Spirit Bird

Give it time, and we wonder why, do what we can, laugh, and we cry
And we sleep in your dust because we've seen this all before
Culture fades with tears and grace
Leaving us stunned hollow with shame
We have seen this all, seen this all before

Many tribes of a modern kind, doing brand-new work same spirit by side
Joining hearts and hands and ancestral twine, ancestral twine
Many tribes of a modern kind, doing brand-new work same spirit by side
Joining hearts and hands and ancestral twine, ancestral twine

Slowly it fades
Slowly we fade

Slowly you fade
Slowly you fade

Spirit bird he creaks and groans
She knows she has seen this all before
She has seen this all before, she has
Spirit bird he creaks and groans
She knows she has seen this all before
She has seen this all before, she has

Slowly we fade
Slowly it fades
Slowly you fade
Slowly it fades
Slowly you fade

Soldier on, soldier on my good countrymen
Keep fighting for your culture now, keep fighting for your land
I know it's been thousands of years and I feel your hurt
And I know it's wrong and you feel
You've been chained and broken and burned
And those beautiful old people, those wise old souls
Have been ground down for far too long

By that spineless man, that greedy man, that heartless man
Deceiving man, that government hand taking blood and land
Taking blood and land and still they can
But your dreaming and your warrior spirit lives on, and it is so, so, so strong
In the earth, in the trees, in the rocks
In the water, in your blood and in the air we breathe
Soldier on, soldier on my good countrymen
Keep fighting for your children now, keep fighting for your land

Slowly you fade
Slowly it fades
Slowly it fades
Slowly you fade

Give it time, and we wonder why, do what we can, laugh, and we cry
And we sleep in your dust because we've seen this all before