
Half-Breed Lyrics
[Verse 1]
My father married a pure Cherokee
My mother's people were ashamed of me
The Indians said that I was white by law
The white man always called me "Indian Squaw"
[Chorus]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
[Verse 2]
We never settled, went from town to town
When you're not welcome you don't hang around
The other children always laughed at me
"Give her a feather, she's a Cherokee"
[Chorus]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
[Verse 3]
We weren't accepted and I felt ashamed
Nineteen, I left them, tell me who's to blame?
My life since then has been from man to man
But I can't run away from what I am
My father married a pure Cherokee
My mother's people were ashamed of me
The Indians said that I was white by law
The white man always called me "Indian Squaw"
[Chorus]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
[Verse 2]
We never settled, went from town to town
When you're not welcome you don't hang around
The other children always laughed at me
"Give her a feather, she's a Cherokee"
[Chorus]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
[Verse 3]
We weren't accepted and I felt ashamed
Nineteen, I left them, tell me who's to blame?
My life since then has been from man to man
But I can't run away from what I am
[Chorus]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
[Outro]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
[Outro]
Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, 'she's no good,' they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born
About
Genius Annotation
Half-Breed is the title song from Cher’s tenth album.
The song is about a woman of half Caucasian/half Cherokee descent and how people chastised her because of her race.
The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October of 1973 and hit #3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, becoming Cher’s second number-one solo hit in the United States. It sold 1,000,000 copies and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Internationally, it topped the RPM 100 chart in Canada and was a Top 10 hit in Norway and Australia.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 10.Touch and Go
- 13.Song for You
- 20.Classified 1A
- 21.Half-Breed
- 24.My Love
- 26.Carousel Man
- 27.David’s Song
- 28.Melody
- 29.Chastity Sun
- 30.Dark Lady
- 31.Train of Thought
- 34.Dixie Girl
- 36.Am I Blue
- 37.What’ll I Do
- 38.The Beat Goes On
- 39.I Got You Babe
- 40.Take Me Home
Credits
Producer
Guitar
Bass
Drums
Percussion
Vocals
Label
Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Engineer
Arranger
Released on
July 23, 1973
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