Omaha Rainbow

Keeping my eyes on the Omaha rainbow.
Making the rain go out of my way.
A-keeping my eyes on the Omaha rainbow.
Going down the same road as my younger days.

And I remember the name Ernesto Juarez,
Wherever the man says, well, he got to go.
There's gonna be a change, Ernesto Juarez,
But it's a long way to August, I got a lot of roads to.

Yeah, and even if I go on up to California.
I got to warn you what I'm gonna say.
Yeah, and even if I go out to California
It's a long way to August picking up friends along the way.

So keep your eyes on that far distant star
And the sun's gonna shine where you are.

All lyrics copyright John Stewart

Interpretation
The rainbow image carries over into this song, it also brings back the rain/sun imagery from track 1. It can be seen as connecting past ('my younger days') and present, while suggesting it's distance ('the long-distant star' suggests this too). Also represented is the unchanging nature of the past. This image represents in addition, in biblical terms, a promise for the future: in this case it may represent the rebirth of old ideals.This leads to the remembrance of someone called Warus. He is spoken of as if he is in the present. The idea of change takes us away from this reliving of the past. We're told it's actually a long way in both time (to August) and space (roads) to get back to the place of his memories (California). This song was written while John was campagning for Robert Kennedy and surfaced on his Forgotten Songs album which grouped these songs together. The optimism of that time is reflected in the song. Again the seriousness of John's writing (political even) and the sense of his addressing not just his personal concerns but national ones (and addressing an audience who may not rembember or not want to know). One of the dedication's at the end of the album is for Ethel - Kenndy's widow. Nevertheless this album is far from being only occupied with American topics. It addresses fundamental human concerns of memory and belonging.