On top of the C ison note (see analysis of 1st Movement) two voices cycle through a chant-like melody every 13 beats (6/4 + 7/4). Superimposed on this cycle are various musical accents, e.g. the chordal reference to the hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. The 13-beat chant continues as background to the first character referenced by the text.

When the text moves to the second character, the white, Polish mother of the central figure, the bass line adds an E minor obbligato over the C ison note. The ison is eventually abandoned with the introduction of Chopin's Nocturne, Opus 72, a piece referenced in the book. It's often easier to get into these "referenced" musical interludes than to escape from them.

As the text introduces the final character in this movement, the grandmother of the central figure, the upper voices begin to emulate a famous song attributed to Sitting Bull, which I took note-for-note from Densmore's transcription while preserving the original key. The pentatonic melody was titled Sitting Bull's Death Song, but it is presently referred to as the Sioux National Anthem. After the first half of the song is disclosed at a tempo much faster than Densmore's notes indicate, the tempo slows to its prescribed beat as Mr. Lincoln sings the opening melody again. The second half of the original song continues in counterpoint.

The ideal staging of this movement would include two-to-four Native Americans playing authentic drums, and they would sing Sitting Bull's song in their native tongue while the narrator continues in English.

The hammered chords at the end of the movement are drawn out for dramatic effect and coincide with the grandmother's gestures as the narrator acts out the script.