The Trader
The Beach Boys Lyrics

Trader sailed a jeweled crown
The colonizer embarked on his conquest with the intention of achieving wealth and power.

Humanity rowed the way
The colonizer viewed himself and his people as superior to the natives and their culture.

Exploring to command more land
The colonizer aimed to expand his territory and impose his authority over the land.

Scheming how to rule the waves.
The colonizer planned to become the dominant naval power and control the ocean.

Trader spied a virgin plain
The colonizer discovered a new and uncharted territory.

And named it for velvet robes
The colonizer renamed the land to suit his own cultural and aesthetic preferences.

Wrote home declaring,
The colonizer sent news of his discovery and conquest back to his home country.

"There's a place
The colonizer advertised the virtues of the land he conquered.

Where totally folks are free
The colonizer claimed that the natives were living in bondage and that his own culture represented true freedom.

(Happily completely)
The colonizer believed that his own culture was superior and would bring happiness to the natives.

Nourishment fills the prairies and the hillsides
The colonizer boasted about the abundance of natural resources in the land he conquered.

And animals stalk the mountains and the seaside
The colonizer praised the wildlife that existed in the land he conquered.

And fish abound the lakes and birds the skies
The colonizer celebrated the aquatic and aerial life found in the land he conquered.

Signed sincerely."
The colonizer signed off on his letter with a false sincerity.

Trader found the jeweled land
The colonizer reached his destination and saw the wealth and beauty that lay before him.

Was occupied before he came
The colonizer realized that the land he had discovered was already inhabited.

By humans of a second look
The colonizer disparagingly referred to the natives as inferior to himself and his people.

Who couldn't even write their names shame
The colonizer belittled the natives' culture and language.

Trader said they're not as good
The colonizer viewed the natives as inferior and not deserving of the land they lived on.

As folks who wear velvet robes
The colonizer believed that his own culture and people were more refined and deserving of power than the natives.

Wrote home again and asked, "Please help
The colonizer sent another letter back home, asking for assistance in conquering and subjugating the natives.

Their breasts I see; they're not like me
The colonizer used a physical difference between himself and the natives as justification for his subjugation of them.

Banish them from our prairies and our hillsides
The colonizer sought to expel the natives from the land they had lived on for generations.

Clear them from our mountains and our seaside
The colonizer claimed that the land belonged to him and his people, and that the natives had no right to live there.

I want them off our lakes so please reply
The colonizer demanded that the natives be removed from every inch of land that he considered his own.

Signed sincerely."
The colonizer signed off on his letter with the same false sincerity as before.

Trader he got the crown okay
The colonizer was successful in his conquest, and achieved the wealth and power he sought.

Cleared humanity from his way
The colonizer removed the native population and their culture from the land he conquered.

He civilized all he saw
The colonizer sought to impose his own cultural values and way of life on the natives.

Making changes every single day say
The colonizer made numerous changes to the land and its inhabitants in order to suit his own goals.

Shops sprang over the prairies and the hillsides
The colonizer introduced commerce and industry to the newly conquered land.

Then roads cut through the mountains to the seaside
The colonizer built infrastructure to serve his own needs and goals.

The other kind fled to hide, by and by,
The natives were forced to either assimilate to the colonizer's way of life or flee and hide from the colonizer's wrath.

And so sincerely
The colonizer was not sincere in any of his actions or motives.

Making it softly
The colonizer sought to peacefully subjugate the native population.

Like the evening sea, trying to be
The colonizer hoped to create an illusion of benevolence and kindness in his actions.

Making it go
The colonizer was determined to achieve his goals at any cost.

Creating it gently
The colonizer tried to impose his culture and way of life on the natives without using excessive force.

Like a morning breeze, a life of ease
The colonizer promised prosperity and happiness to the natives if they adopted his way of life.

Eyes that see
The colonizer was focused only on his own goals and did not see the suffering of the natives.

Beyond tomorrow, through to the time without hours
The colonizer was only focused on his own short-term goals and did not consider the long-term consequences of his actions.

Passing the Eden of Flowers
The colonizer destroyed the natural beauty and abundance of the land in pursuit of his own goals.

Reason to live.
The colonizer saw himself as the only reason worth living for.

Embracing together
The colonizer tried to force the natives to adopt his culture and way of life.

Like the merging streams, crying dreams
The colonizer hoped that the natives would assimilate to his way of life and abandon their own culture.

Making it full
The colonizer was determined to fully transform the land and its inhabitants in his own image.

Begging intently
The colonizer was desperate to impose his culture and way of life on the natives.

For a slight reprieve, a night of ease
The colonizer promised temporary relief and comfort to those who adopted his way of life.

Hands to touch
The colonizer tried to win the trust and loyalty of the natives.

Beyond the sorrow, on to the force without power
The colonizer tried to impose his will on the natives without using excessive force.

Piercing the crust of the tower
The colonizer sought to overthrow the natives' traditional power structures and impose his own authority.

Reason to live.
The colonizer saw himself as the only reason worth living for.

Hoping
The colonizer was optimistic that his goals could be achieved.

Like a budding rose, humbling shows
The colonizer hoped that the natives would accept his goals and realize the superiority of his culture.

Making it.
The colonizer was determined to make his goals a reality.

Struggling lonely
The colonizer faced many obstacles and challenges in his conquest.

Like a desert field, break the seal, make it real
The colonizer was determined to transform the land according to his own goals and ideals.

Ears to hear
The colonizer was attentive to his own goals and ambitions, and did not listen to the needs or desires of the natives.

Beyond the showers, on to the suns of tomorrows
The colonizer was focused only on his own goals and did not consider the long-term impact of his actions.

Burning the flesh of all sorrows
The colonizer sought to eradicate the native culture and way of life, and replace it with his own.

Reason to live.
The colonizer saw himself as the only reason worth living for.

Reason to continue
The colonizer saw his conquest and colonization as an ongoing project with no end in sight.

Reason to go on
The colonizer was motivated to achieve his goals at any cost.

Reason to live
The colonizer saw himself as the only reason worth living for.

Reason to live
The colonizer saw himself as the only reason worth living for.

Reason to live
The colonizer saw himself as the only reason worth living for.