One Great City

The musical group, the Weakerthens, began playing together during 1997 in Winnipeg, Canada. The members of their band are John Samson (lyricist, guitar, and lead vocals), Stephen Carroll (guitar and backing vocals), John Sutton (bass, backing vocals), and Jason Tait (drums). Their music is a reflection of where they are from and John Samson’s lyrics focus on issues of hope, isolation, and survival within a society riddled with injustice and a culture commodified in every possible way.Their song “One Great City” is about their hometown, which happens to be Winnipeg where they formed

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The song is told from different angles beginning with the underground of the city working its way up until it reaches the highest point. The song lyrics and its title are contradicting because the words of the song paint the city to be repetitive and something far from great. It begins with the day ending, and the night shadows covering the city with a “darker gray”. The song describes a lot of the cities features and personality through its lyrics.

The first verse of the song introduces the city starting from the below the ground. It sings, “a thousand sharpened elbows in the underground,” and this refers to the underground mall which is called Winnipeg Square. It is nicknamed the underground and is located underneath Winnipeg’s downtown and major office buildings. Its location makes the vast majority of people who go to the mall there mostly business people and the description of “a thousand sharpened elbows” refers directly to the business people. The following line of “that hollow hurried sound of feet on polished floor,” adds to the description of the high end working class who move swiftly and the fact that the floor is polished lets us know that the mall is well kept because it is meant for the wealthy. The next line takes the angle of the city to above the ground and says, “In the dollar store the clerk is closing up and counting loonies, trying not to say I hate Winnipeg.” This line is meant to show how the other half of Winnipeg lives aside from the wealthy. The dollar store clerk works to provide for himself, while the high end probably shops at the underground mall. The idea of the store clerk counting loonies hints that there are probably people in a worse living state then the clerk which would make it understandable for the clerk to say I hate Winnipeg.

The song then switches the perspective to a normal person on the street.

the driver checks the mirror seven minutes late

crowded riders' restlessness enunciates

the guess who suck, the jets were lousy anyway

the same mood every day

and in the turning lane

someone's stalled again

he's talking to himself

and hears the price of gas repeat his phrase

I hate Winnipeg

This verse then goes to talk about life in general in Winnipeg. How it can be repetitive and the most interesting thing in someone’s day would be being late to where they have to go in their schedule. Everyone has the same attitude everyday and their mentality towards things in their life never change because they rarely experience something new or better. The lines, “and in the turning lane, someone’s stalled again,” may refer to how a person has a chance to change his life or the direction they are headed, but is stuck and just can’t escape the city. The ending line of this verse that says, “And hears the price of gas repeat his phrase, I hate Winnipeg,” just implies one of the few problems of society.

up above us all,

leaning into sky

our golden business boy

will watch the north end die

and sing 'i love this town'

then let his arching wrecking ball proclaim:

"I...hate...Winnipeg"

This last verse talks about the golden boy which is located on top of the legislature and was the highest point in Winnipeg. He faces north because that was where the founders of the city believed the future of Winnipeg was held. The ironic part of this is that the North End of Winnipeg is the rough end of the city. The Statue which was suppose to symbolize hope,

business, and a promising future, points to the dying north end which is referred to in the song. Like in the song, he is meant to sing “I love this town” ,but rather he truly represents the rest of the town in symbolizing the corruption that occurred in Winnipeg.

The title of One Great City may not seem to mesh with the lyrics, but the role of this song I believe is to have people reflect on their hometowns as well. Every town is like someone’s Winnipeg. After living in a place for so long, things get old, people begin to notice the flaws in the city, and when people try to leave they always manage to return. The city is a part of them as much as they are part of the city. There is a hidden love for their hometown under all the negatives. It is where a person is from making a town like Winnipeg One Great City.

My Border Town City

Edinburg, Texas was a place abundant with orange trees and fields of cotton. Migrant farmers came and went with their families and a few small businesses flourished with the repeating faces of their customers. People tended to their ranches and the town was quiet and peaceful. All this change though when highway 281 was built! The quiet town became a connection between the border of Mexico to the larger cities of San Antonio and Houston. The small businesses in the city of Edinburg began to fade into the past while all the commotion of commerce migrated straight to the new areas surrounding this highway. Eventually the areas around 281 grew to be part of Edinburg and this transformed a quiet farm town into a city.

