TIMOTHY PICKERING
Timothy Pickering (July 17, 1745 – January 29, 1829) was a politician from Massachusetts who served in a variety of roles, most notably as the third United States Secretary of State, serving in that office from 1795 to 1800 under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. (More from Wikipedia)
Some of the historically inaccurate lyrics in “Now that the Buffalo’s Gone” have been corrected over the years, and other changes reflect more contemporary matters; for example, “A treaty forever George Washington signed” is a reference to a treaty that was actually signed by Washington’s agent Timothy Pickering – that lyric is now: “A treaty forever your Senators signed”. On Buffy Sainte-Marie’s website, she says of “Now that the Buffalo’s Gone”: “This song was on my first album and I’d have thought it would be obsolete by now. But governments are still breaking promises and stealing indigenous lands, and I still believe that informed people can help make things better.”
(August 2013)
