Byron W Scott
PO Box 626
Mt Enterprise, TX 75681 903-822-3881 Hm
936-564-8348 Wk
sctt450@yahoo.com
26,617 words
by Byron W Scott Forward
And editor once asked me about the title of this book. “The Songs part is self evident,”
she said, “but what exactly is meant by ‘Long Road?’”
The American Indians had a term for this existence of ours. They called it the Road of
Life. I find it to be an apt analogy, for along that road we find unimpeded straight-aways,
twists and turns, bumps, detours, and dead-ends. The term applies not only to the life of
the individual, but to generation after generation. From the dawn of human history, it has
indeed been a Long Road. Of course, there is more to it than that.
Mesoamerica stretches from northern Honduras and El Salvador up through Guatemala,
Belize and Mexico and into the four corners area of the United States. Each Indian tribe
will insist that it has developed its own unique culture, but there are certain myths,
legends and beliefs that seemed to span the entire region. One of those myths is the pre
Columbian belief that a bearded white man once lived with the Indians and then left them
and headed for the East. According to the legend, he would one day return to reunite the
two great peoples; the red man and the white. The Maya called this man Kukulcan; the
Aztecs and Toltecs called him Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent.” The prophesied date
for his return in the Aztec calendar was Ce Acatl, which corresponds to the Christian year
1519, the year that Hernan Cortes appeared off the coast of Mexico. The Spaniards
destroyed nearly everything during the Conquest, and so very little remains of those
legends from the “high cultures”. But thanks to Frank Waters, who wrote The Book of
the Hopi, we have a compelling and comprehensive version of their legend—the Hopi
Pahana.
The prophesied date of Pahana’s return was the same as Quetzalcoatl’s. According to the
myth, if he did not return on that date, it would be hundreds of years before his arrival.
And that makes a very long road to walk. The Songs from Long Road is an attempt to incorporate this legend into the historical
perspective.
Prologue
If you happen to meet a mahu along your Road, you should stop and visit for a while.
There’s no telling what you might learn. Part 1
Hey guys,
It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally finished the Songs from Long Road. I’ve
divided the text into three parts because there are three CD’s. There are also three main
categories to the songs: history, American Indian mythology, and personal subjectivity.
There’s probably a little bit too much of the latter category, but I’ll let you decide about
that. The best place to start in any book about history is in the present. Why? Because that’s
where the readers are, of course.
I hope you enjoy the lyrics.
Something Good
I’ve been leafing through some books of history
There have been some sad events in our history
Recall the Trail of Tears of the Cherokee
Or down in Selma, Alabama before Martin Luther King
There have been some sad, sad moments in our history
Too many broken treaties, too many lies
Too much aggression to rationalize
Too many broken treaties, too many lies Too much racism to ever justify
But hey!
Got something good to say about the USA
Hey! There’s plenty good to say about the USA
I’ve got the freedom to learn
Got the freedom to turn my own page
I’ve got the freedom to fall in love and raise a family
Or to follow my heart, wherever that may lead
And hey! That’s always good to say about the USA
Hey! There’s plenty good to say about the USA
I’ve got the freedom to roam
Got the freedom to be my own man
I’ve got the freedom to launch myself upon this journey
It’s a varied landscape filled with mysteries
The people are friendly if you follow their laws
And take their attitudes with a grain of salt
You’ll find many good people who are going your way
There might be clouds in the sky, but it’s a sunny day
And hey! That’s mighty good to say about the USA
U S A Western expansion played a major role in the early history of the United States. Circa
1865, Horace Greeley advised “Go West, young man!” And that statement reverberated
throughout this country for almost a hundred and fifty years. Gold had already been
discovered in California, and also in the Black Hills of North Dakota. For westward
expansion, there would be no holding back. No gold would ever be discovered in the
Ozark Mountains, but who knew at the time.
