The Story of “Chelsea Rose” Not long ago one of my earliest childhood friends was murdered at the Cobalt Motor Inn on Main Street in Vancouver, BC. The Cobalt is a pretty shady hotel upstairs with a pretty cool punk rock bar downstairs. It’s right down the street from the notorious Hastings and Main (another place I have a song about). I’ve been playing at the Cobalt since I was a kid. In fact, I’m pretty sure I had my 19th birthday party there (the legal drinking age in BC). I remember the staff being genuinely shocked. We had already been playing there for months. I don’t know all the details of what went down but I was really shocked and sad when my Mom told me Chelsea was gone. I was on the road when I found out but the song didn’t happen until I was staying with my folks months later. In the span of a day wrote like three songs while laying on the futon mattress in my old room. I wanted to write something for Chelsea’s mom (my godmother), that shared some of the happy memories I had of us as kids. I could imagine her just being weighed down with the loss of her only daughter and the tragedy in the details of how it happened and why she was gone. The song probably turned out a little sadder than I intended (I think my own grieving got in the way a bit) but I wanted her to know she wasn’t alone and that Chelsea was a really special girl who I always adored. The first verse is about the two of us terrorizing her grandmother’s apartment complex, running through the many building playing tag and hide and go seek while her parents were trying to visit. The last verse is about a trip to the fair and how we both loved to go on the same rides over and over again. In the bridge I wanted to let her Mom know that (although it would be of no consolation) I really did pick up the phone and call some old friends for the first time in awhile. Sometimes a death or a tragedy makes you realize how lucky you are and reminds you not to take people for granted. I knew it wouldn’t make her feel any better but it’s the only bright side I could find in losing Chelsea. Chelsea Rose in the hallways of subsidized housing no one frequents these halls wed be running from building to building wondering whod live there at all and its funny the remember dance routines no one would see I dont dance anymore, Chelsea your parents got you that jacket that day we crossed the line we were coming back over the border thinking wed make it home fine but right then I started to lose it I wanted to be just like you I never could wear mine like you do they say you died in the hallway of that motor inn where I used to play how did they tell you mamma and where were your babies that day it had been a minute and its shame now isnt it thats how it goes Chelsea Rose I remember the sunset on the demolition show and running fourteen times to the same old ride how we did it, well I still dont know years later you went off to rehab working on recovery at least thats what they said, Chelsea they say you died in the hallway of that motor inn where I used to play what did they tell you mamma and where were your babies that day it had been a minute and its shame now isnt it thats how it goes Chelsea Rose I made a list of the people I missed and I called them all one at a time I told em how much their memory meant and I told them to call me sometime I guess I got you to thank cause I dont always act like I know how short a life can be, Chelsea Rose they say you died in the hallway...
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 01:08:07 +0000
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