HomeTown - Desire from the heart!

The lyrics for HomeTown were written one morning after us having a reunion with one of my mother’s ex-working colleagues after more than three decades! Yes, 3 decades, even though we live in the same city! 

We ran into each other during a shopping day when she suggested we could meet for a coffee and she would bring her son, who I had met only once as a child when they were invited for lunch at our house.

Two weeks later we managed to meet on a Saturday afternoon. And this gathering was so odd, that it reminded us why we have never felt like home despite living in this country for almost four decades.

One would think there is so much to talk about after three decades of silence. And anyone who knows us can assure that we are chatty and we talk about all kinds of topics but we had barely anything to say to each other. 

My mum's ex-working colleague's main topic was backbiting about her son's ex, the mother of her grandchild. And he, I don’t even know where to start and what to say. Well what was supposed to be a modern match by two mothers turned into nothing because the guy's mind was everywhere but not where he was physically. Of course, he couldn’t remember us at all, because we had only met once and he was too young. I’m a bit older.

Long story short, an hour seemed like an entire day and we were relieved that this akword gathering was over. When we came back home I was so disappointed that I had to write down my feelings and the lyrics for HomeTown were born. It is so hard to make friends with people who dont speak the same language. It also made me wonder what’s the point of speaking several languages when people don’t understand you anyway. When they dont care to listen to anyone at all. Its always a monolog and not a dialogue.  

The next morning I saw an IG story from an artist that I follow on Instagram and it brought me to tears. He was sharing his negative feelings and emotions towards his city of Vienna when he was younger and it confirmed that I wasn’t alone. There is nothing wrong with feeling what you are feeling. It’s not like I’m ungrateful, but when you feel lonely, lost, isolated and missplaced for decades, you just begin to question everything and everyone around you.

That’s why I strongly believe the following: Once a foreigner, always a foreigner. Once a refugee, always a refugees. HomeTown is a song dedicated to everyone who feels lost in this world. Especially now when so many people are forced to leave their birthtown and start a new life in a forign hometown because of war and other crises. 

Song description: The moment when you are forced to leave your birth town, you become homeless. And the non-ending desperate search for a hometown overshadows your entire life. Especially when you end up in a foreign, narrow-minded country in which traditions, hospitality, generosity, compassion and kindness are nothing but meaningless words and you have to constantly fight against bullying, discrimination and racism to survive!

HomeTown is dedicated to everyone who is suffering in silence while feeling unwelcomed, excluded, lost and lonely in a foreign country far away from home and family.