SONGS:
-- Red Brother Red Sister --
26 July 1976. Burritt's Rapids.

Found on:

Circles In The Stream (1977) [live album]
Mummy Dust (1981) [compilation album]

In The Falling Dark (2002)
Rumours of Glory - box set Disc 2 (2014) [compilation album]
Lyrics:

Went to the museum, red brother
Saw your ancient bloom cut, pressed and dried
A sign said wasn't it clever what they used to do
But it never did say how they died

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

Went to Regina, red sister
Heard a cab driver say what he'd seen
"There's a grand place to eat out on Number One
All white ladies if you know what I mean"

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

Went to a pow wow, red brother
Felt the people's love/joy flow around
It left me crying just thinking about it
How they used my saviour's name to keep you down

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey



Known comments by Bruce Cockburn about this song, by date:

  • 1990 - "In the early 70's, I met Native Canadians for the first time. I began to understand their situation and the history that led to it. There was this cab driver in Regina, an older guy, with a white duck tail gone yellow at the edges. We must have been getting the truck fixed or something, but he was taking us somewhere and recommending racially 'correct' establishments." - from "Rumours of Glory 1980-1990" (songbook), edited by Arthur McGregor, OFC Publications, Ottawa, 1990. Submitted by Rob Caldwell.


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    This page is part of The Cockburn Project, a unique website that exists to document the work of Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Bruce Cockburn. The Project archives self-commentary by Cockburn on his songs and music, and supplements this core part of the website with news, tour dates, and other current information.