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 a red man deep inside      Cherokee people   Cherokee tribe   So proud to live   So proud to die      But maybe someday when they've learned   Cherokee Nation will return   Will return, will return   Will return, will return