Abigail Dowd, ‘Goodbye Hometown’ [Exclusive Premiere]

Singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd is premiering her new song "Goodbye Hometown" exclusively for readers of The Boot. Press play below to listen to the wistful, mellow tune with poignant lyrics that get right at the heart of what it means to pine for home.

Written shortly after Dowd moved to Maine from the South, "Goodbye Hometown" finds the artist singing sings sweetly of the things she misses from her home, which is now more than a thousand miles away: "Goodbye, peaches / Goodbye, sweet magnolia blossoms in the summertime," Dowd sings. "Goodbye to the whippoorwill, singing sweetly in the night among the longleaf pines / Goodbye hometown, everyone I've ever known"

Writing "Goodbye Hometown" was particularly emotional for Dowd, who says that she wanted to get as far away from the South as she could when making that move. "I remember when I first wrote it, I couldn’t get through it without crying," she tells The Boot. "I hadn’t even realized how much I loved and missed the South."

With "Goodbye Hometown," Dowd hopes to strike a chord with all of those who have moved away from the places we were raised to seek something bigger. "I think this song resonates with a lot of people," she says. "At some point, we all leave home in one way or another, and the view from somewhere else always makes home a little sweeter."

Dowd is currently preparing to release a new album, Not What I Seem, on which "Goodbye Hometown" appears, in April. She describes the making of the deeply personal record as cathartic; as she tackles the subjects of healing, forgiveness, gratitude and nostalgia, she's able to fully confront them.

"Songwriting is funny that way: It finds all my hiding places," Dowd says. "The words often come from places I don’t know are there, and they roll out and stare back and me and say, 'Here, chew on this for awhile.'"

Not What I Seem is due out on April 5. Fans can learn more at AbigailDowd.com.

Listen to Abigail Dowd's "Goodbye Hometown"