Gord speaks for us all. He tells our stories. He lives our lives. I will never forget him in my life. As noble and Canadian as one can be. Thank you Gord.
August 2001 driving through Saskatchewan from Ft.Mac........queit Sunday Summer Evening & this came on the dial.........we never spoke , just listened, when song was finished we just looked across at each other and smiled.....we never felt so CANADIAN in our lives!
Gordie Downie was it, the “Real Thing” in Canadian Music. There were so many performers who came before and so many performers will who arrive after. Don’t get me wrong, there are many performers whom.will make if after Gordie. He was definitely one of the greatest in the world. I’m sure many others would agree with me. I think of Tom Petty, Shania Twain, Anne Murray .. and so, so many more. Thank You to each of the hundreds+ of you, and especially “The Tragically Hip”.
Was listening to this on my way home from a camping trip at the lake, driving by the giant hockey stick in Duncan, drinking my Tim Horton's from the drive through, wearing my old Roots shirt. Had a good laugh about how Canadian I am. Thank you boys, for a lifetime catalogue of road trip music ❤
This man and basically the whole band played such a big role in my life when it came to music in the eighties and nineties. One of my all time favorite Canadian bands. Just listening to Gord's voice and lyrics always gave me chills. I was really affected when he died. We miss you and your voice Gord. R.I.P. Ps. I bet your singing away for people up there in Heaven.
I'm 75 and just really and truly discovered you this weekend after the concert in Kingston and man have I got tears in my eyes ,boy you and the band are for real Peace Bro and God Bless Have Faith Kid
I'm sorry he didn't stick around longer, George. I'm lucky to have seen him perform live a handful of times and get a photo with him on one lucky night at House of Blues in Orlando. RIP Gord. I hope you're still listening.
I'm thirteen and have grown up listening to this amazing band thanks to my mom, this has always been my favourite song along with coffee girl, just watched the tribute to gord downie on CBC cried through the entire thing. So sad rest in peace gord
Wheat Kings references "...Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies." As you'll read below, "Wheat Kings" tells the story of David Milgaard, a young Winnipeg-born hippie wrongly convicted of the grisly rape and murder of Saskatchewan nurse Gail Miller. Long before this incident, during the period of Western Canadian settlement that spanned 1896 to 1914, western immigration agents began flaunting the merits of their soon to be settled towns. As each agent was paid only on the percentage of settlers he could attract, stretching the truth became a common trick of the trade. Winnipeg, which at the turn of the 20th century was a dusty railway stop, was first to be called the "Paris of the Prairies," Calgary also billed itself as such later on. 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." "...Wheat Kings have all their treasures buried." Atlantic Canada was built on endless fish stocks coupled with skilled and fearless maritime labourers. Central Canada was developed by the fur traders and couriers du bois. And in the Canadian West, the "breadbasket to the world," wheat was certainly king. Western Canada's wheat farmers and grain growers were known as Wheat Kings after the development of Marquis Wheat. This strain was specifically designed and engineered at the Canadian Experimental Farm in Ottawa. It grew in accordance with the shorter Canadian harvesting season. Without this development, it is questionable whether the West would have grown as fast, or at all. "Marquis" is French and refers to nobility or royalty. "...Twenty years for nothing, well that's nothing new Besides, no one's interested in something you didn't do." The Milgaard story is unfortunately one in a too-long list of wrongful convictions in Canada. Guy Paul Morin, Donald Marshall and Stephen Truscott have been through what Milgaard experienced. However none were so young at the time of their conviction, or lost so much of their lives, as David Milgaard. It may be a testament to the advocacy, appeal and investigative zeal of Canadian lawyers and legal professionals that so many high profile cases have been successfully overturned. Yet it may also point to a dark and shameful blight on the record of Canadian crime and punishment. In January of 1969, Milgaard and two friends took a road trip to Saskatoon. On the same night that the trio intended to briefly visit their friend Albert Cadrain, Gail Miller was attacked and killed in a downtown alley. Such a crime shook Saskatoon, and the local police were under serious pressure to find the killer and halt the minor hysteria that was spreading through the quiet Prairie town. After four months of no leads, the police used high pressure interview tactics and a $2,000 reward to coax a statement out of Cadrain. Although he and David's fellow road trippers kept changing their stories, Saskatoon's finest felt they had their man. The jury showed no sympathy for the hippie who had already been convicted of petty theft and taking a truck for a joyride at age 14. The evidence seemed to fit, especially since such a horrific murder had to have been committed by an outsider. No one in idyllic Saskatoon could do such a thing, the police had said so themselves. David