Cherokee bend de Gordon Lightfoot

La canción "Cherokee Bend" de Gordon Lightfoot es una poderosa narración que aborda temas profundos y emotivos relacionados con la historia y las relaciones interculturales. La letra cuenta la historia de un joven indígena cuyo padre fue injustamente ejecutado en Cherokee Bend, un lugar donde la discriminación y el racismo eran moneda corriente.

El protagonista de la canción experimenta la pérdida de su padre a manos de los hombres blancos que no respetan ni valoran la vida de los nativos americanos. A pesar del dolor y el sufrimiento, el joven muestra valentía al enfrentarse a un mundo hostil que lo margina por su origen étnico. La canción destaca cómo la madre del protagonista busca refugio en sus creencias espirituales durante los momentos más difíciles, mostrando una conexión profunda con su cultura y tradiciones.

El relato también retrata la lucha del joven por sobrevivir tras la muerte de su madre, enfrentándose a desafíos como la escasez de alimentos y las duras condiciones climáticas. A través de estos eventos, se exponen las injusticias sociales y raciales que marcaron esa época, resaltando cómo las normas impuestas por los colonizadores afectaron negativamente a las comunidades nativas.

La letra de "Cherokee Bend" revela el rechazo hacia las actitudes racistas y opresoras perpetradas contra los pueblos indígenas, desafiando el status quo e invitando a reflexionar sobre la importancia de reconocer y respetar otras culturas. Lightfoot utiliza su habilidad para contar historias a través de sus letras para crear conciencia sobre las injusticias pasadas y presentes que persisten en nuestra sociedad.

En cuanto al contexto cultural, es importante destacar que esta canción evoca un sentido de nostalgia por un pasado marcado por conflictos interculturales y violencia racial. La atmósfera melancólica creada por la melodía folk refuerza el tono introspectivo y reflexivo presente en la composición.

En términos musicales, "Cherokee Bend" presenta una instrumentación sutil pero emocionalmente intensa, con acordes acústicos que enfatizan la narrativa poética de la canción. La voz melódica pero cargada de emotividad de Gordon Lightfoot añade profundidad al mensaje contenido en cada verso.

La composición también se destaca por sus referencias geográficas precisas y detalladas, lo cual sitúa al oyente en el escenario histórico descrito en la letra. Este nivel de autenticidad contribuye a enriquecer el significado detrás de cada palabra cantada.

En resumen, "Cherokee Bend" es mucho más que una simple canción: es un testimonio poético sobre resistencia cultural, identidad indígena y justicia social. Gordon Lightfoot logra transmitir con sensibilidad e ingenio un mensaje potente que invita a reflexionar sobre nuestro pasado colectivo y las lecciones que podemos aprender para construir un futuro más inclusivo y equitativo para todos.

His father was a man who could never understand
the shame on a red man's face
so they lived in the hills and they never came down
but to trade in the white man's place
It was early in the spring when the snow had disappeared
they came down with a bag of skins
in the fall of the year of 1910
daddy died by the rope down in cherokee bend.
Daddy didn't like what the white man said
'bout the dirty little kid at his side
daddy didn't like what the white man did
nor the deal or the way that he lied
there was blood on the floor of the government store
when the men took his daddy away
but the boy stayed back till he come to his end
and he run like the wind from cherokee bend.
Now the mother was alone and the winter was at hand
and she prayed to her spirit kin
it was warm in the lodge in the kentucky hills
on the day when the boy came in
Then a blizzard came down and it covered up the door
Till they thought that it never would end
and he told her the tale of the terrible affair
in the government store down in cherokee bend
Daddy didn't like what the white man said
'bout the dirty little kid at his side
daddy didn't like what the white man did
nor the deal or the way that he lied
For three long days and three long nights
they wept and they mourned and then
she returned to her work and her weavin'
and they tried to forget about cherokee bend
Now the boy wasn't big but he hunted what he could
and they lived for a time that way
but the food run low and the meat went bad
and she said to the boy one day
I'm leaving tonight and i never will return
>from the land of my spirit kin
you must take what you need and trade what you can
for a red man's grave down in cherokee bend
It wasn't very long till she closed her eyes
and he wrapped her in a robe
he found her a place on the side of the hill
and he buried her in the snow
Early in the spring he was seen in the town
with his load looking ragged and thin
not a year had gone by till he stood once again
in the government store down in cherokee bend
He was ten years tall and a redskin too
so he hadn't much face to save
and the men sat around and they laughed and they clowned
at the talk of a criminal's grave
Then the man from the east didn't smile when he said
you're the son of that indian scum
if you value your hide then you better abide
by the white man's rules here in cherokee bend.
Daddy didn't like what the white man said
'bout the dirty little kid at his side
daddy didn't like what the white man did
nor the deal or the way that he lied
And he spit on the floor of the government store
and it served him to no good end
at the close of the day they had taken him away
to the white man's school down at cherokee bend
It's been 21 years since the boy disappeared
where he run to, nobody knows
but they say he fell in with a man named jim
and he rides in the rodeos
And they say he returns all alone to a place
hidden deep in the kentucky glen
and it's pretty well known who hauled up the stone
to the grave on the hill above cherokee bend
Daddy didn't like what the white man said
'bout the dirty little kid at his side
daddy didn't like what the white man did
nor the deal or the way that he lied
There was blood on the floor of the government store
when the men took his daddy away
it was 1910 and they never had a friend
when he died by the rope down at cherokee bend
it was 1910 and they never had a friend
when he died by the rope down at cherokee bend