Senecas they’re trampling sacred ground Change the mint green earth to black mud flats as honor hobbles down As long as the moon shall rise... The Iroquois Indians used to rule from Canada way south But no one fears the Indians now and smiles the liar’s mouth The Senecas hired an expert to figure another site But the great good army engineers said that he had no right Although he showed them another plan and showed them another way They laughed in his face and said no deal Kinuza dam is here to stay Congress turned the Indians down brushed off the Indians plea So the Senecas have renamed the dam they call it Lake Perfidy As long as the moon shall rise... Washington Adams and Kennedy now hear their pledges ring The treaties are safe we’ll keep our word but what is that gurgling It’s the back water from Perfidy Lake it’s rising all the time Over the homes and over the fields and over the promises fine No boats will sail on Lake Perfidy in winter it will fill In summer it will be a swamp and all the fish will kill But the Government of the USA has corrected George’s vow The father of our country must be wrong what’s an Indian anyhow As long as the moon shall rise (look up) As long as the rivers flow (are you thirsty) As long as the sun will shine (my brother are you warm) As long as the grass shall grow lyrics written by Peter LaFarge (son of Oliver LaFarge, familiar to us now for “Laughing Boy“) ...I could keep adding link after link for background & references, but here’s an example of tech being a wonderful thing: you can too :)