Gettin’ Lost in Boston: Sometimes the Wrong Turn Is the Best Part
Boston is small enough to walk, complicated enough to get lost in, and old enough that half our directions depend on places that aren’t there anymore. So I wrote a song about it.
Gettin’ Lost in Boston, Lyrics by Joyce Strong, Firelight Records
There are cities where you look at a map, follow the street, make two turns and arrive exactly where you intended to go.
Boston is not one of those cities.
Here, a road can change names without warning. A rotary can send you back toward where you started. I-95 North, Route 128 North and Route 1 South can somehow occupy the same stretch of highway. And if you ask a longtime Bostonian for directions, there is a reasonable chance the instructions will include a building that disappeared years ago.
“Turn where Filene’s used to be.”
Perfectly clear.
That peculiar geography is part of Boston’s personality. But getting lost here isn’t only about crooked streets and missed exits. It’s also about what happens when you stop going exactly where you planned.
You notice something.
A doorway you’ve walked past for years. A six-seat place with steamed-up windows. A street that suddenly feels completely different from the one you just left. A familiar neighborhood that has changed so much you have to look twice.
That became the idea behind my new song, “Gettin’ Lost in Boston.”
Boston Keeps Moving
I’ve known Boston for all of my life, and one of the strangest things about knowing a city for that long is realizing that your internal map doesn’t disappear when the city changes.
The Boston you remember stays layered underneath the Boston that exists now.
That’s why people still give directions using Filene’s. The building can disappear while the location remains perfectly clear in somebody’s mind. Buildings leave. Landmarks stay.
South Boston is another example. Three-deckers have disappeared while condos have taken their place. The Seaport has climbed upward in steel and glass along a waterfront that once looked very different.
And yet you can walk a few blocks and suddenly find something unmistakably old Boston sitting right beside something brand new.
That tension between what was, what is, and what you stumble across next became the heart of the song.
Fenway Is a Perfect Place to Get Lost
Fenway may be one of the best examples.
Come out of Fenway Park with thousands of people, hear Kenmore still humming from the game, leave Lansdowne Street behind and walk a little farther.
The mood changes quickly.
That’s one of my favorite things about Boston. The major landmarks are wonderful, but some of the best moments happen between them.
You were headed somewhere else.
You missed the turn.
And suddenly you’ve found the place you’ll remember.
So I Wrote the Song
This isn’t meant to be a tourist jingle.
It’s a love song to the ridiculousness of navigating Boston, the city I remember, the city that keeps replacing itself, and the city that still manages to surprise me.
And yes, Paul Revere makes an appearance.
Because I would genuinely like to know where the man would pahk his horse today.
Gettin’ Lost in Boston
Lyrics by Joyce Strong
Firelight Records
[Verse 1]
If Paul Revere could see it now
I wonder what he’d think
I wonder where he’d pahk his horse
And where he’d go to have a drink
Would he recognize the North End
Would he know which way to ride
Would he circle twice around the Common
And end up on the same damn side?
[Verse 2]
Every time I come to Boston
Somethin’ I knew has disappeared
We still give directions by the ghosts of places
Like memory keeps them standin’ here
“Turn where Filene’s used to be”
And nobody asks where?
The buildin’ left, the landmark stays
We still remember what was there
[Verse 3]
Turn a corner I have known for years
There’s a doorway I missed before
Boston takes away what I used to know
But always shows me somethin’ more
Come out of Fenway with the crowd
Kenmore hummin’ from the game
Leave the roar on Lansdowne Street behind
And the whole mood starts to change
[Pre-Chorus]
Small enough to cross on foot
Big enough to lose a day
You never get too far in Boston
But you always go a different way
[Chorus]
Gettin’ lost in Boston
There’s always somethin’ to discover
Take the turn you didn’t mean to
You’ll get there one way or another
Old brick mirrored in new glass
Yesterday reflected today
Gettin’ lost in Boston
Is how you find your way
[Verse 4]
Six stools, one cook, steamed-up glass
No website, no neon sign
You only found it ’cause you missed
The turn you had in mind
That’s the Boston I keep findin’
Not the one I came to see
There’s always somethin’ I didn’t expect
Waitin’ there for me
[Verse 5]
Southie changed before my eyes
Three-deckers lost to condos sold by the floor
The Seaport climbed in steel and glass
Where freight once met the shore
Fan-U-el Hall and cobblestones
Tradin’ somethin’ old for new
Every generation leaves a layer
Of the old Boston we once knew
[Chorus]
Gettin’ lost in Boston
There’s always somethin’ to discover
Take the turn you didn’t mean to
You’ll get there one way or another
Old brick mirrored in new glass
Yesterday reflected in today
Gettin’ lost in Boston
Is how you find your way
[Bridge]
Ninety-five Nawth, one-twenty-eight Nawth
Root One says I’m headin’ south
Three names ridin’ on one highway
Tell me who figured this one out
Miss the exit, hit a rotary
Round and round, pick your lane
You can swear you know where you’re goin’
Boston proves you wrong again
No straight line through this old town
That’s just the way it was designed
Half the fun is where you wind up
And never knowin’ what you’ll find
[Final Chorus]
Gettin’ lost in Boston
There’s always somethin’ to discover
Take the turn you didn’t mean to
You’ll get there one way or another
Old brick mirrored in new glass
Yesterday reflected in today
Gettin’ lost in Boston
Is how you find your way
[Outro]
Gettin’ lost in Boston
That’s how it was designed
It’s my favorite place to get lost in
You never know what you’ll find
Come Get Lost With GoBoston
That, in a nutshell, is what I want GoBoston to be.
Not just the places everybody already knows to visit, but the Boston that appears when you wander a little farther. The old neighborhood beneath the new one. The restaurant you weren’t looking for. The photograph you almost walked past. The history underneath your feet. The stories locals still tell about things that disappeared years ago.
That’s what I’m building here at GoBoston.com.
And over at GoBoston on Substack, I’m sharing more of the photographs, stories, memories, discoveries and occasional songs that come out of exploring this city.
If you love Boston — whether you live here, used to live here, visit whenever you can, or are planning your first trip — come join me there.
And share “Gettin’ Lost in Boston” with somebody who understands the most Boston direction of all:
“Turn where that place used to be.”
🎶 Gettin’ Lost in Boston is available on your favorite streaming platform. 🎶