QUARTERLY VOL. II 2025 

Hello Okefenokee Joe Friends,

Welcome to the second edition of our quarterly newsletter!

Thanks to everyone who took part in our recent survey—we learned that most of you are already following Okefenokee Joe on Facebook and YouTube. That’s great to hear! We’ll be sharing even more stories, songs, and swamp wisdom across both platforms, so if you haven’t already, make sure to follow the Facebook page and YouTube channel to stay in the loop and enjoy some exclusive content.

Exciting news: the Swamp Store is back for a limited-time summer sale—50% off just for our loyal subscribers and fan club members! Access code is: awesome

Quantities are limited, so don’t miss your chance to own Joe’s very first album, My Life in the Okefenokee, and his fan-favorite acoustic CD, Masters of the Sky.

Thanks again for being part of the Okefenokee Joe family—we appreciate your support and can’t wait to share more with you soon!

Swamp wishes,

The Okefenokee Joe Team
info@okefenokeejoe.com 
 

I Saw The Eagle Cry

I woke up in my dream chilled to my soul 
by his cold hand on my shoulder

I looked into his eyes and realized, 
he was me, but a whole lot older

He said “fear not son, 
I’ve only come to be your spirit guide

I once was flesh and blood like you, 
you were born the day I died”

Well I’ve had many dreams before, 
but never one like this one

No time to wonder what it meant, 
or why I’d have this vision

For suddenly from a mountain top 
he was pointin’ towards the sky

“Remember what you see”, said he, 
then he vanished before my eyes

High above the misty clouds 
the eagle came in sight

I sensed a strange unsureness 
in the pattern of its flight

And as it circled by me, 
I learned the reason why

That sacred bird was blinded 
by the tears that filled its eyes

I saw the eagle cry, I saw the eagle cry

It touched my heart to witness 
the sadness in its eyes

No bold cries of defiance, 
no sign of fearless pride

No way will I forget 
the day I saw the eagle cry

Its tears fell all around me 
like a shower from the sky

And then I dreamed that sacred bird 
was standin’ right by my side

In a tongue I’d never heard before, 
but I could understand

It made me know it was 
the soul survivor of its clan

It said, “Man had been greedy, 
man didn’t understand

Man’s poisons and his toxic wastes 
had seeped into the land

The rivers, lakes and streams had died, 
and all the trees were gone

With air no longer fit to breathe 
no way could life go on”

Then high above the earth 
we soared upon its mighty wings

I saw below the parched remains 
of what the earth had been

Great cities proudly built by man 
had crumbled into sand,

Life on earth had been destroyed 
by his careless, greedy hand

I saw the Eagle cry, I saw the eagle cry

Etched in my mind forever 
is that vision from the sky

Tho what I’d seen was in my dream 
it made me realize

How quickly we keep movin’ towards 
the day the eagle cries

In April of 1966 I took my country music band, “The Pathfinders” on a tour of the Far East to entertain our troops.  In South Vietnam, after two weeks in country, near Pleiku, I came down with a sickness known as dengue fever.  It's caused by a flea or a tick bite.  I had never heard of it before, but the army doctor that treated me told me that it just about ruined the Philippines campaign during the second world war!  I was taken to an army field evacuation hospital at Phuoc Vinh for treatment.  I had passed out, and I don't remember much about the first hours, but the doctor told me later that my temperature had reached 106 degrees!  They had all thought I was going to die!

    I do remember one thing that happened while I was under.  I had a dream.  It was such a vivid dream that I still recall every second of it today, half a century later!

    I dreamed that a person who looked just like me, but with long silver gray hair, and a long grey beard was motioning to me to come and look at something.  I knew this person in my dream was me, but I was an old, old man!  He vanished!  And when he did I began to feel as if I was floating over a cliff, and off into space.  looking below me I could see a huge round ball that kept changing colors.  Sometimes it was completely black, sometimes a gray green.  When it was the grey green color I could see that it was actually the earth.  It was a globe of the world that that that old man wanted me to see!

      Flames began flashing up all over it, and clouds of black smoke appeared, blocking the earth again from my sight!  There was a lot of thunder and lightning, but no rain!  Then, with a terrible crashing, and thunderous sound the ball exploded, and disappeared!

    That apparition of my aged self suddenly reappeared!  He didn't say a word!  He didn't have to!  It is that terrible frightening, wisdom of the ages, and knows all look he gave me that I have never forgotten!  His eyes looked as if they could see right through me, and it scared me.  I am absolutely certain of what it meant!  He was telling me, in no uncertain terms, “Remember what you just saw!”

    It is true that now, a half a century later, our poisonous chemicals, toxic wastes, such as CO2 emissions, and the like are doing serious harm to our atmosphere, and many parts of the earth.  It seems as if it is now all coming to a head!  Nations are meeting, discussing what can be done, if anything, about it all!

    Miraculously, overnight  my fever  broke!  I recovered from dengue fever, and moved on.  But I have often wondered about that dream, and why I should so vividly remember it today, even after all these years.  I found myself compelled to write this song. It can be found also in my CD, “I Saw The Eagle Cry”.                     
 

Okefenokee Joe aka Dick Flood 1932 - 2023