Steve returned to New York and, with the help from some musicians, including former Suzanne Vega guitarist Jon Gordon, started a rock and roll project. This turned into his debut album Big Señorita. It was chosen as one of Performing Songwriter Magazine’s Top 12 Independent Releases of 2001. After the release he started touring nationally and winning national and international awards, including the Grand Prize in the USA Songwriting Competition.
His second solo CD “Stopped at a Green Light” was released in September 2003. He is currently frontman to The Weepies, along with his wife Deb Talan, whom he met in 2001 and now resides with in Topanga, CA with their three sons, Theo, Alexander, and Nicholas.
Brother Uptown
Steve Tannen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She opened the door and the look on her face said I got company
And at the black eyed bodega by the catholic school
I drink to get drunk on that Cuban Mule
Makes you feel like your heart is on fire
Chorus:
It's a cold, cold night to wander around
Hey hey, have you been down 'cause I've been down
I'm gonna go see my brother uptown
He slips money in my jeans and thinks I don't see
I play along and pretend I'm asleep on the floor
It's no more than an 8x10 sanctuary
And it's late in the day and late in the year
And god only knows how they sky is still clear
'Cause you won't get it back 'cause the money's been spent
And the chances of rain are 100 percent
Repeat chorus
Who is gonna save me from everything you gave me
Everywhere I went I was sent there by you
You pray for rain then you wish it would stop
You hate your family and then they're all that you've got
Unfurl in the wind you know it runs east to west
I follow his footsteps down to Amsterdam
Where the streets are so wide put the wind in your hair
And if I knew where I should go I would go there
The lyrics of "Brother Uptown" by Steve Tannen are a reflection of the singer's struggle with his past, family, and his current situation. It starts with the singer realizing that he should have called someone, probably a past lover, but didn't because she has company. This realization seems to suggest that something in the past must have prevented him from keeping a relationship, and now he wants to reconnect. The second line talks about a "black eyed bodega," where the singer drinks "Cuban Mule" to get drunk. He says it makes him feel like his heart is on fire. This could be interpreted from either a positive or negative point of view - it could be that he's just trying to numb his feelings, or maybe he's trying to feel something again.
In the chorus, the singer acknowledges that he's not in a good place - it's a "cold, cold night to wander around." He sees his future in the flights of birds, suggesting he feels lost and directionless. He wonders if the person he's speaking to has also felt this way. He then says he's going to his "brother uptown," who seems to provide some kind of comfort or escape, as he slips money into his jeans and lets him sleep on the floor in his small apartment.
The final verse of the song seems to be a reflection on the singer's family and their role in his life. He suggests that they've caused him some harm, but that he's still clinging to them as his only support. The final lines - "Unfurl in the wind you know it runs east to west/I follow his footsteps down to Amsterdam/Where the streets are so wide put the wind in your hair/And if I knew where I should go I would go there" - could be interpreted many ways, but seem to suggest that the singer is unsure of where to go or what to do, so he's following his brother's footsteps (perhaps metaphorically) and trying to find meaning in something.
Line by Line Meaning
I should have called ‘cause she was awake
I missed the chance to talk to her. I saw her face when she opened the door, and she had company with her.
And at the black eyed bodega by the catholic school
I drank at the bodega near the catholic school.
I drink to get drunk on that Cuban Mule
I drink that Cuban Mule to get drunk.
Makes you feel like your heart is on fire
It makes me feel like my heart is on fire.
It's a cold, cold night to wander around
Tonight's too cold to wander around.
I see my future in flights of birds
I see my future in the flights of birds.
Hey hey, have you been down 'cause I've been down
Are you down? 'Cause I've been down too.
I'm gonna go see my brother uptown
I'm going to see my brother uptown.
He slips money in my jeans and thinks I don't see
My brother puts money in my pocket, thinking I don't notice it.
I play along and pretend I'm asleep on the floor
I pretend to be asleep on the floor, to humor him.
It's no more than an 8x10 sanctuary
It's just a small room, no bigger than 8x10.
And it's late in the day and late in the year
It's evening and the year is almost over.
And god only knows how they sky is still clear
I don't know how the sky is still clear.
'Cause you won't get it back 'cause the money's been spent
You can't get back the money that's already been spent.
And the chances of rain are 100 percent
It's definitely going to rain.
Who is gonna save me from everything you gave me
Who will save me from everything that you've given me?
Everywhere I went I was sent there by you
Everywhere I went, you sent me there.
You pray for rain then you wish it would stop
You pray for rain, and then you wish it stopped.
You hate your family and then they're all that you've got
You hate your family, but they're all you have.
Unfurl in the wind you know it runs east to west
The wind unfurls east to west.
I follow his footsteps down to Amsterdam
I follow his footsteps to Amsterdam.
Where the streets are so wide put the wind in your hair
The streets are wide enough to put the wind in your hair.
And if I knew where I should go I would go there
If I knew where to go, I would go there.
Contributed by Logan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.