Geronimo's Cadillac by Michael Martin Murphey

Album: Geronimo's Cadillac (1972)

Charted: 37

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

This song about Indian rights became an unofficial anthem for the American Indian Movement.
Murphey was originally inspired to write this after seeing a photograph of Geronimo sitting in a Cadillac. He told American Songwriter magazine July/August 1987: "The two images together - Geronimo and a Cadillac - just struck me as a song title. It was every irony I could ever think of about our culture in two words. Their attempt to make of him what we would define as a civilized person. That was the reason they put him in a Cadillac in the first place. He was actually in jail at the time."
Geronimo (1827-1909) was an Apache Indian chief who led raids on US soldiers after his Chiricahua reservation was abolished in 1876. After years of bloodshed he was captured following a hard-fought campaign against General George Crook, but escaped. He later surrendered, on condition that his men returned to their homes in Florida. Instead they were imprisoned and later settled elsewhere. Later on Geronimo became a successful farmer and a member of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Comments: 5

Dexter Greentree from Sevlievo BulgariaI used to coach a 19-year-old female bodybuilder in Zimbabwe in the late 80s.
Despite my protests, she used Geronimo's Cadillac for her posing routine for her first comp.
She came third. I was astounded, I did not think she could pull off posing to that music.
Debbie, you were right, I was wrong. I wonder where you are now.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyHere's some obscured trivia:
On September 4th 1886, in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, Geronimo and his Apache Indian followers surrendered to U.S. General Nelson Miles...
Exactly eighty-six years later on September 4th, 1972 Michael Martin Murphey's "Geronimo's Cadillac" was at #58 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; just under four weeks later on October 1st it would peak at #37 {for 2 weeks} and it stayed on the chart for 13 weeks...
His next release, "Wildfire", would be his biggest hit on the Top 100 chart; on June 15th, 1975 it would peak at #3 {for 2 weeks} and it spent 19 weeks on the chart...
He had a total of six Top 100 records; but on Billboard's Hot Country Singles between 1976 and 1991 he had twenty-nine hits with two reaching #1, "What's Forever For" in 1982 and "A Long Line of Love" in 1987...
Michael Martin Murphey celebrated his 70th birthday this past March 14th {2015}.
Mark from San Pedro, CaI think that Hoyt Axton wrote the song, tho of course Murphey's first album was titled and features the song. If you google the title you will find a 1905 foto of Geronimo in a Locomobile, taken at some kind of media event at a ranch while Geronimo was an unwilling guest of the US gov'mint. They also staged fotos of him skinning a buffalo he had supposedly killed, tho he never hunted them, they didn't exist in the area he lived in. Fine song. Hoyt was a great writer and performer, rest in peace.
Dougee from San Bernardino, CaPer Wikipedia, Cadillac was founded in 1902 and Geronimo died in 1909, so yes, it was definitely possible.
Ted from Phoenix, AzI wasn't aware that the Cadillac brand was around during Geronimo's lifetime--or was it an "edited" picture of the Indian chief sitting in a modern-day Cadillac that was the song's inspiration.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Heart Of GlassBlondie

"Heart of Glass" was Blondie's first foray into disco, which turned off some fans. Debbie Harry said they did it because they "wanted to be uncool."

In The Air TonightPhil Collins

"In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins was revived when it was used in the first episode of Miami Vice, three years after it was released.

Candle In The WindElton John

Marilyn Monroe is the subject of Elton John's "Candle In The Wind," but the song is really a look at how we react to celebrities who die young.

Something In The AirThunderclap Newman

Pete Townshend never had a #1 UK hit with The Who or as a solo artist, but he did produce and play on a song that hit the top spot there: "Something In The Air" by Thunderclap Newman, a group he assembled.

The ReasonHoobastank

"The Reason" by Hoobastank took off on TikTok in 2021 when it soundtracked confessional #NotAPerfectPerson videos about mistakes and regrets. The band made one of their own with the caption: "Realizing 20 years later that you named your band Hoobastank."

Piano ManBilly Joel

"Piano Man" was inspired by Billy Joel's time playing at a piano bar in Los Angeles. The "real estate novelist" was a guy who always talked about writing a book, but spent all his spare time in the bar.