American Remains

I am a shotgun rider for the San Jacinto line

The desert is my brother, my skin is cracked and dry

I was riding on a folk coach and everything was fine

'Til we took a shorter road to save some time

The bandits only fired once, they shot me in the chest

They may have wounded me

But they'll never get the best of better men

'Cause I'll ride again

I am a river gambler, I make a living dealing cards

My clothes are smooth and honest, my heart is cold and hard

I was shuffling for some delta boys on a boat for New Orleans

I was the greatest shark they'd ever seen

But the captain bumped a sandbar and an ace fell from my sleeve

They threw me overboard as I swore I didn't cheat

But I could swim

And I'll ride again

We are heroes of the homeland, American remains

We live in many faces and answer many names

We will not be forgotten, we won't be left behind

Our memories live on in mortal minds

And poets pens

We'll ride again

I am a Midwest farmer, I make a living off the land

I ride a John Deere tractor, I'm a liberated man

But the rain it hasn't fallen since the middle of July

And if it don't come soon my crops will die

The bank man says he likes me, but there's nothing he can do

He tells me that he's coming, but the clouds are coming too

He ain't my friend

And I'll ride again

I am an American Indian, my tribe is Cherokee

My forefathers loved this land, they left it here for me

But the white man came with boats, and trains, and dirty factories

Poisoned my existence with his deeds

Nature is our mother, we are sucklings at her breast

And he who tries to beat her down will lose her to the rest

They'll never win

I'll ride again

We are heroes of the homeland, American remains

We live in many faces and answer many names

We will not be forgotten, we won't be left behind

Our memories live on in mortal minds