Key: A
Introduction:
A D A D
Sequoia's winters were sixteen Silent tongue spirit clean
A
He walked at his father's side Across the smoking battle ground
D A
Where red and white men lay all around
So many here had died The wind had scattered around
D A D
Snow white leaves upon the ground Not leaves like leaves from trees
A D A
Sequoia said, "What can this be?" "What's the strange thing here I see?"
D A D
"From where come leaves like these? "Sequoia turned to his father's eyes
A
And he said, "Father you're wise From where come such snow white leaves
With such strange marks upon these squares
A D A D
Not even the wise owl could put them there So strange these snow white leaves"
A
His father shielding his concern Resenting the knowledge Sequoia yearned
D A
Crumbled the snow white leaves He said, "When I explain then it's done
These are talking leaves, my son The white men's talking leaves"
D A D
The white man takes a berry of black and red
A D A
And an eagle's feather from the eagle's bed
A D A
And he makes bird track marks And the marks on the leaves they say
D
Carry messages to his brother far away
A D
And his brother knows what's in his heart
A
They see these marks and they understand
D A D
The truth in the heart of the far off man The enemies can't hear them
A
Said Sequoia's father, "Son
They weave bad medicine on these talking leaves Leave such things to them"
A D A
Then Sequoia walking lightly Followed his father quietly
But so amazed was he
D A D
If the white man talks on leaves Why not the Cherokee?
A D A
Vanished from his father's face Sequoia went from place to place
D A D
But he could not forget Year after year he worked on and on
A D A
Till finally he cut into stone The Cherokee alphabet
A
Sequoia's hair by now was white
His eyes began to lose their light But he taught all who would believe
D A D
That the Indian's thoughts could be written down
A D A
Just as the white men's there on the ground
D A
And he left us these talking leaves