We had grown tired of this endless war.
We thought it was time to leave and to govern ourselves.
Fearing punishment for our betrayal,
We asked our old enemies to defend our cities.
They kept the King's forces at bay,
But it had cost us all we ever had.
After they had consumed most of our stock,
They forced our children to serve
As their soldiers in the war,
From which we only tried to escape.
'We saw the smoke rising'
From beyond the forest's canopy
The sight made our hearts fill with sorrow.
So many lives wasted,
In spite of our warnings.
Could we have done more to keep them from leaving''
On our search for independence
We lost all the freedom we once had.
We are now little more than slaves in our own country,
Cheated into a life of misery.
'We saw the smoke rising'
From beyond the forest's canopy
The sight made our hearts fill with sorrow.
So many lives wasted, in spite of our warnings.
Could we have done more to keep them from leaving''