Sundown in the Paris of the prairies Wheat kings have all treasures buried And all you hear are the rusty breezes Pushing around the weathervane Jesus In his Zippo lighter he sees the killer's face Maybe it's someone standing in a killer's place Twenty years for nothing, well, that's nothing new Besides, no one's interested in something you didn't do. -- The Tragically Hip (Written by Bill Louborough, David Wheat) ABOUT: David Milgaard, a young Winnipeg-born hippie, was wrongly convicted of the grisly rape and murder of Saskatchewan nurse Gail Miller. Paris of the Prairies refers to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, a medium-sized city and arguably the high point when travelling between Edmonton and Winnipeg on the Yellowhead highway. One pamphlet for Saskatoon, the town where the Milgaard saga unfolded, read: "The fastest growing city in the world, an astounding modern miracle. The eight wonder of the British Empire, it is the largest city in the world for it's age. The greatest example of town and city building in the worlds history." While David's life wasted away as a convicted murderer, five Prime Ministers of Canada held office. Joyce Milgaard, David's mother lobbied and personally pleaded her sons case with at least two of them. Joyce Milgaard made it her life's mission to champion the cause of her wrongly convicted son. In 1997, Milgaard was completely cleared of the crime and legally absolved of all charges when DNA evidence proved he could not have killed Gail Miller. He was released and compensated after spending 23 years in prison. The Tragically Hip, inspired by the case, wrote the song “Wheat Kings”. The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of lead singer Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. “Wheat Kings” is one of the Hip’s most popular songs. They released it on their album Fully Completely in October 1992. #prairiecountry #prairie #grass #grassland #canadiana #thetragicallyhip #thehip #GordDownie #CourageForGord #aboutasong #wheatkings #glenbowranch #canada (at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park)
