Little Snakes

Oh what a typical story

Contested site, the Americas

With treaties broken, the same sad token

Torn and repaired it with paraffin

Disembodied heads

Disembowel the earth

A monument of our arrogance

A monolith of our bloated bunk, self-worth

Disembodied heads

Disembowel the earth

We marred the land with our leaders

Eight eyes to watch “little snakes”

Regal expressions for Native repression

At rest frozen on their faces

We can make an exception

And they can make some concessions

Because there’s gold in the Black Hills

Armed to the teeth

We can make an example of every one of these savages

Because the rights they have we gave to them

And we can take them away without giving a damn

Ain't that exactly how it is

And that’s exactly what they did

Oh, you don’t think it’s right

But that’s exactly what they did

What an impressive display

Of complete dissolution

Two fucking faces owned slaves

One supplied the largest Aboriginal execution

Once somebody said

I don’t believe “the only good Indians are dead...

But I believe [that] nine out of ten are...”*

And so they took his head

And carved his eyes into the Native mountainside

We can make an exception

And they can make some concessions

Because there’s gold in the Black Hills

Armed to the teeth

We can make an example of every one of these savages

Because the rights they have we gave to them

And we can take them away without giving a damn

Oh yes, the rights they have we gave to them

And we can take 'em, take 'em, take 'em, take 'em away

Forgotten in the shadows cast by celebrated busts

Lies the site depicting history’s ignoble blood lust

There might be flowers in the windows, but only ashes in the streets

Impoverished and broken sings the songs of their defeat

But it’s your vacation, your holiday

It’s a reminder every story gets sculpted and decayed

It’s your vacation, your holiday

You may feel cheated by its modesty

Pack the car and drive away

It’s your vacation, your holiday

It’s your vacation, your holiday

It’s your vacation, your holiday

It’s your vacation, your holiday

About face

Enjoy the ride

There’s a different version of history carved in the mountain side

Your mind’s made up

Your hands are tied

But colonialism by all definitions is the father of the genocide