A CITY ON THE RIVER
A city on the river
A city that’s a giver.
A city on the rise
A city in disguise?
Tall glass on steel reflects the skies
What do we see in the people’s eyes?
Where the tall shadows don’t reach their lives.
Far from the lights on Broadway
Folks dodgin’ cars; bills to pay
Lookin’ down at the ground…
Not Eye to Eye
Don’t feel the trickle…
And wonder why
A city on the river
A city, that’s a giver
A city on the rise
A city in disguise
It’s a foodie town, Beard tree roots everywhere
Crosstown, it’s a desert. Food kitchens over there.
Kids in schools, kids in detention
Seems like the bad stuff always gets our attention.
Who’s in control of the message? You?
Let’s hit delete and get something new.
Where do you get the beliefs you believe?
Is it a bitter truth, that you perceive?
Do you see Hope up ahead most days?
What can help you change your ways?
A city on the river
A city, that’s a giver
A city on the rise
A city nicely disguised
Downtown, crosstown, out of town
North Nashville, south Nashville, east, west
Rent, mortgage, section 8 and shelters for the rest
Boomers, millennials, gen XYZ
39 ZIP Codes, 140 tongues
Wrap your head around that! You see?
And You are one. You in your bubble
Safe place, least amount of trouble.
Some don’t have a comfort zone
Don’t trust the message so they go it alone
We are in a dichotomy, We you, we me
A contrast in circumstances
One’s in a break up, one has romances
And If the twain shall meet, who are we to be?
A city on the river
A city, that’s a giver
A city on the rise
A city that cannot be disguised
From the outside, we glitter
We shine for the world to see
So, what’s on the inside
Where the cameras cannot see
Do not see the Di-cot-o-me
Other side of the coin tossed in the air to see who goes first
Don’t see the traveling drunks
The single moms, the young lives lying in the hearse
It’s the silent truth most of us know
From local news...right next to the good stuff
The givers and helpers in the calm beyond the storms
The single acts of kindness standing out above the norm
Humanity, insanity
Community, opportunity
Dignity, affinity
Eternity, divinity
A city on the river
A city, that’s a giver
A city on the rise
A city tired of disguise
A city full of song
With lyrics that right the wrong
And the whiskey flows
And the real truth shows
In rhythms and rhymes
Of the best and worst of times
And the night streets fill up
And empty... again and again
While folks go to work
Fill up and empty again
And the “other” wanders the cycle outside, not in.
At a crossroads of choices
Each road is a mystery of our own making
The road less travelled?
The well worn? tried and true?
The future is ours for the taking
So our new song must not forsaken me or you
It’s city on the river
A city, that’s a giver
A city on the rise
A city still in disguise?
Don’t pull back the curtain
If you can’t handle what you find
Neighborhoods in disarray
Make the city seem unkind
Good intentions abound from all walks of life
Working for a solution that eases all the strife
If your life is good, and mine is not. What kind of city have we actually got?
If you don’t care about me and I don’t care about you
We all get tied up in “nots”
Not gonna happen, not in my backyard, not on my dime,
Not this time.
We better not wait for things to turn around
for the folks who already missed the train
Or we’ll find ourselves standing in the desert waiting on the rain
Waitin’ never made it happen
Gotta get your feet tappin’!
Okay to reach across the aisle. But best to just cross the street
Treat yourself to one you do not know
Like you’re at a big-time meet and greet
Bust your bubble, then bust mine too
Learn another story that’s not about you
Get out of your car and take the bus
It’s time to see who is sitting next to us
A city on the river – oh...how should we flow?
A city that’s a giver - what else must we know?
A city on the rise - whose time is drawing near
A city without disguise – is when our heart becomes clear.