Coyote's in the wash, you know he never gets stuck
he drives a battered old '57 pickup truck
Cherokee girl's sitting right by his side
she's got straw-gold hair, she gives a prayer to the sky
singing hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
up in the Rincons, back in some canyon
there's a mesquite fire and the people are gathering
rattlesnake rattle shake, stick on drum
and the Cherokee girl leads them in her song
singing hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
refrain:
there are four directions, only one creator
call him what you want, you know it doesn't matter
there's only one thing you've got to remember
everything in this world is a brother or sister
hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
the red-tailed hawk, he's a brujo man
he's got a word or two about the care of the land
but nobody's listening, they don't understand
they just see a hawk, they don't see the man
singing hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
oh the aunts and uncles watch over the fire
while the people let the flames build higher and higher
inside the lodge steam jumps from the rocks
and the Cherokee girl sings about the hawk
singing hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
refrain:
down along the river where the sycamores grow
see the red rocks rise, hear the song of the crow
she's got desert in her heart, so deep and old
but the Cherokee girl's got a sycamore soul
singing hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
Coyote's in the wash, you know he never gets stuck
he drives a battered old '57 pickup truck
Jackrabbit's sitting in the shotgun seat
tapping her foot to a Cherokee beat
singing hey ya, hey ya, hey ya
About the Author: Charles de Lint is the author of Circle of Cats, Waifs and Strays, The Onion Girl, and numerous other works of fiction for children, teenagers, and adults.
"Cherokee Girl" is a song lyric, with music written by Charles de Lint. It was composed on April 28, 2002 at Endicott West in Tucson, Arizona. The lyrics are copyright © 2002 by Charles de Lint and may not be reproduced in any form without the author’s express written permission.