Brant Wilson, Alleys

Brant Wilson is a junior at North Central High School and life-long resident of Herron Morton Place. "Alleys" is the first of three songs he wrote and recorded during a summer internship at the Harrison Center.

The initial inspiration for these lyrics came from my daily walks home from my internship at the Harrison Center. I often opted to walk down the alley, rather than busy Delaware Street. Pondering why, I noticed a sense of honesty in an alley. It is broken, and often uncared for, but this brokenness makes it more true, and thus more beautiful as well. These thoughts make up the chorus, the bridge, and the first verse.

These thoughts weren’t unique to my neighborhood of Herron Morton though, even if that’s where I experienced the beauty of the alleys. The second verse refers to Camp Morton. Its historic marker now sits in Herron Morton Park, a popular play place for the neighborhood kids. The site acted as a prisoner of war camp for Confederate soldiers (called greybacks by the Northerners because of their grey uniforms) during the Civil War. ’62 refers to 1862, the year when the camp started to be used. The area was initially prepared to be the Indiana State Fairgrounds before the Civil War crisis caused a change of plans.

The third verse focuses on Herron Morton as it is now, and my feelings about the neighborhood where I have lived my whole life. Herron High School and Foundry Provisions Coffee are two of the most interesting places in Herron Morton. The neighborhood’s official boundaries are from 16th Street to 22nd Street and from Pennsylvania Street to Central Avenue. The final lines of the verse accomplish two things. First, they establish Herron Morton as an enjoyable, comfortable place to be, a feeling that I certainly have concerning my neighborhood. Finally, it serves to give credit to Faith Johnson, the stunning vocalist featured on this track.