You can paint with all the colors of the wind
The song ends by reinforcing the main idea of this song. It emphasizes to the person that he must adopt a new way of being with and seeing the natural world.
The song starts with a judgemental and materialistic perspective of Native Americans as 'ignorant savage' but it ends with an upbeat perspective of artistically working WITH nature. This is a lesson for everyone, including me, to rethink what being with nature really means.
You can own the Earth and stillAll you'll own is Earth
Another example of a play on the word 'Earth'. In the first line, it denotes the world. This makes sense because the British colonised many parts of the world and so they 'owned' the world. The second 'Earth' refers to soil. The persona is showing the irony that conquering the world only means owning a lot of soil. This links back to what she said in the earlier stanza about how the person sees the "earth is a dead thing you can claim".
The words 'own' and 'claim' have the image of controlling something. This shows the theme of owning vs. appreciating. The persona wants the person to appreciate nature and not just own it.
We need to
In the earlier stanza, the persona asks rhetorical questions "Can you sing ...? Can you paint ...?' to let the person see his ignorance about not appreciating nature.
In these lines, the tone changes. Now, the persona uses the statement "We need to" because she is urging and encouraging him see things differently.
The pronoun changes from 'you' to 'we'. The persona and the person are now part of all humans who must change the way we interact with nature. This links back to the theme of "we are all connected to each other".
white or copper-skinned
Link back to the idea that everyone is connected, everyone is equal and everyone's perspective must be respected.
How high does the sycamore grow?If you cut it down, then you'll never know
This rhetorical question highlights the theme of protecting nature to see its natural beauty. 'Grow' and 'cut' show a contrasting image of living and being killed. This contrast of being 'dead' and alive is repeated here again.
The rhyming of 'grow' and 'know' emphasises the irony of the situation that the person cannot know the answer to the persona's question if he continues his old ways of destroying nature for materialistic gain.
rainstorm and the river
The use of alliteration for 'rainstorm' and 'river' makes the sound of the song more interesting.
The rainstorm and the river are my brothersThe heron and the otter are my friends
These are metaphors used to describe the 'rainstorm', 'river', 'heron' and 'otter' as having human relationship with the persona. This is similar to what the persona said earlier about the 'rock, tree and creature' having a 'life, spirit and name'. This shows the persona's deep connection with her natural surroundings. To her, nature is alive and must be respected.
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forestCome taste the sun sweet berries of the EarthCome roll in all the riches all around you
There is a use of repetition 'Come' to urge the person to try new ways of experiencing nature. The words 'run', 'taste' and 'roll' have an image of thrill and excitement. The earth seems exciting with 'hidden pine trails', 'sun sweet berries' and 'riches'. The persona is painting a different perspective of nature for the person. The persona is, in a way, re-educating the person, like a teacher. Her tone is instructive but gentle.
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
This rhetorical question may not seem to make sense because wind has no colour. However, the metaphor 'colours of the wind' symbolises seeing what is not obvious to everyone.
'Sing' and 'paint' are actions done by creative people. It symbolises creative expression and using imagination. The persona is telling the person to appreciate nature in a creative and artistic way and not in a materialistic way.
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
This is another rhetorical question where the mountain is personified with a 'voice'. By telling the person to "sing" with the "voices of the mountain", there is an imagery of harmony with the mountains.
The mountains also symbolise beauty and wisdom . To sing with the mountains is to sing with all the wisdom it has to offer.
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon,Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
This is the first of a few rhetorical questions that the persona asks the person so that he can see nature in a new light and in the way that the Native Americans see them.
The 'cry' of the wolf and the 'grinning' of the bobcat' are examples of personification by giving human qualities to animals. This device makes the animals seem like one of us humans that you can communicate with them e.g. "ask" ... why it grins"
walk the footsteps of a strangerYou'll learn things you never knew you never knew
This line continues the theme of narrow perspectives by urging the person to see things from other people's points of view and see them in a different light.
The repetition of "you never knew" is similar to stanza 1 where the persona says "... you don't know, you don't know" This repetition emphasises his lack of knowledge in what truly matters.
You think the only people who are peopleAre the people who look and think like you
Word play is used on the word 'people' to repeat the contrast between the civilised English 'people' and ignorant Native American 'savage'.
This also highlights one of the themes of the song about embracing diverse perspectives. The person probably believes he is superior as only people who look like him and who have the same beliefs and thoughts as him are considered 'people'. The rest are somehow inferior people.
This dangerous way of thinking has led to a lot of wars in the world. It reminds me why it is important avoid such thinking, especially in a multi-racial society like Singapore.
rock and tree and creatureHas a life, has a spirit, has a name
The persona personifies the "rock" and the "tree" because to the native American people, nature has "life" and "spirit". For 'creature', giving it a name is also personification as giving things names is a human quality.
dead thing
The figurative language used in 'Dead thing" shows a powerful contrast between how the person views nature and how differently the persona sees nature as alive and with an identity "has a name". In this stanza, we thus see two differing world views of the natural environment.
own whatever land you land on
This is a clever play on words as the word ‘land’ is used as a verb and as a noun. The other examples of play on words are 'people' and 'earth' where the words have two meanings. This play on words shows that anything can have more than one perspective which relates back to one of the themes of this song.
How can there be so much that you don't know?You don't know
The persona asks this is a rhetorical question as it is a puzzle to her that a well travelled person who has seen the world and has seen many different types of people, would have such a narrow world view and be trapped only within his perspective.
This makes me reflect on what it means to be well travelled, or well educated, or cultured.
Just travelling the world, or studying a lot does not make people better than others if they do not have empathy or try to understand other people and respect other cultures.
You think I'm an ignorant savageAnd you've been so many places I guess it must be soBut still I can not seeIf the savage one is me
The persona in this song is a Native American girl named Pocahontas. The song is directed to an English colonist, John Smith where she encourages him to see the world from a different perspective, through her eyes.
The figurative language used in “ignorant” and “savage” captures your attention as these words have a strong negative connotation about Native American people. This figurative language emphasises the irony as the Native Americans were seen by the English as "savage" but the real "ignorant savage" were the English colonists who just wanted to rob the earth of all its treasures with no regards for the consequences to the animals and humans that depend on nature.
we are all connected to each otherIn a circle, in a hoop that never ends
This line highlights an important theme of being connected. Humans must be connected to other humans as equals. Humans must connect with the nature they live in.
Circle and hoop have no beginning and no end. They are a symbol of eternity. That means humans and nature are forever connected to each other. So we must respect each other.
And for once, never wonder what they're worth
This line highlights the theme of enjoying and respecting nature and not just thinking about how much money can be made from it.