They were from two warring tribes So their love could never be He was a painted Apache And she was a Cherokee He was stealing her father's horses When he saw her standing there The moon braided bits of silver All through her long black hair Chorus: War paint and soft feathers Love was meant to be Even though he was Apache She was a blue-eyed Cherokee War paint and soft feathers Under the pale blue light Doing what tribal laws forbid His drums brought the silence of the night His strong arms circled round her waist His head band touched her brow They were of two different tongues But their lips met anyhow Next to a small oak tree Crossed spears forbid their love There'd been no peace between their tribes Long as eagles soar above (chorus) Now the leaves have fallen to the ground Over and over again From the small oak tree grown taller Where once crossed spears had been A young man rides his billow horse And he stands there tall and free The son of a wild Apache And a blue-eyed Cherokee
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