Concentration Camp Blues
Resilience in Rhythms: Unveiling the Legacy Behind Concentration Camp Blues
Lyrics
Concentration camp blues
Expression of enduring hardship akin to those in concentration camps
Never make the news
The struggles faced don’t receive media attention or recognition
These settlers rigged the game when they made the rules
Indication of unfair advantages given to settlers through established rules
Let me try to paint a scene of chasing lonely rez kid dreams
Describing the pursuit of aspirations by a Native American from a reservation
With nights banging out beats on that laptop screen
Spending nights creating music on a laptop
With nothing but your heart telling you you're right
Relying solely on intuition and belief in oneself
I spent years in the dark just to find my light
Enduring hardships to find one’s purpose or truth
Shout out my mother and my aunties because they raised us all
Recognition and appreciation for the upbringing provided by mothers and aunts despite societal labeling
In a settler colonial state that called them squaw
Being raised in a state founded by settlers who derogatorily labeled Native American women
I'm from the rez, commod fed and raised on ball
Growing up on the reservation, influenced by commodity food and basketball culture
That means I've bled, tears shed over things I saw
Having experienced pain and sorrow due to witnessed events
So I ain't one to judge with loved ones doing time and everyone on drugs
Reserving judgment due to personal experiences and challenges faced within the community
We used to run around the rez now we pray and smudge
Transitioning from a carefree youth to embracing spiritual practices
And now I understand why ancestors prayed for us
Understanding the prayers made by ancestors for future generations
In the beginning a reservation was a camp of concentration
Highlighting the historical context of reservations as akin to concentration camps due to forced confinement
It was either that or lands hard fought maintained and protected by Nations
Contrasting reservations as either forced settlements or lands originally owned and protected by Indigenous Nations
A reservation is a nation
A reaffirmation of the sovereignty and identity of Native American reservations
Beyond concentration camp blues
Expressing resilience beyond the struggles and hardships faced
These are dark times, hard times otehi yelo
Acknowledging challenging and distressing times
Cante iyoksica hoksila miyelo
Using Lakota phrases to convey personal emotional distress
If you gotta know, I got a heavy heart
Emotional burden carried within the heart
Every part and valve weighed down with a heavy scar
Feeling the weight of emotional scars
And I got them in the place I'm from
Referencing the origin of these emotional burdens from the place of upbringing
Some call it reservation, some call it concentration
Highlighting differing perspectives on reservations as either a place of residence or a concentration camp
Concentrating the trauma of genocide up in a nation
Concentration of historical trauma within Native American communities
This system murders us, call it premeditation
Accusing the system of deliberate actions leading to the demise of Indigenous peoples
Tragic death becomes a circumstance
Tragedies and deaths seen as a consequence rather than an anomaly
They outlawed our songs and wouldn't let us dance
Referencing the suppression of cultural practices by authorities
And now it gives me the blues
Feeling despondent due to the current situation
They say we're red to them we're dead
Being disregarded or dehumanized by non-Native individuals
My people set up to lose
Indication of systemic disadvantages faced by Native American communities
Concentration Camp Blues never make the news
Reiteration of the lack of recognition of their struggles in mainstream media
Concentration Camp Blues never make the news
Repetition emphasizing the lack of attention to their plight
These settlers rigged the game when they made the rules
Reinforcement of the unfair advantages held by settlers due to established rules
These settlers rigged the game when they made the rules
Re-emphasis on the disparities caused by the rules set by settlers
Our cultures hold the truth to see you through
Affirmation of the strength found in their culture and heritage
The fire's in our youth ancestors return soon
Hope for a return of ancestral wisdom and guidance
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