I received quite a few great Christmas Presents, but one of the most unexpected joys came wrapped in an iTunes download from D.C. artist Clarence Greenwood (a.k.a. Citizen Cope). This crazy song has me baffled in many, many ways.

First of all, the lyrics, they don't make much sense. I'm not entirely sure why we "gotta know" about Brother Lee, and what the "Young meet the Old" has to do with Brooklyn, USA and both sides of the Mississippi. Probably something very Mark Twain-y... But even more befuddling to me? I find that all this confusion really doesn't matter.

Somehow, there's an urgency that rises in the song. As it drives forward, you slip right along. By the time Cope gets around to his extended super shout out to the Mississippi river banks, man, you really want to support him and his brother, no matter who they are and what they're up to.

It's like nothing else I heard in 2006, and it really was a wonderful surprise to start out the new year.


Cope has a music player on his site. Go see if you can catch this one.