pinestraw on the ground around a fallen cherokee rose it s got me wondering why those mighty winds of change must blow once this land was free from fences and shotguns back when the people killed here for food instead of fun when the earth was sanctified cherished in the red man s eyes before the cherokee rose the cherokee rose the cherokee rose my boots sink down into the soft red georgia clay bought with their blood this land here never was ours to take away disheartened souls unjustly driven from their homes many died along the way now we build our houses upon their bones after all these years i can see the trail of tears damn this cherokee rose oh the cherokee rose the cherokee rose oh they call us the land of the free and the home of the brave but i don t hear much about the injustice that we ve done along the way we try to black it out never think about the price they had to pay we never cry for what was lost shed a tear for the heavy cost of what we call freedom all the gold in the world couldn t pay the debt we owe we ll never right those wrongs but i believe we should let them know that we won t forget and sure as hell won t justify and we ll do our best to keep their memories alive oh the least that we could do is dedicate one lonesome bloom  won t ya take this cherokee rose oh the cherokee rose the cherokee rose the cherokee rose