Two Paradise fire victims put pain into music, lyrics are about rebuilding lost town
PARADISE, Calif. (KTVU) - Dealing with the physical and mental toll of the state’s deadliest and most destructive fire in history isn’t easy for survivors. Everyone copes in different ways. Two Paradise natives took their pain from the Camp Fire and put it to music.
The lyrics Nate Smith and Miykael Goodwin wrote are raw, emotional and real because it’s inspired by the lives they lived in Paradise and what’s left of it now.
Smith’s apartment and his brother’s home burned down in the Camp Fire, “I was really thankful I got out because a lot of people couldn’t,” said Smith.
Goodwin’s family members also lost their homes, “My parents called me when they were coming down in Skyway in tears thinking they wouldn’t make it basically to say goodbye,” said Goodwin.
After days of dealing with the aftermath of the fire, the longtime friends took a break and wanted to decompress by writing a song.
“It kind of organically came out we just were writing music about our town,” said Goodwin.
They came up with a song called, “One of These Days.” It talks about their memories of Paradise and their hope for the town to be rebuilt.
Music helps them grieve and hope it’ll do the same for their neighbors, “It’s not about me, not about him literally something for everyone we’ve had a lot of ‘thank yous’,” said Smith.
Blackened rubbles sits on the side of a once busy road into town. The future of Paradise seems bleak, but for Smith and Goodwin, it doesn’t change how they feel about their hometown.