became a 17 year old convicted murderer and was condemned to spend the next 23 years of his life in prison. Perhaps the most poignant and powerful aspect of the Milgaard story is that even though David had 20 opportunities for parole during his sentence, he did not once make a request for an early release. This would have required him to admit to the crime, something he was never prepared to do. Had David accepted responsibility for Gail Miller's death, he could have been released. "...Hung with pictures of our parents prime ministers." While David's life wasted away as a convicted murderer, five Prime Ministers of Canada held office and oversaw more than a dozen ministers of justice. Joyce Milgaard, David's mother and this story's heroic figure outside the prison walls, lobbied and personally pleaded her sons case with at least two of them. "...Late breaking story on the CBC A nation whispers, we always knew that he'd go free" Joyce Milgaard made it her life's mission to champion the cause of her wrongly convicted son. She was the public persona of the struggle to free David. She managed to famously confront Prime Minister Mulroney on television and demand a new trial. The CBC, which is Canada's publicly funded national broadcaster, not only gave heavy coverage to the Milgaard story on its newscasts, but also exposed the flaws and unanswered questions of David's initial conviction during special editions of their "Fifth Estate" and "The Journal" programs. Joyce Milgaard appeared on the networks popular "Front Page Challenge" to explain David's plight. She also managed to confront future prime minister, then Mulroney's justice minister, Kim Campbell. The CBC's cameras caught all of it. On April 16, 1992, after David had spent 8,355 days behind bars, CBC anchorman Peter Mansbridge announced what everyone knew was coming: David Milgaard was finally a free man. 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. The same evidence linked another convicted killer with the murder. David accepted a 10 million dollar settlement from the Canadian and Saskatchewan governments. Although physically free, the ordeal took a psychological toll on David. Some incidents were publicly reported. His recovery and reconciliation process was long and difficult. Its early stages included a 1993 trip to meet The Tragically Hip and hear "Wheat Kings" played live for, and dedicated to, David Milgaard. Rob Baker told Ottawa radio station Chez 106 (and perhaps other affiliated stations) in 2016 that the famous loon call at the beginning of Wheat Kings was the source of some controversy. It seems the man who originally recorded that call recognized his work and send the band a legal threat. "We had to cut a substantial cheque in his name to Ducks Unlimited," recalled Rob.
It's based on a true story about an innocent man being convicted and no one is interested in the fact that he did nothing wrong. Our disgrace of a justice system in Canada.
Excellent song! When I was watching the fantastic Kingston concert on CBC, I was asking that all the love being directed at you all across the country, be a catalyst for a spontaneous remission!
Some of my best memories of living the best Canadian life are marinated in Hip music. Seven years now since Gord left us, and fuck sakes do I miss this dude still. My RU-vid algorithm feeds me a Hip video every now and then and I choke up every time. Saw them live when they and I were just young as hell and coming of age, figuring shit out. Saw them several more times when we were older, and again when much much older. Like most of you Canucks reading this, spent the largest junk of my life growing up with this band, they are like family. So happy for having had them, so dam sad for losing them, especially Gord. Rest in peace our old friend, if there is a place where our spirits go when we are done here, I hope we all meet up again.
A true master.Any of you people complaining about the way he sings here, use your huge intellect, write a song yourself, sack up, jump on a stage somewhere, and sing it. Otherwise shut your pie hole.
Beautiful and peaceful music!! I love 'The Hip' so much... Thanks to Todd, my first canadian costumer for let me know them!! Every time I listen them I´ll remember you!! RIP Gord Downie Thanks for that beautiful music!! Well...so long The Hip......
Fantastic performance and unmistakably the Hip Not Canadian either but wonderful band and RIP great man Been listening to them all day - still sound awesome in 2018
This song was played after I did a college radio interview, and announced the death of a former college hockey player who was a popular guy. That was Mt. A in Sackville back in 1992. Another life time.
In my humble uneducated opinion a terrific song. Beautiful music and lyrics about an awful thing that happened to two innocent people. I remember I was around 18 when he was released. We talked about it at the dinner table and it was exactly my parents opinion that it was unfortunate that he was wrongfully convicted but it happens. We just move on from it. Just like the lyrics, 20 years for nothing well that’s nothing besides no ones interested is something you didn’t do. A nation whispers we always knew that he’d go free. I remember my old man saying he knew he was innocent.
I've seen Tragically Hip live before and I know Gord definitely swings his head but he looks really baked here, Like he's having the time of his life. XD Rock on
