[Intro: Ghost Dance Invocation: Drums: A single powwow drum heartbeat, steady but trembling, joined by layered hand drums in widening circles: Rattles & bone shakers: constant, rhythmic: Haunting wooden flute motifs, heavy use of reverb, with layered echoes]:

[Ad-libs: War calls breaking into silence, then fading into screams: Slow, mournful, call and response]:

[Lead (Cherokee)]:

“Spirits of our fathers, spirits of our mothers...rise, protect us!”

[Creek backing: echoes, low, wailing]:

“We dance, we dance, we dance to the circle…”

[chant, rising in tempo]: “Hey-ya hey-ya, hey-ya ho…”

[Verse 1: The Belief: Steady water drum pulse (4/4 rhythm for circle dance), building with rattles and hand claps. Layering: Flute melodies descend stepwise, evoking ritual trance. Textures: Organic, earthy, drums muffled for intimacy, flutes with breathy tones]:

We twirl in the dust, bare feet in the firelight,

Painted faces glowing, arms to the sky,

We sing your names...

White Buffalo, Eagle Spirit, Standing Grandfather...

We believe you will shield us,

We believe you will turn their bullets to dust.

[Ad-libs: Soft, echoes from backing, building ecstasy]: "Hey-ya"

[Chorus: The Ghost Dance Itself: Ecstatic peak, drums intensify, full group vocals layer for communal power]:

[Layered vocals, hypnotic rhythm]:

“Round and round the circle flows,

Faster now, the heartbeat grows,

Ghosts of old, we call your hand,

Save your children, save this land.”

[Ad-libs: shouts, mimicking trance falls]: "Hey-ya-hey!"

[Verse 2: The Reality: Drums accelerate slightly, flutes add urgent trills. Layering: Backing vocals overlap lead for depth]:

But the pale-face riders came with thunder,

Their guns spoke louder than our prayers.

We spun in circles, we fell in circles,

Our blood watering the sacred ground.

Ancestors stood silent, watching...

And the sky did not break open.

[Ad-libs: Breathless whispers]: "Visions come..."

[Bridge: The Collapse: Shift to somber: drums slow, flutes wail mournfully. Layering: Echoing vocals fade, symbolizing loss]:

[Whispers from backing vocals]:

“They do not come… they do not come…

They only watch… they only watch…”

[Lead cry]:

“Grandfathers! Why do you stand still?”

[Answering Creek wail]:

“Our bodies fall, our spirits rise...

But none are saved.”

[Ad-libs: Painful cries]: "Why, ancestors?"

[Final Chorus: Shattered Prayer: Final intensity: Drums thunder then fade]:

[The Ghost Dance chant repeats but breaks apart, voices cracking, sobbing woven into the singing]:

“Round and round the circle flows…

But the circle breaks, the circle breaks…

We danced to live, we danced to stay…

But the spirits turned their eyes away.”

[Ad-libs: Fading]: "Hey-ya..." echoes

[Outro: Haunting fade-out with single flute, wind, and distant rattles. : The drumbeat falters, slows, and dies away, leaving only silence]:

[Ad-libs: Whispered]: "Remember the dance..."