Red Wing
Spike Jones & Spike Jones and His City Slickers Lyrics


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There once was an Indian maid a shy little prairie maid
who sang all day a love song gay as through the fields she'd while the hours away.
She loved an Indian brave this shy little prairie maid
and then one day he rode away to battle far away..

Chorus
Oh the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing,
the breeze is sighing, the night birds crying,
For a far far away her brave is dying
and Red Wings's crying her heart away.

She watched for him day and night,
She kept all the campfires bright,
And under the sky,
Each night she would lie,
And dream about his coming by and by
But when all the braves returned the heart of Red Wing yearned
for far far away her warrior brave fell bravely in the fray.

chorus
Now the Moon shines tonight on pretty Redwing,
the breeze is sighing, the night birds crying,




for a far'neath his star her brave is sleeping,
while Redwing's weeping her heart away.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Spike Jones's song Red Wing are a tragic tale of a young Native American woman named Red Wing who falls in love with an Indian Brave. She spends her days singing a happy love song as she dreams of her Brave, but tragedy strikes when he rides off to battle and never returns. The chorus describes how the moon shines brightly on Red Wing, as she mourns the loss of her brave who died bravely in the battle. Despite watching for him day and night, and keeping campfires bright, he never returned. The second verse describes how Red Wing's heart yearned for her warrior brave and how she dreamed about his return, only to find out that he had died in the battle.


The lyrics of Red Wing are full of rich imagery, painting a picture of a beautiful, yet tragic love story. The song's use of repetition, with the chorus being sung twice, drives home the loss and sadness that Red Wing feels. The lyrics are a reminder of the pain and sorrow that war brings, not just to those who fight, but to the loved ones left behind.


Line by Line Meaning

There once was an Indian maid a shy little prairie maid
There was a young Native American woman who lived humbly on the grasslands


who sang all day a love song gay as through the fields she'd while the hours away.
She would sing a happy love song as she passed the time by tending to the fields


She loved an Indian brave this shy little prairie maid
She was in love with a Native American warrior


and then one day he rode away to battle far away..
He left to take part in a faraway battle


Chorus
Recurring lines of the song


She watched for him day and night,
She kept watch for him all hours of the day and night


She kept all the campfires bright,
She made sure to keep the campfires going


And under the sky,
Under the open sky


Each night she would lie,
She would lie down each night


And dream about his coming by and by
And hope and wish for his eventual return


But when all the braves returned the heart of Red Wing yearned
However, when all the other warriors returned home, Red Wing's heart still longed for her love


for far far away her warrior brave fell bravely in the fray.
He had fought bravely in the distant battle, but he had passed away


Now the Moon shines tonight on pretty Redwing,
Now the moonlight shines on Red Wing


the breeze is sighing, the night birds crying,
The wind is blowing and the birds are making sad sounds


for a far'neath his star her brave is sleeping,
Her love is now asleep far beneath the stars


while Redwing's weeping her heart away.
And Red Wing is now crying her heart out in sorrow




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THURLAND CHATTAWAY, KERRY MILLS, EDMUND KING JR.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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