pack your bags, your smokes in your pocket

I’ve never really had to say goodbye to a place.  Not a real goodbye at least.  I’ve mvoed once in my life when I was 18 months old.  I have only one or two memories from that house.  The house I grew up in is the place I consider home.  My parents have never moved and are making no plans to in the near future.  Going away to school was never a real goodbye because I knew I could always go back there.  My room, though changed, is still my room.  My old bedroom is still my old bedroom.  The bathroom, the kitchen – there have been improvements and upgrades but its still all there.  I’ve never had to really say goodbye to a place I considered a home.
 
Until now.
 
I’m hoping someday I’ll return to Fredonia, and I’m sure I will.  But I won’t have an apartment.  I won’t have a home here anymore.  I’m removing all my things from this town and moving on.  I’m not leaving behind an apartment stocked full of my things.  My things are all in Michigan or piled to go into my car.  I really thought this would be easy.
 
None of my friends are here anymore.  They’ve all left for the summer, so I’m not even sad about saying goodbye to them.  We’ve already done that.  But the friends I truly care about I will see again.  I will stay in contact.  Anyways, friends are different than places.  Not better, not worse, just different.  This will no longer be my town, my grocery store, my gas station, my coffeeshop, my apartment building, my driveway, my deck, my town.  Sure I’ll come back, but not as a resident.  As a visitor.  As someone passing through, or just stopping to see how things change and how things don’t.  I really never thought it would be this difficult to say goodbye to a town.  To leave behind the place I’ve considered home for the better part of three years.
 
I’m having a harder time with this than I thought I would.

Oh your reputation is so golden
You’re never lonely and you’re never home
I know you’ve been talking about leaving
You’ve lost all your feelings for this town.
Paint your nails and put your lipstick
You don’t want to miss your ticket out.
Just because you graduate from school
So high in the gene pool that’s your point of view.

But when you’re broke and down and no one else is around
You’ll come running back to this town and
I’ll be there, yeah I’ll be there.

‘Cause I remember how we drank time together
And how you used to say that the stars are forever.
And daydreamed about how to make your life better by
Leaving town, leaving town.

Pack your bags, your smokes in your pocket
You’re wearing my locket around your neck
Take a drag and wait for the Greyhound
The world is your playground and you want to win.

But when you’re broke and down and no one else is around.
You’ll come running back to this town and
I’ll be there, yeah I’ll be there.

‘Cause I remember how we drank time and
How you used to say that the stars are forever.
And daydreamed about how to make your life better by
Leaving town, leaving town.

Nothing in life will ever come that easy.
Doesn’t mean it has to be that hard.
I know you will find out who you are
But when you’re broke and down and no one else is around.
You’ll come running back to this town and
I’ll be there, yeah I’ll be there.

‘Cause I remember how we drank time together
And how you used to say that the stars are forever.
And daydreamed about how to make your life better by
Leaving town, leaving town.
Yeah I remember how we drank time together and
How you used to say that the stars are forever.
And daydreamed about how to make your life better by
Leaving town, leaving town.
You’re leaving town, yeah 

Leaving Town ~ Dexter Freebish