Dark Day in Milwaukee
Channel: Cathy Grier Channel
Date: 2020-03-09

After another senseless mass shooting, this time in Milwaukee on February 26th. The song was inspired by the sad moment I learned of the shooting, this time about 10 mins from where I was recording in Milwaukee. I make my feelings clear that music is my way of dealing with the world and believe through the lens of music, we can take a softer approach to a situation. Today there are many parallels with gun violence and the current pandemic virus. If we don't contain it, it will spread. For all of our safety and healthy, we must come up with a better solution than just who's side are you on? 
I wrote this song. I am part of a Creative Workshop by Seth Godin, and one of my classmates, Jim Grady, wrote a poem and I tweaked it to fit and this is the result. There are some important organizations to research and support. Every Town fro Gun Safety everytown.org and AIGA.org to end gun violence- they use the power of art and design to create conversations. Collectively uniting Communities will begin a transition to a place where we all feel safe without threat of gun violence. Helping to shape our thoughts and concerns into action.

The first round of writing this song, I posted the music entitled Sometimes There Are No Words https://youtu.be/FlUzS5ksYk4

LYRICS
Dark Day in Milwaukee - words Jim Grady/Cathy Grier/ music Cathy Grier
A-7 D-7 E-7 

It’s a dark day in Milwaukee, shadows mark this land 
People, more innocent people, had no time to make a plan                                                     
Nowhere to safety, nowhere to run, vindication at the end of a gun

Heat’s just turned up one more degree, 
We are stuck in a foolish game                                      
But something’s got to break the rules, old system has to change                                                
Far down past the line of repeat and repeat, we’re locked down, losing ground, nowhere to retreat 

Somewhere in Milwaukee next to the bodies, beer and blood                                              
shooter spent up with anger, that could been resolved without a gun                                          
An automatic, a soul psychotic on the line, we’re all hypnotized, brutalized and out of time  

Break:                                                                                                                                      
He showed them who’s the boss, 
Sneaking ‘round the back door, 
A life with no cost, nothing worth livin’ for
And in the brewery like a stockyard’s killin’ floor
Families dressed in black, won’t seeing their kids no more
Crowds of people crying, what’s with all the dyin’ 
Where’s our collective sanity, are we even tryin’?
Tongue tied, or, wide eyed, solidified or criticized 
Say all you want, that it’s not guns that’s the problem, 
But doing nothing is on the wrong side of the column  

It’s a dark day in Milwaukee, shadows mark this land                                                             
People! How much more can we break, to finally make a stand 
Nowhere to safety, there’s no more to say, 
After lockdown in Milwaukee, 

Shadows fade to grey
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Cathy Grier a singer-songwriter, guitarist in the blues genre. A composer and performer for over 40 years. She currently lives in Sturgeon Bay, WI since 2016 after living in NYC for 20 years, most notable as nycsubwaygirl where she brought her blend of blues to the underground performing in the Music Under NY program from 1999-2015.

You can’t help but feel Cathy’s life story in every heartfelt note.  Part Storyteller. Part Blues Traveler. www.CathyGrier.com
words/music by Cathy Grier singerfish publishing SESAC © ℗ 2019