by Elaine Ernst Schneider
"Somewhere back there in the dust That same small town in each of us …"
Small towns. Good? Bad? Like them? Don't like them? Opinions vary. There are those with accolades for what they call the quiet life, while others blame small town attitudes for their lack of opportunity. Big city folks, used to a plethora of bustle and activity, say they can't imagine life in the doldrums of a small town. Different agendas, different people. Yet the song lyrics from Don Henley's "The End of the Innocence" lead us to believe that "somewhere back there in the dust, that same small town (exists) in each of us." How so?
Those Who Would leave
When Frank heads out for "New York, New York," he croons his goodbye to "little town blues" as he makes his way to the "city that never sleeps." Frank wants to make a "new start of it." He is leaving for good. No doubt there.Simon and Garfunkel take a candid look at the "little town" that they leave, where "after it rains there's a rainbow and all of the colors are black." They further lament in "My Little Town" that it is "imagination they lack (for) everything's the same."
In his song "Smalltown," Lou Reed reveals the limits he feels a small town places on creativity and the ability to grow and evolve. The Reed and Cale lyrics from the "Songs for Drella" album go on to say: "My father worked in construction; it's not something for which I'm suited. Oh, what is something for which you are suited? Getting out of here." Peter Gabriel voices equal sentiments in "Big Time," explaining that "the place where I come from is a small town. They think so small. They use small words. But not me, I'm smarter than that … I've had enough. I'm getting out to the city, the big, big city." Pretty final.
But some leave only to come back. The singer in Foreigner's "Long, Long Way from Home" recalls that "It was a Monday, a day like any other day, I left a small town for the Apple in decay." But just a few bars later, he is "longing for home."
In The Guess Who's "Running Back to Saskatoon," the spoken part preceding the lyrics describes "a province up in Canada … where nothing much ever happens called Saskatoon." The song itself is the message of a troubadour, a traveler who has been "hangin' around gas stations … libraries … and heart doctors," thus adding to his "learnin'" experience. Still, it's his desire after every encounter to run "back to Saskatoon."
Reasons to Stay
Then there are those who are drawn to the small town rather than away from it. Bangles singer Vicki is "Watching the Sky" as the title of the song suggests, headed for a "big hotel island in a small town." Admittedly, she's there to "have a good time" so small towns can't be all bad--even to city folks--right?Tina Turner depicts life in a small town as one that has a "church house, gin house, school house, (and an) outhouse" in her "Nutbush City Limits" assessment of "a quiet, little old community." She further expounds on what she calls a "lovely town," declaring this a place where you "have a picnic on Labor Day, you go to town on Saturdays, but go to church every Sunday."
John Cougar Mellencamp understands "Small Town" roots where, like Tina, he knows that God, going to church, and being "taught the fear of Jesus" is part of the accepted and expected. Mellencamp feels he can "breathe in a small town" and draws our attention to the autonomy and contentment he finds in living there:
"I cannot forget where it is that I come from;
I cannot forget the people who love me.
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town,
And people let me be just what I want to be.
Got nothing against a big town…
But my bed is in the small town.
Oh, and that's good enough for me."
So is "Success" Synonymous with "City"?
If indeed Don Henley is right, and a bit of "that same small town (lives) in each of us," then who can say what the small town brings to the city, or vice versa? Good Guy Pat Benatar sings lyrics that "spell success" in "Sometimes the Good Guys Finish First," from the movie soundtrack "The Secret of My Success." Small towns and big dreams are no longer an enigma and seem to go together in his way of thinking, as he spells out"S-u-c-c-e-s-s. That's the way we spell success. Will we get it? The answer's yes! … small town boy, so clean he squeaks, dressed and polished for the big time dream."
And what of success in love? Cher challenges a "small town dude with a big city attitude" to fight for her unbreakable heart in "Just Like Jesse James." She opines that he's not so tough and his heart will soon be "down for the count."
Big cities. Small towns. How do opportunity, dreams, God, and love fit in? Perhaps Cher's "down for the count" challenge can be applied to all of us, for these are matters of the heart…
And that's where we'll find "that same small town in each of us."
Elaine Ernst Schneider is a freelance writer and music teacher. She has been writing since high school and has published articles, songs, and children's work. Presently, Elaine is a curriculum author for Group Publishing.