Buffalo River 1886
Ozark Mountains called to me I heard it in the wind back in Tennessee
I found a job in the mines here in 1880
Knew there’d be a pot of gold waiting on me
Ozark Mountains, haunting me
It’s been years since they chased out the Cherokee
Now I’ve got a home in the glade and a family
And that pot of gold is still waiting on me
And I’m going up to Boxley when the dogwoods bloom
The river will be rising, going to float my canoe
Some folks think me loco, some think me brave
Past Ponca and Pruitt, going to ride those white waves
Buffalo River calls to me
Got a date in the morning with my family
Take my boy for a swim at the mouth of Rush Creek
Explore the limestone bluffs with the cedar trees
Buffalo River, haunting me
From deep in the mines I hear it call to me
The only pot of gold I’ll ever see
Is my love for these hills and my family And I’m going up to Boxley when the dogwoods bloom
The river will be raging, going to float my canoe
Past Hemmed-In-Hollow and Indian Creek
Floating that whitewater is a challenge to me
Going up to Boxley when the dogwoods bloom
The river will be dancing, going to float my canoe
Past Big Bear Cave, through Longbottom Hole
I’ll be rounding Toney Bend, down Clabber Creek shoal
Going up to Boxley when the dogwoods bloom
The river will be rising, going to float my canoe
Past Cow House Eddy, past Leatherwood Creek
Floating that clear water is a pleasure to me During the winter of 1874, General Ranald McKenzie and the US Cavalry caught the
Comanche and Kiowa Indians napping in Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. The
ensuing slaughter was not pretty. Needless to say, not everybody on the American
continent was thrilled with the westward expansion of the white man.
Comanche 1874
Whiteface are done fighting each other
Now the bluecoats come in force They’ve killed our horses, burned our winter stores
We should have foreseen these acts of war
These northern gales blow fierce and cold
They paralyze these high plains
My people are scattered, hungry and bare
I curse the white demons who put us here
We’ve learned we can never trust their word
They speak with two hearts, truth unheard
This prairie will never be the same
Its’ life is fading, it’s starting to change
They’re killing all the buffalo on the plains
And now they want to move us far away
To Oklahoma and the reservation
But the Clearfork and caprock are my home
Brother coyote speaks to me
He tells me of the death of my family
Eagle spirit mourns with me
I need the plains and the sky And I need to roam free
The pueblos and people west on the mesas
Wouldn’t want us there at all
Although they look to be the same as us
They never did come across from the North
They still await Pahana, their white friend
He’s awfully late; he must have lost his way
He left ages ago, will he ever return?
Is there a lesson here that we must learn?
Whiteface are strange in their beliefs
They kill and steal, lie and cheat
They don’t take their Lord very seriously
They don’t believe they’ll have to answer for their deeds
But their medicine is strong, I believe they’ll win
Don’t believe one of them could ever be my friend
These high plains winds come whispering
Oklahoma sounds like death to me Bother coyote speaks to me
He tells me of the death of my family
Eagle spirit soars with me
I need the plains and the sky
And I need to roam free Today we’ll keep sliding back in time. This song takes place just before the Conquest.
Strange things are happening in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. Moctezuma, the Aztec
Emperor, is becoming worried. The year of Ce Acatl is approaching.
I can’t take full credit for this song. Most of the sentences came from two sources; Great
River and Conquistadors, both written by Paul Horgan. This man could make absolute
poetry out of history. I merely did a little paraphrasing, rearranged a few words and put
them to a melody.
Portents 1517 Lake Texcoco unexpectedly
Rose up one day and flooded the city
A comet fell to Earth in the middle of the day
It divided into three, spread from west to east
Omens and portents keep happening
They fuel seeds of doubt
They startle the city
Here at Tenochtitlan
Does it augur the end?
A fiery tongue in the night time sky
Would vanish at dawn, but for a year it went on
A fire broke out in the Temple of War
Burned it to the ground, we could not put it out
Serpent Woman roaming the streets at night
An Earth Goddess moaning, I hear her cries of fright
Wailing, “We are about to go, oh my sons
Whither can I lead you, my beloved ones?
Our fate is approaching, we’re about to go And I can’t find the door, can’t see to lead you!”
