Jeff Pens Bloomington, Ind. Community Song
I'm proud to announce that today the City of Bloomington, ind., my home for the last 22 years, released to the public my song "Ride," which I was commissioned to write in honor of the city's bicentennial. You can find official audio and sheet music versions of the song, from full-band to solo acoustic, from piano-vocal to choir, from orchestra to concert band to marching band, at bloomingtoncommunitysong.com.
I've been overwhelmed by the amount of community support I've received around this project since penning the song last Spring. To date more than 35 other artists have participated in its many parts My goal was to capture in song the fertility of our amazing city and its unique progressive-traditional tension. My wife and others have told me stories over the years about how important are their memories of going for a "ride" with a parent as a child and the continuing importance of the memory to this day. The image stuck with me, and ultimately inspired this song, which celebrates the idea that here life is a ride, not a race.
My hope is that the song will become a permanent part of the local cultural landscape, and will perhaps help to preserve those values.
Ride (The Bloomington Song)
I took a ride with the world at my side Through the hills and the fields and the skies
Where the sun warms that part of my Bloomington heart Where I hold precious memories apart
It fills and I grow
Like higher things that flower
In these hills of Monroe
With roots below and room enough to rise
Won’t you come and ride with me Through these Indiana streets
Past the limestone, the hearth and the home
Where the families of today still remember yesterday Yes we always remember our way
And so we ride, we don’t race
And we wish this gift of grace for the world
From our Bloomington home.
Remember when you chased the sun around
Until you finally reached the light?
Your letter said, “Give me the comfort and
The breeze of our Indiana ride.”
And so we ride, we don’t race
And we wish this gift of grace for the world From our Bloomington home
Yes we ride, we don’t race
And we wish this gift of grace for the world
From our Bloomington home
