Leroy From the North’s poignant new song “Homemade Crosses,” which American Songwriter premieres exclusively below, is a personal one. The band’s frontman Eli Wulfmeier penned the tune after observing a loved one struggling to take care of her father.
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“I wrote ‘Homemade Crosses’ because the girl I was seeing was having a tough time getting care for her father who was injured in Vietnam,” he tells American Songwriter. “It just made me think about those who sacrifice so much, and how it sometimes goes unnoticed or unappreciated.
“I can empathize with the loss, grief and frustration, and I’m thankful for how good I have it because somebody stepped up. It felt like something I wanted to touch on, in whatever respectful way I could.”
There’s smoke in the air from a gun salute
Ring out in the morning, everybody’s weeping
For their fallen son
He just got out of high school when they shipped him off to Kandahar
He never even heard of it or been in war before
He finished up basic, but he barely made it
And now he’s back
The country tune’s rollicking music masks the darker meaning behind the song. That was intentional, Wulfmeier explains.
“The song came together fairly quickly in that I wanted to have a sort of tense, galloping verse and have the chorus breathe a little optimism,” he says. “I just wanted to have an arrangement that supported the story without being too obvious. I liked the idea of a guitar riff at the top to set up the song and then at the end of the bridge to bring in the key change.”
Nail down your homemade crosses high above your bed
Don’t worry I’ll be fine
I’m watching over you
Mama fell ill
She didn’t feel that well calling out for her son, screaming out for justice
That there’s no one there to comfort her
The VA’s been useless, and she can’t get in a hospital.
As the song progresses, Leroy From the North takes a more positive approach before the close of “Homemade Crosses.”
“I like the lyric Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m watching over you in the chorus because when I’m grieving the loss of someone close to me, I like to take comfort in knowing that I’ll see them again and that they’re good,” Wulfmeier explains. “That’s just something that works for me, and I thought of it as hopeful.”
“Homemade Crosses” follows the release of previous songs “Youngblood” and “White Knights.” All three tracks will be included on Leroy From the North’s full-length debut album, Toughen Up, out June 16.
“I’m proud of the work we all did,” Wulfmeier adds. “It was produced by Eric Corne. Jason Ganberg and Matt Tecu played drums. Adam Arcos played bass. It was just a group of guys who’ve recorded, toured and hung out a lot together.
“I wasn’t expecting an overall theme to develop, and I’d rather write a ‘Life’s Been Good,’ record, but I just gravitated towards what was personal to me at the time,” he continues. “I like looking at different angles and letting a story develop from there on top of cool guitar tones, and I just hope that’s how it came across.”
Listen to “Homemade Crosses” below.
(Photo Credit: Skyler Barberio)