Ambassadors bring me news of white men
“Gods or men?” they can’t answer my question
There are people dying out in the Yucatan
A mysterious disease, they say it spoils the skin
Omens and portents keep happening
They fuel seeds of doubt
They startle the city
Wait for Ce Acatl
Look for Quetzalcoatl
An ash gray crane, a mirror in its head
Was brought before me in my royal palace
Peering into it I saw warriors on “deer”
A prophesy of doom, it heightened my fear
Serpent Woman roaming the streets at night
An Earth Goddess moaning, I hear her cries of fright
Wailing, “We are about to go, oh my sons
Whither can I lead you, my beloved ones? Our fate is approaching, we’re about to go
And I can’t find the door, can’t see to lead you!” As we go further back in history, we enter the realm of American Indian mythology. You
may have noticed a couple of names in the last two songs; Quetzalcoatl, from Portents,
and Pahana, from Comanche. The myth that a bearded white man would some day return
to set things right and reunite two great peoples was widespread throughout
Mesoamerica. As I have already pointed out, the most dynamic of these myths belong to
the Hopi Indians of NE Arizona. The Hopi possess four stone tablets that they’ve had for
hundreds of years; their Creation Tablets. According to the legend, the corner of one of
those tablets was broken off and given to Pahana, their white friend, so that when he
returned, there would be no mistaking his identity; Pahana will bring this stone piece with
him and the tablet will be made whole. The next few songs depict Pahana beginning his
journey. Time To Go 1388 BC
Brothers, fare you well
I love you dearly, with
This land and all it is
We’ve journeyed far south
From tropical climes
Climbed mountains of snow, gazed on northern lights
But this desert is fine; we’re all of one mind
And so we’ll gather back here in another time
Brothers, fare you well
I wish you all the best and more
Now you go west while I head east
But I’ll be gone before you reach that shore
Keep good thoughts, bring the rain
Grow your corn, harvest your game
Creator tells me it’s time to go
Old man nods, I think he knows I’ve been taking my time, been going too slow
Old man tells me he don’t know why
But if I rest more than twice
Things won’t go right
He says not to linger, to leave today
Say my good-byes and be on my way
Life fire planted like a seed
It grew into us, and now we see
That it’s a wonderful world
You gave us much more than we need
Lord you made it all so beautiful
Will we be able to keep our spirit true?
You gave us color and depth and solidity
I’m going to be hard pressed
To keep from pleasing only me
Brothers, fare you well
Creator tells me it’s time to go
He gives me this stone, sends me alone
And says when I return to this land
To grasp that hand, welcome home
Old man smiles and pats me on my back He says he’ll remember me when I come back
I know I’ll remember him when I come back Legacy 1387 BC
I came to the purple light, it beckoned me
Back to the Fourth World on awakening
The day is dawning, it’s refreshing me
The Sun is rising, He’s telling me
That there’s one more mountain range
Before the plains
I’m feeling good, I’m on my way again
I’m going to leave this desert far behind
My load’s been lightened Should be making good time
Been two days gone from that great river I crossed
The people I’ve met have been
Scattered and lost
Creator said that it would be best
If I stopped a second time to take my rest
Through sand He led me to these hills
I found a spotted earthen jar where I could quench my thirst
Then deep in the canyon I placed my stone
Leaving it there burns deep in my bones
One day one with insight will carry it home
And together with the Keepers make the tablet whole
This world is boundless, broad and deep
But the essence of this life isn’t hidden from me
If I keep my door open
I can see the mysteries
Snatch the magic from both sides
Affect reality
I’ve passed through the purple light, it beckoned me Back to the Fourth World on awakening
The day is dawning, it’s refreshing me
The Sun is rising, He’s telling me
That there’s one more mountain range
Before the plains
I’m feeling good, I’m on my way again
Going to leave this desert far behind
My load’s been lightened
Should be making good time Sun Father
Father sun your light shines on me
And this good Earth sings and grows
The clear brook laughs and glows
Will the land and sky always
Carry your message to me?
Father Sun your flame leaps in me
You are the sparkle in my eyes