Europe - Cherokee - Meaning of the song
This song is a hymn to the suffering of the Cherokee nation. In May 1838, ignoring earlier decisions of the Supreme Court, the American Government forcibly relocated the bulk of the tribe at gunpoint to what was later to become Oklahoma. At one point President Andrew Jackson remarked infamously, "Justice Marshall has made his decision. Let him enforce it." Unsanitary conditions, the elements and marauding whites devastated the tribe's numbers, and some 4,000 died en route, many of the bodies being left unburied by the roadside on what became known as the "Trail Of Tears."
Europe lead singer Joey Tempest wrote this song after browsing through a book on the subject that belonged to the wife of their producer, Kevin Elson. "I saw it laying around, and I thought, 'That would be interesting. I started reading the story about the Cherokee Indians, and I thought it would be an interesting thing to write about." The clip was shot in Almeria, Spain, home of the only desert in Europe and a popular location for movies set in the Old West: A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and various other Spaghetti Westerns were done there. The cacti that appear in the distance are props left there from previous productions. Nick Morris, who also did Europe's videos for "The Final Countdown" and "Carrie," was the director.
Cherokee - Lyrics
They lived in peace, not long ago A mighty Indian tribe But the winds of change Had made them realize, that the promises were lies The white man's greed, in search of gold Made the nation bleed They had lost their faith And now they had to learn There was no place to return Nowhere they could turn Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears They were driven hard, across the plains And walked for many moons Cause the winds of change Had made them realize, that the promises were lies So much to bear, all that pain Left them in despair They had lost their faith And now they had to learn There was no place to return Nowhere they could turn Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears Cherokee - marching on the trail of tears
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