Trina wears her wampum beads
She fills her drawing book with line
Sewing lace on widows' weeds
And filigree on leaf and vine
Vine and leaf are filigree
And her coat's a secondhand one
Trimmed with antique luxury
She is a lady of the canyon
Annie sits you down to eat
She always makes you welcome in
Cats and babies 'round her feet
And all are fat and none are thin
None are thin and all are fat
She may bake some brownies today
Saying you are welcome back
She is another canyon lady
Estrella circus girl
Comes wrapped in songs and gypsy shawls
Songs like tiny hammers hurled
At beveled mirrors in empty halls
Empty halls and beveled mirrors
Sailing seas and climbing banyans
Come out for a visit here
To be a lady of the canyon
Trina takes her paints and her threads
And she weaves a pattern all her own
Annie bakes her cakes and her breads
And she gathers flowers for her home
For her home she gathers flowers
And Estrella dear companion
Colors up the sunshine hours
Pouring music down the canyon
Coloring the sunshine hours
They are the ladies of the canyon
© July 31, 1968; Siquomb Publishing Corp
The Ladies of the Canyon speak...
Yes, the three Ladies of the Canyon are real people.
We've tracked them down and they've agreed to share their stories with us.
Estrella Berosini [visit her website]
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The Song Estrella talks about the lines of the song. Growing up in the Circus Yes, she really was a circus girl... A Child Came Out To Wander Estrella tells the story of the night she met Joni. Dawntreaders And The Captain Of Dreams Estrella makes David Crosby really listen to Joni. Ladies Of The Canyon, And Other Unexpected Miracles Joni performs the song for Estrella The Secret Songs Of A Lifetime and the Magic Dragon's Lair Estrella meets Joel Bernstein through Joni |
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The Song Trina talks about the lines of the song. Trina on Trina Trina answers questions about then and now.
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Thoughts on the song and time Annie shares her thoughts She may bake some brownies today... Annie's brownie recipe
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WoodstockChild69 on :
It's interesting to read about the three women who inspired this song! What an honor for them to have a song written by one of the great singer-songwriters in history. I never knew that they actually existed until now!
betsyfromtexas on :
The stories behind this (song)story is fantastic! What a gift for those who worship the Poetess!
sweetdissident on :
This is my favorite page on the site so far; I love reading the background stories from the original "Canyon Ladies." Beautifully done. This song is so magical to me, and to have so much information about its genesis has been very pleasing. I love this song.