Lyric discussion by hberings 

Cover art for Sinaloa Cowboys lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

There is a striking prophetic truth in the words of their father, who claims that "for everything the North gives, it exacts a price in return". At the end of their story, the brothers have indeed been 'given' ten thousand dollars for their work, but the price they had to pay (the death of Louis) is a terrible one.