We’re All in This Together
“What I do here and there is simply what everyone else does in their own time and way”
T.C. Cannon 1946-1978
by Trisha Leone Sandora
I have always had a deep love and appreciation of Native American art and culture. I can remember pouring over a book my grandmother had in her 6th grade classroom titled American Indians. I was only in the first grade, but I studied the pictures of the intricate beadwork and pottery carefully and can still see the cover of the book like it was yesterday. In later years I had a variety of jobs where I could further indulge my interest in native culture. One of my first jobs was selling hides, furs, and rugs out of a teepee on the side of the road in Grand Lake, Colorado. The owner of the business was my band teacher, Harry Ward, which is another story. As an adult, I found work in several high-end galleries that featured native arts and crafts.
Self Portrait by T.C. Cannon
In the mid-’90s, I met fellow musician Mike Music, yes that’s his real last name. His kids and my kids went to school together and he came to my rescue more than once to play guitar when Mickey was out of town. We also formed a band and played as a trio on occasion. Mike knows I love Native American art and one day he handed me a book and said, “This is my second cousin.” The book, He Stood In The Sun, was about the Native American artist, poet, and songwriter T.C.Cannon. I couldn’t put the book down. Not only did I love his artwork, but I also loved the depth of his insight and spirituality that was conveyed throughout the book. What struck me most, however, was a letter written by T.C. that was found ten years after his death in 1978 at the age of 31. The letter revealed T.C.’s sense of humility and his realization that throughout our various endeavors in life we are all striving for the same things, “fulfillment and satisfaction.” I felt like he had written that letter to me. Here he was, this amazing and talented artist, yet he was telling me that I was no different. As an artist, it can be hard to see the value in your own work. His words gave me peace and a knowing that I was doing o.k. and to just keep going. I will always be grateful to Mike Music for the introduction to T.C. and for the words that would help me stay true to the course. This sense of inclusion is what I wanted to portray in the song. T.C was proud of his heritage as a Kiowa warrior. He fought in the Vietnam war, and though deeply affected by the ugliness of war, he still offered his paintings, poems, and songs as a ray of hope to a fragmented world.
Song Lyrics
We’re All In This Together
He came from a long line of fighters
I guess you could say it ran in his blood
A soldier can’t erase, what his eyes have seen
He painted memories, so the world could see that
We’re all in this together
Tryin’ to find a way to make things better
When the skies get dark and gray
In my own time and your own way
We’re lookin’ for the light of a brighter day
It’s just a matter of time
The suns gonna shine, shine, shine
She wears his tags around her neck
In hopes that she won’t ever forget,
The man who stood in the sun and sang to the moon
Left us his words, to remind us of the truth
We’re all in this together
Tryin’ to find a way to make things better
When the skies get dark and gray
In my own time and your own way
We’re lookin’ for the light of a brighter day
It’s just a matter of time
The suns gonna shine, shine, shine
I’ve got a hand that you can hold
Your shoulders are strong enough to lean on
This world takes and it gives, it gives and it takes
I need you and you need me, we’re all one family
