Buildings Cry

I’m from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Anyone that knows me, knows that even though I no longer live in Lawtown, I rep it to the fullest. There is much to love about Lawrence and I am proud of my city. Lawrence is a small, close-knit community. It is loud and vibrant in a way that makes you want to dance. Who doesn’t love dancing?! It is a community in which people are very much themselves. What I mean by that is that there is a uniqueness in the personalities you come across in the good people of Lawrence. It’s refreshing. Furthermore, at the core of Lawrence’s character is a spirit of resiliency and perseverance.

Lawrence, like many impoverished urban cities in the USA, has had its fair share of challenges. Unfortunately, Lawrence has dealt with some serious tragedies. At times, it feels like one series of unfortunate events after another, the most recent one being the gas explosions that set off numerous fires throughout the city.

This triggered a memory for me that happened to coincide with finally having a song that I wrote years ago being mixed and mastered for publishing. You see, in the mid to late 1990s Lawrence was on fire. It was as though every time you turned around a building was burning. No fire was more devastating than the Malden Mills fire. There’s trauma associated with the major fires, and no matter how frequently they occur, there’s no numbness. Something about watching a building burn to rubble and ashes makes you feel the devastation in a permanent way.

The song Buildings Cry is simply a reflection on the trauma attached to these fires that have impacted my beloved city of Lawrence. It’s also a simple way to share our history. One that reminds us (Lawrencians) how resilient and persevering we are.