It seems like each time I have the opportunity to travel abroad and immerse myself in a different culture, Louisiana finds me there. Every time, without fail. It’s in those moments that I’m once again reminded at how absolutely magical this place is that I call home. She holds the title of “Sportsman’s Paradise”, “Festival Capital of America” and even “The Happiest State”, but Louisiana is so much more than Bourbon Street and LSU Football…

Meal at Booty’s Street Food in Bywater, New Orleans

She’s as diverse and full of flavor as the gumbo we’re famous for serving up, with every cultural & ethnic group imaginable represented in contributing to all that Louisiana is today. From the food, the music, the gorgeous nature found all around and the warm Southern hospitality, it’s impossible to keep the collective soul of this place from entering your own.

As a “born & raised” Louisiana musician currently living in New Orleans, I’m always trying to push the envelope to communicate sound and sight and feeling to others about this her, and I think I’ll close this off with a short love song I wrote to my hometown of Baton Rouge after being abroad for some time…

Photo: Jesse Ryan

“2000 miles away I lost it,
The faintest traces of my love has disappeared,
And even as the leaves are falling,
I still remember all my days in Baton Rouge.

Where magnolia flowers bloom in springtime,
And August football games with thousands of my friends,
The filet gumbo and those things that Moma made,
Oh there’s no place I’d rather be.

So I’m coming home,
Coming home,
Coming home to you…”

– David Jones II // @davidjonesusa

005/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project