Prayers In a Song

I feel the latent effects of assimilation Inner city Native raised by bright lights, sky scrapers Born with dim prospects, little peace in living As a child, hot headed about the fact I wasn't wild Like they called my ancestors, imagined what it'd be To live nomadic off the land and free Instead I was full of heat like a furnace cause I wasn't furnished With language and traditional ways of my peeps Yeah I used to feel like I wasn't truly indigenous Now I say miigwech gichi-manidoo For showing me my true roots, definitely Native Take responsibility for being educated My people and customs originating from early phases Of history it's, deeper than frybread and contest pow-wows Tears shed in the sweat lodge, prayers go out to all those I've wronged And who have wronged me, gotta treat 'em like family Gichi-manido wiidookawishin Ji-mashkawiziyaan mii dash bami'idiziyaan Miizhishinaam zaagi'iiwewin Ganoozh ishinaam, bizindaw ishinaam Mii-wenji nagamoyaan Nimishomis wiidookawishinaam Ji-aabajitooyaang anishinaabe izhitwaawin Mii-ji-bi-gikendamaan keyaa anishinaabe bimaadiziwin Becoming aware of a heart beats fragility So I, pray for my creator's will and humility It seems my prayer's weak I can't speak, not a linguist Does he hear my English when I vent I fear the answer to the question This is symbolic of anguish I feel regarding language And the obligation of revitalizing something sacred Failure to carry through is disgracing a nation My first tongue's in need of a face lift but Deciphering conjugation's like trying to find My way through a maze in the matrix, complex Hard to start without an end aside from being fluent I gotta push the limit if I'm gonna keep pursuing So I, use it in a way that relates to my life and vocab Bring some entertainment to it, spit it on a track And I take it out the class, can't let what I lack Become a self-defeating habit that'll make me want to quit Gichi-manido wiidookawishin Ji-mashkawiziyaan mii dash bami'idiziyaan Miizhishinaam zaagi'iiwewin Ganoozh ishinaam, bizindaw ishinaam Mii-wenji nagamoyaan Nimishomis wiidookawishinaam Ji-aabajitooyaang anishinaabe izhitwaawin Mii-ji-bi-gikendamaan keyaa anishinaabe bimaadiziwin It's farfetched but Grandfather please help me learn it Help me assist in keeping it from burning Don't let me quit and flee from working for a worthy purpose Enlighten me and help me comprehend effects of my service I need a spark in my desire from something higher Prior to negative reminders killing my stride Sometimes I'm the type that likes getting results overnight Without sweating or stressing overnight So I pray, Creator give me strength, so I can move on Creator show us love, so it can spread around Communicate with us, from above, hear me now My prayers in a song I speak 'em out loud Grandfather help us to revitalize the language and ways So we walk the red road that you paved Communicate with us from above, hear me now My prayers in a song I speak 'em out loud Gichi-manido wiidookawishin Ji-mashkawiziyaan mii dash bami'idiziyaan Miizhishinaam zaagi'iiwewin Ganoozh ishinaam, bizindaw ishinaam Mii-wenji nagamoyaan Nimishomis wiidookawishinaam Ji-aabajitooyaang anishinaabe izhitwaawin Mii-ji-bi-gikendamaan keyaa anishinaabe bimaadiziwin Creator give me strength, so I can move on Creator show us love, so it can spread around Communicate with us, from above, hear me now My prayers in a song I speak 'em out loud Grandfather help us to revitalize the language and ways So we walk the red road that you paved Communicate with us from above, hear me now My prayers in a song I speak 'em out loud