A Love Song for Milwaukee
After historic flooding last night, a tune to lift spirits
Ok, so living in Nashville for twenty years you get your share of thunderstorms and “gullywashers,” but last night’s six hour light show and downpour was the noisiest, wettest, we’ve experienced over the top of our house.
It wasn’t the long, slow downpour of 2010 where the water levels of Old Hickory Lake rose so high we couldn’t get out of our Lakeview Circle neighborhood for days, but the intensity and flash flooding of last night was no joke.
So if you’re the praying type, pray for those affected; they even closed the Wisconsin State Fair a day early and that affects a lot of people’s livelihoods. We’re fine and our basement is dry; so glad I put in the French drains to get gutter runoff away from our house last summer before we moved in! That said, the golf course across the street looks like a small lake.
And as many of you came to find out in my last post, I’ve been creating a soundtrack for my book, The Jacked Up Life that I’ll be publishing to major streaming platforms very soon. But one of the first songs I wrote that isn’t on that album was a little love letter to our new home base of Milwaukee. I wrote it just for fun as a tribute to both Milwaukee and my love of what is affectionately called “yacht rock” but never intended for it to be for public consumption. But in light of the events of last night, I thought I’d be a little more vulnerable and share it with you so you might think about Milwaukee today. So many folks have asked if we’re leaving MKE after the short six month employment fiasco; “why would you stay?” Well, those are just Brew City Blues talking.
We love it here come sun, snow, or storm.
Brew City Blues
Milwaukee morning, coffee getting cold
Same old routine, getting kind of old
(Getting kind of old)
Woke up in my place on the west side
Lake Michigan breeze coming through my blinds
Another day thinking what's next? Same old grind
But there's something 'bout this city that I can't deny
You'd think I'd leave here, chase some bigger scene
Now I'm scrolling through my phone, seeing where I've been
All those midnight drives down Water Street
All those summer nights that felt so complete
Maybe I've been looking for something that's already here
(Already here)
Maybe all those plans to disappear
(Plans to disappear)
Were just brew city blues, brew city blues
Thinking the grass is greener somewhere new
But every corner store and every view
Reminds me why I fell in love with you
Milwaukee, you're my truth
(You're my truth)
These brew city blues
(Brew city blues)
Remember when we used to hit the lakefront path
You'd make me laugh until my sides would crack
Now you're in Nashville, I'm still here alone
But somehow this place still feels like home
Got a text from you, you're proud of where I am
Say I'm finally becoming my own man
Used to think success meant getting out
Now I know what staying's all about
Maybe I've been looking for something that's already here
(Already here)
Maybe all those plans to disappear
(Plans to disappear)
Were just brew city blues, brew city blues
Thinking the grass is greener somewhere new
But every corner store and every view
Reminds me why I fell in love with you
Milwaukee, you're my truth
(You're my truth)
These brew city blues
(Brew city blues)
From Brady Street to Bay View
There's a piece of me in every avenue
Winter's harsh but we push through
That's just what we Milwaukee people do
(What we do)
Brew city blues
Thinking the grass is greener somewhere new
But every corner store and every view
Reminds me why I fell in love with you
Milwaukee, you're my truth
(You're my truth)
These brew city blues
(Brew city blues)
Milwaukee morning, coffee's getting warm
Found my peace inside this midwestern storm
(Inside this storm)
These brew city blues
(Brew city blues)
Milwaukee, I choose you
(I choose you)
Way cool!!
That is a very fun song. Thank you