Maryland artist to perform a song of ‘Where We Come From’
Tunes of a unique past may bring collective connection
August 31, 2026
By Maizy Weirich
Eli Lev, a Maryland “indie folk poptimism" artist. Photo courtesy of Eli Lev.
A song about ancestral roots and community ties will find itself in the heart of Blue Hill in mid-September.
Eli Lev, an award-winning artist and former educator from Silver Spring, Maryland, is set to perform at the Blue Hill Co-op on Sept. 12 at 4:30 p.m.
In an email to The Rising Tide, Lev said, “I love performing in community-centered, listening-room environments, and a friend in Maine recommended the Co-op as a vibrant local hub.”
Lev released his album Past Lives in July of 2025, which features “Where We Come From.” The song focuses on the ancestral roots and ties that contribute to who an individual is today.
Lev said much of the song was built around archival recordings of his late Uncle Ben’s voice. And while it weaves through his personal ancestral history, it also tells the broader story about others finding home and honoring the places and people that shape them today.
Lev says his fans—who he calls “Levitators”—have sent him videos and stories of their own histories. In the music video for “Where We Come From,” Levitators hold up photos of late family members, reinforcing the theme of individual and community connection through ancestral roots.
Lev’s appearance at the Blue Hill Co-op is a part of his larger tour throughout the East Coast, where he has a dozen performances in the Pine Tree State, including one in Bucksport at The Crumpet on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m.
His song “Where We Come From” follows a theme, found in much of Lev’s music, of down-to-earth, heartfelt and community-oriented tunes. With his music, he has toured in almost every state and 15 countries, as well as reached #2 on the Folk Alliance International charts for Past Lives.
For more information about Lev and his tour, visit his website.
Music video of '“Where we Come From” by Eli Lev.
Where We Come From
I took my backpack off coming home from class / Opened up my homework I had to ask
My mom and dad where we come from / They sat me down and smiled at me
Took out some old photos to let em breathe / And said, this is who we are and all we've done
It's the story of where we come from / My mom said
Son we come from a long line of workers / Most folks never heard of us
But that don't make us any less / We spun the cotton that most people wore
We built the bridges after the war / Life back then was a lot more work than fun
Yeah that's where we come from / Working in the heat of a southern sun
We had to sweat to live / That's where we come from
My dad listened closely to my mom's reply / Then took my hand and looked into my eyes
And said son, now let me tell you about my side / He said / We come from a long line of survivors
We escaped the fires / But they're still burning around the world
We made the shoes that most people wore / We built the city from a hardware store
Life back then was always on the run / Yeah that's where we come from
Over the oceans and through the slums / Had to leave to live
That's where we come from / And then one day I'll look in my daughter's eyes
When she's asks the same of me / I'll tell her all about our family and each branch that made this tree
I'll say / We come from a long line of workers / Most folks never heard of us
But that don't make us any less / We spun the cotton that most people wore
We built the bridges after the war / Life back then was a lot more work than fun
We come from survivors / We escaped the fires / They're still burning around the world
We made the shoes that most people wore / We built the city from a hardware store
Life back then was on the run / That my love is where we come from
We are part of a thread that weaves / A story of our family
And one day you'll make your mark too / I can only wish the best for you
Yeah and when you have a little one of your own / You can tell em my love the stories we've spun
Yeah you can tell em where we come from / Cotton comes through what's called an opening room
Into the card room and into the slubbers / And it makes it into a ball about that big around of cotton
Not yarn now that's not yarn yet it's just cotton
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