Recorded by: Johnny Cash
Key of G
[G]
[G]To the [C]governmental [G]school
[G]Well they're [C]goin' to edu[G]cate me
[G]To the [D]white men's Golden Rule
[D]And I'm [G]learning very quickly
[G]For I've [C]learned to be a[G]shamed
[G]And I [C]come when they call [G]Billy
[G]Though I've [D]got an Indian [G]name
CHORUS:
[G]And there are drums beyond the mountain
[G]Indian [C]drums that you can't [G]hear
[G]There are [C]drums beyond the [G]mountain
[G]And they're [D]getting mighty [G]near
And when they think that they'd changed me
Cut my hair to meet their needs
Will they think I'm white or Indian
Quarter blood or just half breed
Let me tell you Mister Teacher
When you say you'll make me right
In five hundred years of fighting
Not one Indian turned white
CHORUS
Well you thought that I knew nothing
When you brought me here to school
Just another empty Indian
Just America's first fool
But now I can tell you stories
That are burnt and dried and old
But in the shadow of their telling
Walks the thunder proud and bold
CHORUS
Long Pine and Sequoia
Handsome Lake and Sitting Bull
There's Magnus Colorado
With his sleeves so red and full
Crazy Horse the legend
Those who bit off Custer's soul
They are dead yet they are living
With the great Geronimo
CHORUS
Well you may teach me this land's history
But we taught it to you first
We broke your hearts and bent your journeys
Broken treaties left us cursed
Even now you have to cheat us
Even though you this us tame
In our losing we found proudness
In your winning you found shame
CHORUS
Key of G
[G]
[G]To the [C]governmental [G]school
[G]Well they're [C]goin' to edu[G]cate me
[G]To the [D]white men's Golden Rule
[D]And I'm [G]learning very quickly
[G]For I've [C]learned to be a[G]shamed
[G]And I [C]come when they call [G]Billy
[G]Though I've [D]got an Indian [G]name
CHORUS:
[G]And there are drums beyond the mountain
[G]Indian [C]drums that you can't [G]hear
[G]There are [C]drums beyond the [G]mountain
[G]And they're [D]getting mighty [G]near
And when they think that they'd changed me
Cut my hair to meet their needs
Will they think I'm white or Indian
Quarter blood or just half breed
Let me tell you Mister Teacher
When you say you'll make me right
In five hundred years of fighting
Not one Indian turned white
CHORUS
Well you thought that I knew nothing
When you brought me here to school
Just another empty Indian
Just America's first fool
But now I can tell you stories
That are burnt and dried and old
But in the shadow of their telling
Walks the thunder proud and bold
CHORUS
Long Pine and Sequoia
Handsome Lake and Sitting Bull
There's Magnus Colorado
With his sleeves so red and full
Crazy Horse the legend
Those who bit off Custer's soul
They are dead yet they are living
With the great Geronimo
CHORUS
Well you may teach me this land's history
But we taught it to you first
We broke your hearts and bent your journeys
Broken treaties left us cursed
Even now you have to cheat us
Even though you this us tame
In our losing we found proudness
In your winning you found shame
CHORUS
