Why oh why did the cheetah cry?
Why did the cheetah cry?
Why dark streaks running down her cheeks?
And the sorrowful look in the eye?

They say that the tears that the cheetah cried
That made dark rivers down her face
Was because of the loss of 3 little cubs
That she hid in a secret place

To feed those cubs she went off to hunt
Earnestly seeking her prey
But a tribesman on a hill saw her speed and her skill
And he stole her 3 cubs away

Why oh why did the cheetah cry?
Why did the cheetah cry?
That mean old thief caused her grief
And that mournful look in the eye

That tribesman knew that when they grew
They would hunt for him alone
But the chieftain of the clan saw the folly of the man
And made him take the cubs back home

Legend has it that newborn cheetahs
From that very day on
Would all have streaks down their cheeks
Not for a tear but for the glare of the sun

Why oh why did the cheetah cry?
Why did the cheetah cry?
They never denied that the cheetah cried
Now there's a look of relief in the eye

There is no creature fleeter than a cheetah
In the animal domain
That could ever match the grace, the power and the pace
Of the sprinter of the African plain

They've shared the palaces on pharaohs and sheiks
They were royal pets in the day
They were a symbol of wealth and success
And even helped them hunt their prey

Why oh why did the cheetah cry?
Why did the cheetah cry?
They were honoured and brave but still enslaved
With the captured look in the eye

But those very humans have hurried their demise
Encroaching where their prey did abound
Bigger predators still steal their kills
In their natural hunting ground

But the cheetah hangs on, the persecuted one
Hounded and even exiled
But we must strive to help them survive
In the last outpost of the wild

Why oh why did the cheetah cry?
Why did the cheetah cry?
We must stop the fears and stop the tears
For the look of freedom in the eye
And never, ever ask why
Why did the cheetah cry?