Monday, October 20, 2008

Courageous Dream's Concern

To counter Rodriguez pessimistic take on Detroit, and to stay in the music arena. Here is another famous Detroiters' ode to the "D". Written by Jack White from the White Stripes, and the Racounteurs.

'Courageous Dream's Concern,' by Jack White

I have driven slow,
three miles an hour or so,
through Highland Park, Heidelberg, and the
Cass Corridor.
I've hopped on the Michigan,
and transferred to the Woodward,
and heard the good word blaring from an
a.m. radio.
I love the worn-through tracks of trolley
trains breaking through their
concrete vaults,
As I ride the Fort Street or the Baker,
just making my way home.

I sneak through an iron gate, and fish
rock bass out of the strait,
watching the mail boat with
its tugboat gait,
hauling words I'll never know.
The water letter carrier,
bringing prose to lonely sailors,
treading the big lakes with their trailers,
floats in blue green chopping waters,
above long-lost sunken failures,
awaiting exhumation iron whalers,
holding gold we'll never know.

I've slid on Belle Isle,
and rowed inside of it for miles.
Seeing white deer running alongside
While I glide, in a canoe.
I've walked down Caniff holding a glass
Atlas root beer bottle in my hands
And I've entered closets of coney islands
early in the morning too.
I've taken malt from Stroh's and Sanders,
felt the black powder of abandoned
embers,
And smelled the sawdust from wood cut
to rehabilitate the fallen edifice.
I've walked to the rhythm of mariachis,
down junctions and back alleys,
Breathing fresh-baked fumes of culture
nurtured of the Latin and the
Middle East.
I've fallen down on public ice,
and skated in my own delight,
and slid again on metal crutches
into trafficked avenues.

Three motors moved us forward,
Leaving smaller engines to wither,
the aluminum, and torpedo,
Monuments to unclaimed dreaming.
Foundry's piston tempest captured,
Forward pushing workers raptured,
Frescoed families strife fractured,
Encased by factory's glass ceiling.
Detroit, you hold what one's been seeking,
Holding off the coward-armies weakling,
Always rising from the ashes
not returning to the earth.
I so love your heart that burns
That in your people's body yearns
To perpetuate,
and permeate,
the lonely dream that does encapsulate,
Your spirit, that God insulates,
With courageous dream's concern.




This is a photograph of my friend Kat, backstage at the Cut Copy show at the Magic Stick. To say the least i know the cut copy boys enjoyed their stay in Detroit. I know we will always be fond of our little Aussies.

Today was not very exciting.. i spent most of it wrestling with technology, and getting paper-cuts on my eyes, going over research about these thoughts
Would it be possible, if michigan adopted a creative economy, to turn Detroit into one of the most desiriable places to live on the planet? What is a Creative Economy and could it us out of our financial crisis? I believe the answer to both of these questions is yes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love that song, however Jack White has made it clear in print (Rolling Stone most notably) that he felt Detroit has turned it's back on music and is not supportive of it's talent (and packed up and moved South taking several of his Detroit music buddies with him)....so perhaps you might want to pick another song to voice support?

He must have wrote that bedfore he got famous, eh?

Ha, that picture still makes me laugh. I look so guilty!

i don't know yet. said...

it was published on freep.com on july 2008.