This is Grand Rapids. I love this town. Why did I ever leave? Oh yeah, I remember now ... reasons. Seemed like a good idea, even compelling, at the time. Now? Not so much. This song by Garrison Keilor seems to articulate how I feel about Grand Rapids, which has many things in common with Lake Woebegone. Perhaps the Grand Rapids I remember never really existed, either.
One more spring in Minnesota
To come across Lake Woebegone
Old town, I smell the coffee
If I could see you one more time
That long, long time is always on my mind
I'm just a stranger with memories of days of long ago
Could it have been forty years since then
What happened to us? I'd like to know.
That yard, that tree — you climbed it once with me
We talked of cities we'd live in someday
I left, old friend, and now I'm back again
Please say you missed me since I went away
One more time, this dance together
Just you and I, now don't be shy
This time, I know I'll hear the music
If you would hold me one more time
This is how I feel about Kalamazoo.
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