Lord, here comes the flood
We will say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent
in any still alive
It’ll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up, dreamers, you’re running dry.
When the flood calls,
You have no home, you have no walls
In the thunder crash
You’re a thousand minds, within a flash
Don’t be afraid to cry at what you see
The actors gone, there’s only you and me
And if we break before the dawn, they’ll use up what we used to be.
Mary, grab the baby. The river’s risin’
Muddy water takin’ back the land.
The old frame house, she can’t take one more beatin’
Ain’t no use to stay and make a stand.
Muddy Water, covered by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but almost certainly a cover.
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans
And miss it each night and day?
I know I’m not wrong… this feeling’s gettin’ stronger
The longer, I stay away.
Miss them moss covered vines…the tall sugar pines
Where mockin’ birds used to sing.
And I’d like to see that lazy mississippi…hurryin’ into spring.
The moonlight on the bayou…a creole tune… that fills the air.
I dream… about magnolias in bloom…and I’m wishin’ I was there.
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans
When that’s where you left your heart?
And there’s one thing more…i miss the one I care for
More than I miss New Orleans.
What has happened down here is the winds have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and it rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline
The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline
Louisiana, Louisiana,
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
I was trying to think of what other songs might make the ‘insensitive’ lists, and I stumbled across “City Of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie (at least I think it’s by Arlo Guthrie, I’ve been wrong about these kind of things before:)). I know it’s about a train, but it does say “…City of New Orleans, I’ll be gone 500 miles…”
Totally out of context, I know. But then, none of the other songs here are actually about what happened, either.
Trains had names, some of which became famous in their time. The name of the train is the City of New Orleans. Its destination, and presumably terminal, is in New Orleans, but its route is up and down alongside the Mississippi River.
“I Love a Rainy Night”, “Islands in the Stream”, and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” have probably made the Don’t Play list. My favorite Country station usually plays Garth’s “The Thunder Rolls” at least once while I’m at work. I haven’t heard it recently.
ArchiveGuy, Harry Connick, Jr performed that song last night during the Relief Concert. It was really touching.
I forget what the rationale was for not creating a “no play” list, but I recall that the purported list had at least fifty songs on it. And there were even some that were not on the list, that I did hear after 9/11, that seemed eerily inappropriate. Such as “I Am A Rock”, by S&G: “I build walls/A fortress deep and mighty/That none may penetrate…”
Also, for what it’s worth, I recall, and Mr. Rilch backs me up on this, saying on 9/12, “You know, I think that new Enya song is going to become the theme for this. The way “What a Wonderful World” was the theme for Desert Storm.” It had only been out for a very short time; I don’t even know how I made the connection. But I was right!