Colors of the Wind – English Lyrics

• By: Vanessa Williams

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

You think you own whatever land you land on

The earth is just a dead thing you can claim

But I know every rock and tree and creature

Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people

Are the people who look and think like you

But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the earth

Come roll in all the riches all around you

And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers

The heron and the otter are my friends

And we are all connected to each other,

In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

Or let the eagle tell you where he's been

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind

How high does the sycamore grow?

If you cut it down, then you'll never know

And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper-skinned

We need to sing with all the voices of the mountain

Need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the earth and still

All you'll own is earth until

You can paint with all the colors of the wind

Compositores: Alan Menken / Stephen Schwartz

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
paint /peɪnt/ A1	verb - to apply color to a surface
wind /wɪnd/ A1	noun - the movement of air
spirit /ˈspɪrɪt/ B1	noun - the part of a person that is not physical and is connected to emotions and soul
creature /ˈkriːtʃər/ A2	noun - a living being, especially an animal
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒər/ A1	noun - someone you do not know
footsteps /ˈfʊt.steps/ A2	noun - the sound or mark of a foot stepping
wolf /wʊlf/ A1	noun - a wild animal related to dogs
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears or call out loudly
mountain /ˈmaʊntən/ A1	noun - a very large hill
riches /ˈrɪtʃɪz/ B1	noun - wealth or valuable possessions
connected /kəˈnek.tɪd/ A2	adjective - joined or linked together
circle /ˈsɜːr.kəl/ A1	noun - a round shape
eagle /ˈiː.ɡəl/ A1	noun - a large bird of prey
sycamore /ˈsɪk.ə.mɔːr/ B2	noun - a type of large tree
copper-skinned /ˈkɒp.ər.skɪnd/ C1	adjective - having a skin color like copper

Key Grammar Structures

• You think you own whatever land you land on

  ➔ Use of 'whatever' as a determiner introducing a noun phrase; the clause 'you land on' is a relative clause with the preposition stranded at the end.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'whatever' — acts as a determiner that modifies the noun phrase.

• The earth is just a dead thing you can claim

  ➔ Main clause with 'is'; 'you can claim' is a relative clause modifying 'thing' (reduced 'that you can claim').

  ➔ Highlight word: 'thing' — a concrete noun being defined by a relative clause.

• But I know every rock and tree and creature

  ➔ Distributive 'every' with a coordinated list; 'rock and tree and creature' is a compound noun phrase.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'every' — distributes over multiple items in a list.

• But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

  ➔ Conditional clause 'If you walk' (type 1); noun phrase 'the footsteps of a stranger' with a prepositional 'of a stranger'.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'walk' — present simple used in a conditional clause.

• You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

  ➔ Futurity 'You'll' + bare infinitive 'learn'; noun 'things' modified by a relative clause 'you never knew' (reduplicated for emphasis).

  ➔ Highlight word: 'learn' — future action following the subject; 'things' and the embedded 'you never knew' form a relative clause.

• Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

  ➔ Present perfect question for experience; 'to the blue corn moon' is a prepositional phrase indicating direction or object of cry.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'have' — auxiliary for the present perfect question.

• Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?

  ➔ Past tense in embedded question; 'grinning' is a past participle used as an adjective before 'bobcat'; 'why he grinned' is a content clause.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'grinning' — a participial adjective describing the bobcat.

• Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?

  ➔ Modal 'Can' used for ability; 'with all the voices of the mountain' is a prepositional phrase modifying 'sing'.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'Can' — modal verb signaling ability.

• Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

  ➔ Same structure as line 8; repeated for emphasis; 'colors of the wind' is a noun phrase with a postmodifier.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'colors' — plural noun forming the object of 'paint'.

• Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

  ➔ Imperative mood; 'Come' + verb; noun phrase 'the hidden pine trails' with two adjectives; 'of the forest' a prepositional phrase.

  ➔ Highlight word: 'Come' — a command/request form opening the clause.