Guide Note

Jack White, the singer and guitarist of The White Stripes, wrote "Courageous Dream's Concern" as an ode to Detroit. The poem was published in the Detroit Free Press on July 6, 2008.

White wrote the poem after receiving criticism for moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006.¹

Fast Facts

1. Written by Jack White
2. Published on July 6, 2008
3. Published by the Detroit Free Press
4. White is a member of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs
5. The White Stripes are commonly credited with returning the title of "Rock City" to Detroit²
6. White moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006

"The...poem is the Detroit from my mind...the Detroit that is in my heart. The home that encapsulates and envelops those who are truly blessed with the experience of living within its boundaries."¹—Jack White, Associated Press

• "Detroit, you hold what one's been seeking,
• Holding off the coward-armies weakling,
• Always rising from the ashes
• not returning to the earth."³—Jack White, "Courageous Dream's Concern," Detroit Free Press