The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. This album also included a unique cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane". Reed reportedly liked the Junkies' version of the song better than his own, and began performing their version in concert.
None of the band's subsequent albums have been hits outside of Canada, although the band has maintained a dedicated following and have continued to have chart hits in their native country. Following their 1998 album Miles from Our Home, Cowboy Junkies were dropped from their major label contract. They have continued to release albums on their own independent label, Latent Records.
Murder Tonight In The Trailer Park
Cowboy Junkies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mrs. Annabelle Evans found
With her throat cut after dark
Her pockets turned inside out
Her dresser drawers turned upside down
Anna's neighbor, Peg, identifies the body
Lets out a hollow kind of sound
Around her silver Air stream
Red cherries slashing up the night
Cutting through that cordoned crime scene
There's been a murder
In the trailer park tonight
Murder tonight in the trailer park
Pack your things Ann Marie,
We're heading west
We're going to make a fresh start
I've been saving pennies,
Been looking forward to this day
No time for questions are you coming
Or are you going to stay
Crosstown at the Watertown
George Evans is sitting tall and tight,
Buying drinks for all the regulars
Bragging about how them bones
Danced for him tonight
There's been a murder
In the trailer park tonight
Murder tonight in the trailer park
Faceless man counting crumpled bills,
Hotel neon fights the dark
TV set in the corner, they're talking murder
On the late-night news
He turns down the sound,
Waits for the sports,
He only wants to know,
'Did I win or did I lose'
There's been a murder
In the trailer park tonight
Murder tonight in the trailer park
The song "Murder Tonight In The Trailer Park" by Cowboy Junkies is a ballad about a murder that took place in a trailer park. The body of Mrs. Annabelle Evans was discovered by her neighbor, Peg, with her throat cut and her pockets turned inside out. The scene is marked by yellow ribbons tied by the police around a silver Airstream.
The murder causes immediate ripples in the lives of those connected to the victim. Ann Marie, the singer's companion, is urged to pack her bags and leave town with him. Meanwhile, George Evans, the victim's husband, is spending his evening drinking at the Watertown and bragging about how his luck has turned after the murder. The faceless man in the hotel room is indifferent to the news, more concerned with the outcome of a sporting event.
The song paints a gloomy picture of the trailer park community and how they respond to the tragedy. The murder highlights the fragility and transience of life, particularly in marginalized communities where crime and poverty are endemic. It also highlights how people respond differently to tragedy, with some motivated to make fresh starts while others simply continue with their lives, seemingly unaffected.
Line by Line Meaning
Murder tonight in the trailer park
A murder took place in the trailer park
Mrs. Annabelle Evans found
Mrs. Annabelle Evans was the victim of the murder
With her throat cut after dark
Mrs. Evans was killed by having her throat cut at night
Her pockets turned inside out
The murderer searched and took whatever was in her pockets
Her dresser drawers turned upside down
The murderer searched and turned upside down every drawer in her dresser
Anna's neighbor, Peg, identifies the body
Mrs. Evans' neighbor, Peg, recognizes her and confirms her identity
Lets out a hollow kind of sound
Peg makes a sad, grief-filled sound upon seeing her neighbor's body
Homicide is tying yellow ribbons
The police are cordoning off the area and marking it with yellow ribbons
Around her silver Air stream
The victim's silver Air stream trailer is being marked with yellow ribbons
Red cherries slashing up the night
Police lights cut through the darkness around the crime scene, like red cherries
Cutting through that cordoned crime scene
The police vehicles are cutting through the rope lines around the crime scene
There's been a murder
Reiterating that there has been a murder at the trailer park tonight
In the trailer park tonight
Reinforcing that the murder took place in the trailer park, at night
Pack your things Ann Marie,
Someone is telling Ann Marie to pack her things and leave
We're heading west
The singer and Ann Marie are planning to move west
We're going to make a fresh start
The artist and Ann Marie are planning to start anew in the west
I've been saving pennies,
The artist has been saving money for this new trip
Been looking forward to this day
The singer has been excited about leaving for some time
No time for questions are you coming
The singer doesn't want to waste time with questions; just wants to leave
Or are you going to stay
The artist is asking Ann Marie if she is staying or not
Crosstown at the Watertown
The scene shifts to Watertown, which is across town from the trailer park
George Evans is sitting tall and tight,
George Evans, the victim's husband, is sitting upright and tense
Buying drinks for all the regulars
George is buying drinks for everyone at the bar, like nothing happened
Bragging about how them bones
George is boasting about how lucky he was while gambling (rolling dice)
Danced for him tonight
He won a lot of money thanks to the luck of the dice
Faceless man counting crumpled bills,
An unnamed man is counting money, hiding his face
Hotel neon fights the dark
The neon sign of the hotel is fighting to keep its light on
TV set in the corner, they're talking murder
The TV in the corner is reporting on the murder
On the late-night news
It's late at night and the news is on
He turns down the sound,
The faceless man turns down the volume of the news
Waits for the sports,
He waits for the sports segment to come on the news
He only wants to know,
The faceless man doesn't really care about the murder
'Did I win or did I lose'
He only cares about the outcome of the sports game he was betting on
Murder tonight in the trailer park
Once again, the song concludes by saying that there was a murder in the trailer park tonight
Lyrics © PAZ JUNK MUSIC INC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Michael Edward Timmins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Leandro Acu
Thank you guys for sharing your magic.🌷
tracye milosev
Great vocals. Great music. Great story.
Harry J Harrison
I've been reading Music is the Drug for 2 months. I'm not usually a slow reader, but I'm really taking my time so I can enjoy it for as long as possible. I've just been reading about the Black Eyed Man period. It's such a great, great album. I've also just been on discogs buying a few Black Eyed Man releases. A Horse in the Country, Oregon Hill, This Street and The Last Spike are among my all time favourite Junkies songs. There isn't an ordinary track on the album. Well it could be argued no Cowboy Junkies album contains an ordinary track, but Black Eyed Man is just pure excellence. Thanks Mike, Margo, Alan and Pete. You guys are freakn' awesome. :)
Phil the Stalker
One of the craziest songs I've ever heard.
James Hafner
Heard this for the for the first time at the Calvin, in Northampton. O. M. G.
Been in love since...
Allan Ostermann
Still a favorite. Allan's Songlist Brought Me Here '21®