God in Chicago
Craig Finn Lyrics

Her mom found her brother
Her brother was either missing or dead, and her mom found him first.

Then she found the container wrapped up in a newspaper
The container was concealed carefully under a newspaper.

Stuffed in a duffel bag with hockey
The duffel bag contained something along with a set of hockey pads.

Pads and seven grand in rubber bands
Seven thousand dollars were also wrapped up in rubber bands inside the same duffel bag.

We didn't speak at the service but later a
They didn't exchange words during some ceremony, probably a funeral.

Message from a number that wasn't familiar said
She received an unfamiliar text message from an unknown source.

"Hey it's Charlie's sister
The message was supposedly from the sister of someone named Charlie.

Would you do me a favor?
The sender needed a favor from the recipient.

There's unfinished business
The sender had some unresolved issue that needed attention.

It's roughly the size of a baseball"
The issue was something that was about the size of a baseball.

I said I wasn't totally sure, but yeah I could probably call someone
He wasn't certain that he could help, but he could try to get someone to assist with the issue.

I knew this kid from my dorm when I went to school in Wisconsin
He was acquainted with someone who he met during his college years in Wisconsin.

My two semesters were a total disaster and he was part of the problem
His college years didn't go as planned, with someone he knew being a factor in his struggle.

Hadn't talked in forever
He hadn't spoken to this person in a long time.

But Wayne from Winnetka picked up on the first ring
His phone call was answered immediately by someone named Wayne.

I explained the situation
He told Wayne what was going on and what he needed help with.

He said he'd be interested but we'd have to come to him
Wayne was willing to help but required them to visit him.

We said lunch time on Wednesday
They agreed to meet Wayne for lunch on Wednesday.

A Mexican restaurant a mile north of Midway
The meeting place was a Mexican restaurant located north of Midway airport.

He worked for his father's shipping company out west of the city
Wayne's employment involved working for his father's shipping company in the city's west side.

Right now I'm not working
At the moment, he didn't have a job.

She said we could split it
The woman he was with agreed to share the earnings they would make.

Just glad to be finished and not even tempted
They were happy to have completed something without being tempted to use the seven grand they earned.

But it's so goddamn sad in her house right now
Their visit to her house was a sad experience.

He's still here in everything
The dead brother's presence could still be sensed strongly in the house.

She just needs a break from it
The woman he was with needed a pause from her painful reality.

Said she wants to come with
She expressed her desire to accompany him somewhere.

We left really early
They departed from the place quite early.

Went from St.
Originally from a place called St. (presumably St. Paul, as later mentioned).

Paul to Cicero in my Chevrolet that didn't have any radio
They traveled from St. Paul, presumably in Minnesota, to Cicero in Illinois using a car without a radio.

Had a boombox in the back seat that was running on batteries
They had a functioning boombox in the rear of the car that operated on battery power.

Played 1999 into Led Zeppelin III
The soundtrack they enjoyed included songs from albums named "1999" and "Led Zeppelin III."

When the tape deck got all wobbly she still sang the harmonies
Even when the tape cassette player malfunctioned, she still sang along in harmony to the music.

The transaction was easy
The transaction they conducted was straightforward.

My buddy looked similar just a little bit heavier
His friend who helped him with the transaction had a resemblance to him but was slightly heavier.

And counting all the money in front of him seemed silly
Performing a money-counting ritual in front of his friend would have been unnecessary.

This isn't the movies
Real-life experiences aren't always as dramatized as in the movies.

It was over so quickly
The event concluded quickly with no fuss.

Wayne got in his car
Wayne got inside his vehicle.

Drove into the sunset, turned left onto Cermak
Wayne began driving westward into the sunset, then turned left at a street called Cermak.

And she turned to me and said:
The unnamed woman spoke to the artist.

I've never been to Chicago
The woman had never visited the city of Chicago before.

I got nothing going on tomorrow
She didn't have any prior engagements for tomorrow.

Maybe we could stay here tonight
They probably intended to remain in Chicago overnight.

Lose ourselves in the glass and light
They could immerse themselves in the city's dazzling scenery and ambiance.

We got a room at the Hyatt
They rented a room at the Hyatt hotel in Chicago.

Michigan Avenue I can still picture you
They probably walked on Michigan Avenue and still remember how it looked like.

We each got a toothbrush from Walgreens
The two of them bought toothbrushes from Walgreens store.

We drank in the taverns, we ate somewhere Italian
They visited some taverns and enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Then she's on the sidewalk trying to
She got down to the sidewalk with a purpose.

Ask for a cigarette from oncoming traffic
She probably requested a cigarette from some motorist passing by.

I felt God in the buildings
The buildings in the city evoked a sense of divine experiences within him.

The light from the skyscrapers showing up in the river
The bright lights emanating from the tall office blocks were reflecting in the river.

And four years didn't seem like much anymore
The distance of four years did not feel as significant anymore.

We both want the same things
They were both interested in similar things.

We kissed on the corner
They shared a kiss in the street corner.

We kissed in the corridors
They kissed at some point in the building's hallway.

We fumbled with clothing
They clumsily removed each other's garments in the heat of the moment.

We all want the same things
They shared the same desires in that moment.

And then it was morning
Before they knew it, dawn had arrived.

We drove back all hungover
They drove back exhausted and likely with a headache from drinking.

And all the way to Eau Claire she played with her hair
During the trip to Eau Claire, she fiddled with her hair.

Came up on St. Paul and she was sobbing
Upon reaching St. Paul, the woman was crying.