As a new city, Edinburg, like other towns along the Rio Grande border, began to experience a flood of people coming into its grasp. Not from the U.S, but rather from our neighboring country, Mexico. Attracted by jobs opening up, better schools for their kids, and the rights given to Americans, Mexican citizens along the border hopped the river like bunnies excited to be part of this growing city. The idea of a better life attracted so many people to the point where rules and restrictions had to be made and people in the hopes of being a part of the U.S didn’t have the money to follow them, so they found “other methods” (other methods led to terms like wetback…). Because of its history, Edinburg has grown to be defined by its population and the rich culture they bring to the table. The population is more than 80% Hispanic draping Edinburg with deep Hispanic and American traditions combined. The Spanish and English language slowly began to merge together presenting the city with Spanglish and imaginary words like “cagger (from the spanish word cagar), menso, wakala, sonso, watcha, and Welo.” These are some worlds that you can find only in the Rio Grande Valley(http://http://www.facebook.com/onlyinthevalley), but they drip off the tongues of Edinburg residents full of unique culture.

The food in Edinburg is also what makes the city unique. Restaurants paint the streets of Edinburg with their cheap prices and tasty cuisine. Most eateries in the area consist of family operated businesses sharing what they have to offer with the rest of the Edinburg population. Franchises pop up every now and then, but cannot compete against places that have been open and trusted since Highway 281 fell from the sky and blessed the small town. Panera Bread couldn’t compete against a panaderia’s 4 donuts for $1 and assortment of tasty treats for less than 15 cents each. Mexican food in Edinburg is like the smell of weed at ACL, It is everywhere. Streets give birth to Taquerias, Tamale places, and barbacoa restaurants as if it were trying to save a species. The problem is though and it is plastered all throughout the City is that Mexican Food = obesity. Mexican food tends to be layered in grease and fat that it has shaped the Edinburg population, therefore shaping the city. People are less active and tend to be lazy in the city partially because of obesity.
Part of the population that cannot be left out is the illegal population. They have probably shaped the City of Edinburg more so then anyone else who decided to play with clay and build a city. They provide the town with affordable food because they work and collect it for cheap. Lawns are always maintained and tidy because they are willing to cut half an acre of grass for 10 dollars including trimming trees. House keepers are easy to find because 80$ a week keeps your house clean every day. They do the jobs people don’t want to do themselves and it contributes to the city positively.

Like any other City, Edinburg has downsides. As the population grew, gangs moved into the city originally from Mexico. Theft occurs often because people can just take your belongings across the border and/ or sell them at a nearby flea market a.k.a la pulga. Being close to the border, means the drug trade is right under the cities nose. The United States demand for illegal substances from Mexico affects the City of Edinburg in so many ways bringing violence to areas. Teen pregnancies are high because not all families can afford T.V’s and the high school dropout rate is still an issue as families struggle to meet ends meet. Edinburg may have some chaos, but what’s a city without azucar, latino spice, and everything nice.

Home Town

On Adele's official blog site, she quotes " ‘Hometown Glory’ – a stunningly evocative picture of “all my fondest memories of London”." She wrote the song "Hometown Glory in about 10 minutes after her mother tried to get her to leave London for a "university." Adele had been born and raised in London to a single teenage mother, and started singing at the age of four. At age 11, she and her mother moved to West Norwood (south London) which is the setting for the song "Hometown Glory."

Although we have seen that the city can have hidden secrets of poverty, I see Adele portray the city in a positive view, where dreams are discovered and memories are made. In her first stanza, she mentions that she is "aint lost, just wandering" means to say that she does not follow the stereo type of walking the same path everyday to work and fitting inside of her status in society. People my judge her and ask if she needs help finding her way back, as we see when she says, "is there anything i can do for you dear? is there anyone I can call?" Adele is not lost, she is striving to become something great and is seeing what is like to live the life of someone who is successful in the city.
After seeing the "wonders of [her] world" it fascinates Adele to see all of the different kinds of people in the city because "two worlds collide". Adele sates that even though "you get the people and the government [where] everybody [is] taking different sides" at the end of the day, the city is united. She is proud of where she is from.

I've been walking in the same way as I did
And missing out the cracks in the pavement
And tutting my heel and strutting my feet
"Is there anything I can do for you dear? Is there anyone I could call?
No, and thank you, please madam, I ain't lost, just wandering"

Round my hometown, memories are fresh
Round my hometown, ooh, the people I've met

Are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of my world
Are the wonders of this world, are the wonders and now

I like it in the city when the air is so thick and opaque
I love it to see everybody in short skirts, shorts and shades
I like it in the city when two worlds collide
You get the people and the government
Everybody taking different sides

Shows that we ain't gonna stand shit
Shows that we are united
Shows that we ain't gonna take it
Shows that we ain't gonna stand shit
Shows that we are united

Round my hometown, memories are fresh
Round my hometown, ooh, the people I've met

Are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of my world
Are the wonders of this world, are the wonders of my world
Of my world, yeah, of my world, of my world, yeah

[- From :http://www.elyrics.net/read/a/adele-lyrics/hometown-glory-lyrics.html -]
http://www.adele.tv/biography/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele_%28singer%29#2006.E2.80.9308:_Career_beginnings