Kevin's father's house is then burned down in an act of revenge and Willie enters in an attempt to rescue him, only for both of them to die in the fire.
[2][1] During the chorus, lead vocalist Danny Myrick sings "The blood still runs down Cherokee Highway" in reference to the acts of violence.
[3] The Deseret News writer Shirley Jinkins also cited the song as an example of social activism in country music at the time, contrasting it with the themes of domestic violence in Martina McBride's "Independence Day", recovering from alcoholism in Collin Raye's "Little Rock", and HIV/AIDS in Reba McEntire's "She Thinks His Name Was John".
[2] Western Flyer also performed the song at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee in February 1995.
[1] Tom Roland of The Tennessean called the song his favorite country release of the year, praising the message as well as Western Flyer's musicianship.