One of the songs from Home is “Taking Water”, which is a powerful and poignant song about the decline and decay of a place that was once home. The narrator’s hometown has been reduced to ashes and memories, with nothing left but a painful emptiness. They describe how neighborhoods have been abandoned and people have died or left without anywhere to stay. They also express their frustration and anger at the society that has ignored their plight and allowed things to fall apart.

The song uses the metaphor of an old boat taking water to represent the situation of the narrator’s hometown. The boat is sinking slowly but surely, as it has had enough to push it over. The narrator urges himself to turn the wheel around and try to save it, before it goes down completely. The song also uses imagery of waves, night, light, fight, and right to convey the emotions and challenges that the narrator faces²³.

The song is a reflection of Billy Strings’ own experiences and inspirations, as he comes from a small town in Michigan that has faced social issues such as poverty, crime, and environmental problems. He has also traveled through many places that are desolate and abandoned, such as Flint, Michigan; Detroit; New Orleans; London; Manchester; etc. He has used these places as sources of inspiration for his music¹⁴.