Before the land could be seeded
in barley, wheat and corn,
the prairie had to be plowed under;
swishing, swaying bluestem burned.

Before the land could be pastured
with cattle, horses and sheep,
there were bison, bear and wolves to kill,
singing swamps to drain and fill.

Before the land could be resettled,
there were thirty-eight black-eyed Sioux,
chanting aloud, heads unbowed,
to hang by the neck in Mankato.