Anna Mae
From the Album Run For Freedom
From the womb of Nova Scotia
In the land of sunrise
Use to work building cars
On the assembly line
When she heard a warrior speak
Of a better day to come
Quit her job, traveled west
To the land of the setting sun
Survival schools she organized
Put her people’s past to words
Spoke out for the women
So, their voices could be heard
When she left, she left behind
Two children so young
Asking forgiveness from
The Creator when the day was done
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
We can hear you spirit call
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
When the rain begins to fall
We can hear your spirit call
On the Trail of Broken Treaties
Anna Mae took a stand
Building bunkers at Wounded Knee
Defending sacred land
Slipping in, slipping out behind the lines
With supplies late at night
Where the Grandfather’s shielded her
From the swat man’s gunsight
In the month of June in Oglala
The FBI did come
On the very same day, the BIA
Sold the land of the setting sun
In a firefight they killed Joe Stuntz
This is what they said
Before the year is out
Anna Mae we will see you dead
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
We can hear you spirit call
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
When the rain begins to fall
We can hear your spirit call
One hundred miles from the nearest town
A body was found
With a turquoise bracelet on her wrist
Frozen to the ground
Standing by the FBI
Could not identify
The body of this woman who
They hauled in one too many times
They took the turquoise off her hand
Cut them off at the wrist
Sent her hands to Washington
They said for fingerprints
The doctor said she was drunk
Fell down and simply froze
So, the FBI buried her
By the name Jane Doe
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
We can hear you spirit call
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
When the rain begins to fall
We can hear your spirit call
Homicide the people cried
For their Anna Mae
Forcing the FBI
To bring her from the grave
What they found was a bullet hole
In the back of her head
While the FBI put one more notch
In their gun for one more dead
An Oglala wind blew last night
To the sound of the drum
Heard the voice of Anna Mae
Speaking in a Micmac tongue
There’s no force made by man
That can stop the driving rain
When people fight for their land
You will always find Anna Mae
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
We can hear you spirit call
Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae
When the rain begins to fall
We can hear your spirit call
Words & music by Larry Long
Copyright Larry Long 1981; Renewed 2025 BMI
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