in a South Dakota field
and the sweet grass whispered to me
as I rode
oh the sun it was at midday
it shown hot across my face
and our land lay still in grace
yes a crystal silent place
before you came
two of my closest brothers
they were riding by my side
and we watched a golden eagle
flying circles in the sky
and we smiled
as our eyes met
for our joy we could not hide
yes we loved to hunt and ride
it was good to be alive
before you came
brother take my hand
and we will walk this magic land
together
sister look on high
and you will see that storms are building
in your skies
oh do you wonder why
and as the sun was dying
we had reached the sacred hills
yes the sky had caught on fire
and all the land was still
it was here all wrapped in blankets
in our younger days
that we fasted
and we listened
oh the night would bring us visions
before you came
sister take my hand
for we must hold our mother's land
together
brother look around
and you will see the scars of battle
on this ground
oh do you hear the sound
I dreamed that I was riding
in a South Dakota field
and the sweet grass whispered to me
as I rode
oh the sun it was at midday
it shown hot across my face
and our land lay still in grace
yes a crystal silent place
before you came
Perry Miller (born November 22, 1941), known professionally as Jesse Colin Young, is an American singer and songwriter. He was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s group the Youngbloods. After their dissolution in 1972, Young embarked on a solo career, releasing a series of albums through Warner Bros. Records, including Song for Juli (1973), Light Shine (1974), Songbird (1975) and the live album On the Road (1976). Young continued to release music in the 1980s with Elektra Records and Cypress Records, before deciding to release music through his personal label, Ridgetop Music, in 1993. After the Mount Vision Fire in 1995, Young relocated with his family to a coffee plantation in Hawaii, periodically releasing music. Young received a diagnosis of "chronic Lyme disease" in 2012, and decided to retire from music. He began performing again in 2016 with his son Tristan, releasing a new album Dreamers in 2019 through BMG.
Young's song "Sunlight" was covered by Three Dog Night on their album Naturally (1970), and “Darkness, Darkness” by Robert Plant in 2002, which received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
