1 Under the Bridge

Cherokee Teardrops
1985
By
James Richard Langston


Cherokee teardrops,
Soft, dark and deep,
Shed by Cherokee women,
Every time they weep.
The tears of Cherokee women,
Rolled down their cheeks,
They cried for their nation,
Their braves lay at their feet.
Their homes all in ashes,
Their children standing bare,
They wiped Cherokee teardrops,
With their long raven hair.
A defeated Cherokee nation,
Submitting to their fate,
Were moved to Oklahoma,
In the winter of thirty eight.
Proud Cherokee teardrops,
Shed on every hand,
All because the white man,
Found gold on Cherokee land.
Cherokee teardrops,
From southern mountains grand,
Spread across this nation,
To a wasted, dusty land.
Cherokee teardrops,
Falling on two stones,
Left a trail of sadness,
From their southern mountain homes.