Did you know that I'm a fourth generation Minnesotan? My Great-Grandpa Von came directly from Germany to Minnesota and announced that this place? It was good enough.
Despite my years abroad and my nearly never-ending quest to travel, there are heaps of things that I love about the Twin Cities and Minnesota in general. Six months of snow, beige food and the state coping technique of passive aggressive-ness notwithstanding, Minnesota's a great place to live.
I think Atmosphere's love song to the Twin Cities covers all of the bases.
Despite my years abroad and my nearly never-ending quest to travel, there are heaps of things that I love about the Twin Cities and Minnesota in general. Six months of snow, beige food and the state coping technique of passive aggressive-ness notwithstanding, Minnesota's a great place to live.
I think Atmosphere's love song to the Twin Cities covers all of the bases.
I wanted to make a song about where I'm from
You know? Big up my home town, my territory, my state
But, I couldn't figure out much to brag about
Prince lives here, we got 10,000 lakes
But wait, the women are beautiful, to me they are
And we're not infested with pretentious movie stars
And it hit me, Minnesota is dope
If only simply for not what we have but what we don't
It's all fair, it ain't out there, it's in there
It's in the mirror, behind the breast under the hair
Follow the dream doesn't mean leave the love
Roam if you must, but come home when you've seen enough
I love New York and Cali, but I ain't movin'
Too overpopulated saturated with humans
And I'm not big on rappers, actors, or models
If I had to dip, I'd probably skip to Chicago
None of this is to diss no one, nowhere
Like damn, I'm from Minnesota, land of the cold air
Too many mosquitoes and our fair share of egos
But like my man Sabe says, that's where my mommy stays
[Chorus:]
So if the people laugh and giggle when you tell em where you live
Say shhh, say shhh
And if you know this is where you wanna raise your kids
Say shhh, say shhh
If you're from the Midwest and it doesn't matter where
Say shhh, say shhh
If you can drink tap water and breathe the air
Say shhh, say shhh
Got trees and vegetation in the city I stay
The rent's in the mail and I can always find a parking space
The women outnumber the men two to one
Got parks and zoos and things to do with my son
The nightlife ain't all that, but that's okay
I don't need to be distracted by the devil every day
And the jobs ain't really too hard to find
In fact, you could have mine if you knew how to rhyme
This is for everyone around the planet
That wishes they were from somewhere other than where they standin'
Don't take it for granted, instead take a look around
Quit complaining and build something on that ground
Plant something on that ground, dance and sleep on that ground
Get on your hands and knees and watch the ants walk around the ground
Make a family, make magic, make a mess
Take the stress, feel your motivation and build your nest
It sucks that you think where I'm from is wack
But as long as that's enough to keep your ass from coming back
And with a smile and a hint of sarcasm, he said
"I beg your pardon but this is my secret garden"
All right
(In the land of ice and snow)
Well okay
(In the land of ice and snow)
Well all right
(In the land of ice and snow)
Well okay
(Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minneapolis)
[Repeat Chorus]
If the playground is clear of stems and syringes
Say shhh, say shhh
If there's only one store in your town that sells 12-inches
Say shhh, say shhh
If no one in your crew walks around with a gun
Say shhh, say shhh
And if you ain't gonna leave cause this is where you're from
Say shhh, say shhh
What do you love about your home town?
12 comments:
hi sarah! :)
i love my hometown, anchorage, ak - it's gorgeous, my family is here, is light out super late in the summer & dark & cozy in the winter. it just feels like home.
sarah, i comment more often on my blog than i write posts on my own. this needs fixing, but how??
i love my hometown of somerville, MA because
-there are trees everywhere
-i started going to the library around the corner from my house when i was 10, and until i got married at 20, i would spend every single day during the summer there. my sister and brother basically grew up there too, and when this past july the mayor wanted to cut funding for it, which would force the loss of 4 beloved librarians, my AWESOME sister, age 13, got up during the town hall meeting and told them how important the library is to her and her family and her community. the librarians all cried and hugged her after. how many 13-year-olds will stand up in a town hall to save their library??
-it hosts the Open Air Circus, which is a circus summer camp that my sibs and i grew up going to. it's folksy and grassrootsy and hippie-ish and i love somerville for supporting it.
-the HUGE immigrant population gets along quite nicely with the dwindling townies.
i miss somerville. it has the eclecticness of Cambridge without all the parking issues lol
My hometown is Gwynfryn, Pontryfendigaid, Ystag Murig, Ceredigion, Wales. I will give you candy if you can say it 5 times past!
I like the people, the amazing scenery, the river at my back gate, our little stone house, our old woman next door neighbour, the lake, the little church, picking fruit in the summer, and all my friends there.
I absolutely adore Atmosphere!
Awesome song as well, glad that it hit 'home' for you!
I love my home town because it's a small town, but we've got a great artistic community. And even though I don't want to stay here when I grow up, I know that whenever I come back, it will feel like home.
I love my town (Oldham, England) because I associate it with good memories from over the past 21 years. There's something great about knowing all my childhood memories are fixed to one place. I also love that the position of the town means that a 20 minute drive in one direction can take you to the city (Manchester). The other direction would take you to the beautiful countryside.
Londoners generally complain about the price of everything, the dirt, the crowds... But God help anyone from out of town who complains. It's our city and we'll complain if we want to. That's what I love about it.
So sad that there was no Illinois love in the list of cities at the end. Surely we have at least *one* town at cool as Lawrence, KS! ;c)
@Isising - how funny! I'm actually moving to Somerville soon (after having lived in the general Camberville area for four years, five years ago, and missing it terribly). Have you heard the David Rovics song "Somerville"?
I live in Kennesaw, Ga where there's a billion trees and it's historical. The great locamotive chase started here. I like that my town has a history to share.
I didn't know that I loved my small hometown in southwest Missouri until I moved back about a year ago. I thought that missing home was just a part of being an adult.
I like the slow pace. Most of the time, I like the fact that I know everyone. I like that if I'm going somewhere in town, it's impossible for it to take more than five minutes to get there (even if I do have to drive 80 miles to the nearest Target or Starbucks).
Minneapolis, eh? There's a lovely song by that name by a cute band called That Dog; it's not so much about Minneapolis per se, but the chorus is!
Here you go if you want a listen: http://s0.ilike.com/play#that+dog:Minneapolis:617681:s197831.17156.39219.1.1.7%2Cstd_a5389df4b969eae528224714d2498719
-- Melissa
theramblinman.tumblr.com
Cool post! I live in Grand Rapids, MI and I never thought to write up my hometown, until reading your post. Thanks for the inspiration! Here's a bit about
Where I'm From
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