Chattahoochee

(Vibe: “Chattahoochee” — river, youth, fun; twist: coming home from war to that same river)Topic: Coming back from deployment and reclaiming carefree river daysTone: Nostalgic, rowdy, bittersweet but fun
Verse 1
We used to skip class and hit that muddy bend,Coolers full of cheap beer, raising hell with friends.Shotgun in the rack, Skynyrd on the dial,Fishing lines tangled, laughing all the while.You in cutoffs, tan lines and a dare,Sunset turning copper in your hair.We swore this river was the biggest thing we’d see,Had no idea where the world would drag me.
Verse 2
A few years later I was halfway ’round the globe,Different kind of heat, different kind of road.Dust storms stinging, body armor tight,River replaced by endless night.But when the sirens stopped and the sky went still,My mind drifted back to that Georgia hill,Where the water runs lazy and the days feel long—Where all we ever fought were fish and songs.
Pre-Chorus
Now my boots are back on homegrown ground,And that river’s still callin’ my name out loud.
Chorus
So I’m back down on the Chattahoochee,Where the world slows down and the air stays roomy.Got a beer in my hand, my girl by my side,Letting that brown water carry my mind.I’ve seen deserts, I’ve seen hell’s front gate,But this old river still feels like fate.Back down on the Chattahoochee,I remember who I used to be.
Bridge
War took years, but it couldn’t stealThe way this river makes life feel real.

* Instruments: Twangy electric, acoustic strum, fiddle, bright snare, bass with bounce

* Influence: ’90s river party energy, modernized; no melodic overlap