One of the magical aspects of music is its ability to take you places you’ve never been. Musician Bevin Luna (formerly of Memphis, currently of Fort Collins) experienced this when she first heard a song that she says “stopped me in my tracks”: Nina Simone’s version of “Baltimore”. An evocative cover (the original was written by Randy Newman), the reggae-infused version Simone released in 1978 sets grim lyrics over sweeping strings, painting a vivid picture of a city steeped in hard times. Listen to Bevin describe how she has discovered various layers of subtle social commentary and meaningful connection to her own life, through a song that got a second look through a new lens.
Beat-up little seagull
On a marble stair
Tryin' to find the ocean
Lookin' everywhere
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothin' here for free
Hooker on the corner
Waiting for a train
Drunk lying on the sidewalk
Sleeping in the rain
And the people hide their faces
And they hide their eyes
Cause the city's dyin'
And they don't know why
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Just to live
Get my sister Sandy
And my little brother Ray
Buy a big old wagon
To haul us all away
Live out in the country
Where the mountain's high
Never gonna come back here
Till the day I die
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Just to live
-Nina Simone