Coyote
Rank & File Lyrics
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Coyote, why did you leave me?
I'm all alone
Well, they asked the rancher's son what happened to the lad
Oh, I don't know, but we didn't do nothing bad
Now what's all the fuss?
They ain't like us
We took their hands and we bound them up with wire
When the sun went down, they felt the fire
Coyote, why did you take me so far from home?
Coyote, why did you leave me?
I'm all alone
Yeah, the sun pushed him down and the moon pulls him up
He's all alone and he cries like a pup
My mother, my sisters, and I don't know
And the cold wind blows
I want to go home but I'm too far north
And the cry comes forth, hiyo, hiyo
Coyote, why did you take me so far from home?
Coyote, why did you leave me?
I'm all alone
Coyote, why did you take me so far from home?
Coyote, why did you leave me?
I'm all alone
Yeah, the sun pushed him down and the moon pulls him up
He's all alone and he cries like a pup
My mother, my sisters, and I don't know
And the cold wind blows
I want to go home but I'm too far north
And the cry comes forth, hiyo, hiyo
Coyote, why did you take me so far from home?
Coyote, why did you leave me?
I'm all alone
Coyote, coyote
Coyote, coyote
The song "Coyote" by Rank & File is a lamentation sung by a Native American who has been taken away from his home and left alone by the titular character, Coyote. He wonders why Coyote has taken him so far from home and left him alone. The second half of the song is from the perspective of the attackers who have bound and tortured the singer and his people. They deny having done anything bad and do not care about the people they have harmed. The last chorus of the song is sung by the Native American again, who continues to question why he has been taken so far from home and left alone.
The lyrics of the song "Coyote" express the feeling of displacement and isolation experienced by many Native Americans who have been forcibly removed from their land and culture. The character of Coyote, who is often seen as a trickster figure in Native American mythology, may represent the forces of colonialism and assimilation that have caused this displacement. The song also highlights the violence and indifference that often accompanies these historical events.
Line by Line Meaning
Coyote, why did you take me so far from home?
The singer questions why coyote took them so far away from their home.
Coyote, why did you leave me?
The singer is asking why coyote abandoned them in a faraway place.
I'm all alone
The singer is feeling lonely and isolated in an unfamiliar place.
Well, they asked the rancher's son what happened to the lad
The story shifts to the perspective of the rancher's son being asked about the disappearance of the artist.
Oh, I don't know, but we didn't do nothing bad
The rancher's son denies any wrongdoing in the artist's disappearance.
Now what's all the fuss?
The son is questioning why people are making a big deal about the disappearance.
They ain't like us
The son is implying that the missing person is different from them.
They don't matter anyway
The son seems to have a dismissive attitude towards the missing person's life.
We took their hands and we bound them up with wire
The son reveals that he and his friends kidnapped and restrained the missing person.
When the sun went down, they felt the fire
The kidnappers likely torched their captive when the sun set.
Yeah, the sun pushed him down and the moon pulls him up
The singer is describing the passage of time in the place they are stranded in.
He's all alone and he cries like a pup
The artist is feeling vulnerable and helpless.
My mother, my sisters, and I don't know
The singer has family who are unaware of their current predicament.
And the cold wind blows
The singer is likely in a cold, desolate place.
I want to go home but I'm too far north
The singer longs for home, but it seems out of reach in their current location.
And the cry comes forth, hiyo, hiyo
The artist expresses their despair through an anguished cry.
Coyote, coyote
The artist repeats coyote's name, perhaps as a way to plead for answers or intervention.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHIP KINMAN, TONY KINMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind