Tom Cochrane

Northern Frontier

Tom Cochrane


On a muggy night in the north end in july 
A kid named Joseph Beeper Spence 
Took a shotgun blast to the back 
And died... 
There by the cp tracks, along the great divide you see 
Fought two native gangs called the deuce and the i.p. 
Dances with warriors, hatred between slaves 
They kill each other off... we all get saved 
I can't help but think... his mother's tears 
Beeper Spence was thirteen 
In the northern frontier 
A van crossed the bridge that night 
And stopped at flora avenue 
When Beeper thought they'd lost their way 
Walked over to see what he could do 
"Are you i.p?..." "straight up". he'd say 
Even if it wasn't true 
"Bust a cap in his ass" 
...He turned to run, heard the blast 
Then he was through 
The kids in the van weren't much older than him 
Couldn't tell the difference by the colour of their skin 
One thing in common, and one thing was real clear 
Their future was ended in the northern frontier 
Dances with warriors, hatred between slaves 
They cut each other down and no one is safe 
Jeff Giles is cut down in his 22nd year 
Trying to stop an i.p. robbery 
in the northern frontier