Story Behind The Song

Inspired by a true story out of Tucson, "Thirty Cats" tells the tale of one woman's quiet act of heroism: choosing to care for a colony of feral cats during the height of personal and global crisis. Based on Courtney Gustafson's real-life experience--later chronicled in her memoir, Poets Square--this acoustic ballad reflects the healing power of compassion, even when the world feels broken.

Song Description

"Thirty Cats" is inspired by the true story of Courtney Gustafson, who cared for a colony of feral cats in Tucson during the pandemic. Her choice--to help others in the midst of her crisis--became the emotional core of her memoir, Poets Square. This song tells that story from the outside looking in: a male narrator bearing witness to quiet acts of grace. With just an acoustic guitar and voice, it captures the resilience found in small, furry lives and the woman who refused to let them fade away.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
In the heart of Tucson, where the sun beats down,
Courtney moved in, searching for solid ground.
A rental house waiting with walls so bare,
Little did she know, she'd find love waiting there.

Eyes in the shadows, all around her feet,
Thirty feral cats, in a world bittersweet.
They had pleading eyes, worn and wild,
Remnants of dreams, they're lost but not mild.

[Chorus]
Thirty cats on the street, underneath the stars,
Finding grace in the grit, still holding their scars.
Courtney learned to love, through the pain and the strife,
In the warmth of their purrs, she found meaning in life.

[Verse 2]
Pandemic echoes, her heart felt the strain,
A new love was unfolding, but it trembled in pain.
Job's not enough, bills are stacking so high,
Yet the calls of those kittens pulled an answer from the sky.

Ribs showing through fur, frail and so thin,
She thought about leaving. Where would she begin?
But the lesson in heartache awakened her soul,
In caring for others, she began to feel whole.

[Chorus]
Thirty cats on the street, underneath the stars,
Finding grace in the grit, still holding their scars.
Courtney learned to love, through the pain and the strife,
In the warmth of their purrs, she found meaning in life.

[Bridge]
Little ones crying, howling at dawn,
In those lost little faces, her sadness was drawn.
She found a new purpose beyond her own fear,
The world was so heavy, but the vision was clear.

With each act of kindness, she started to heal,
Though the problems seemed endless, they were part of the deal.
Through thick and through thin, together they'd cope,
Life's fragile connections--the lifeline of hope.

[Chorus]
Thirty cats on the street, underneath the stars,
Finding grace in the grit, still holding their scars.
Courtney learned to love, through the pain and the strife,
In the warmth of their purrs, she found meaning in life.

[Outro]
So here's to the felines, with their fierce little hearts,
In the journey of healing, she plays her small part.
In Poets Square, on that warm desert night,
Courtney found solace in their eyes shining bright.

Thirty cats in the shadows, but a light in her soul,
A reminder of kindness--a journey not whole.
But in each little purr and each meow that she heard,
She was knitting their lives, as they stitched up her world.