I refuse to swallow the lie passed down for five hundred years Of the brutal savage who must be contained, abused and always feared While history would have us think that the conflict has been resolved What I've seen with my own eyes tells me there's more involved than we hear And all across the nation, we would just assume turn the other way Than face the crimes we commit and the people we've betrayed While history would have us think that the conflict has been resolved What I've seen with my own eyes tells me there's more involved And I fear that a people who have struggled just to survive Will lose a war supposedly over which has continued through 1995 For five hundred years Native Americans have endured a hand of oppression Which has squeezed away their culture both brutally and systematically These proud and noble nations now struggle to maintain their dignity while Living under the auspices of the owner of that hand: a society which Represents them As cigar holding statues in front of midwestern drug stores, and as the Colorful Mascots of athletic teams. America, it's been five hundred years America, it's been five hundred years America, it's been five hundred years America, you've got blood on your hands You're guilty In the land of the free, home of the brave Land of hypocrisy, home of the slave You're guilty The year 1492. The arrival of the European to what they deem "The New World" Signals the beginning of the end for the native people already living here. The Genocide which follows begins with murder, rape, and theft... both of the Land and of The people. Today, five hundred years later, the crimes continue, only now They are Well hidden from the mainstream, out of sight from scrutinizing eyes. Do Not be fooled. The History books lie. As you read these words, the struggle for survival Continues. This song is for Jesse Biakeddy, Navajo elder at Big Mountain, AZ, who told Me to tell his story.