South Dakota Church-Burning
Big Jim stood at the microphone
And politely made his case
There's an awful lot of history
We'd just assume erase
This church has stood for ages
Here on this sacred land
Reminding everybody
Of those who would assume command
A reminder of the beatings
The conquest and despair
When they tried to take our culture
Cut off all our hair
This is a ritual of healing
One that should be seen
It was then the cameras turned
To the can of gasoline
(Chorus)
It was the hottest fire
That ever I've been near
And on the faces of the people
There was a joyful tear
Just south of Rapid City
In this little border town
When the match was lit
That burned it to the ground
The flames rose up
As if to touch the sky
And the holy cross
Which once had seemed to rise so high
Crumbled to the ground
With the sound of cracking wood
And each Lakota man among us
Seemed to think that this was good
(Chorus)
When I left the reservation
With a record of the day
I thought of reconciliation
And all the steps along the way
I thought of something someone said once
One man's blasphemy
For another is a tiny little
Taste of liberty
(Chorus)