John Mellencamp has just dropped the lyric video to his new single, "The Eyes Of Portland." The track, which talks frankly about America's homeless situation, is the second teaser from Mellencamp's 25th album, titled, Orpheus Descending, which is due out on June 2nd. The album also features the track, "Hey God," which addresses the national epidemic of gun violence.
The album marks Mellencamp's followup to the critically acclaimed 2022 collection, Strictly A One -Eyed Jack, which peaked at Number Five on the Billboard Folk Albums chart.
John Mellencamp is no stranger to feeling the backlash for writing songs that hold a mirror up to the face of modern-day America. 20 years ago, he released "To Washington," a track that touched upon both the 2000 presidential election and eventual war in Iraq. Mellencamp said at the time: ["If anybody knows anything about my records, I've said a lot more scathing things about America than I say in that song. All I did in that song was report the weather. Everything in that song was pretty much out of a newspaper -- y'know, I didn't make any of that up. I didn't feel like I put any of my bias in there."] SOUNDCUE (:15 OC: . . . bias in there)
As I saw through the eyes of Portland one day
There were so many homeless, they'd all gone astray
They slept on the corners during the day
As not to be harmed when the sun went away
There were old ones and young ones, white ones and black
They were all shapes and sizes, with rags on their backs
So many people mixed up in this stew
With no place to go and nothing to do
All of thesе homeless, wherе do they come from?
In this land of plenty where nothing gets done
To help those who are empty and unable to run
Your tears and prayers won't help the homeless
Some are mentally ill, some are higher than kites
Selling their bodies as day turns to night
Where are their loved ones, does anyone care?
To be lost and alone in the middle of nowhere
All of these homeless, where do they come from?
In this land of plenty where nothing gets done
To help those who are empty and unable to run
Your tears and prayers won't help the homeless