When the levee breaks

I’m praying for all the folks in New Orleans, Biloxi and all points in the path of Hurricane Katrina, but I was struck by the lyrics to a certain Led Zeppelin tune today:

When The Levee Breaks

If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break, [X2]
When The Levee Breaks I’ll have no place to stay.

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, [X2]
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.

Don’t it make you feel bad
When you’re tryin’ to find your way home,
You don’t know which way to go?
If you’re goin’ down South
They go no work to do,
If you don’t know about Chicago.

Cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good,
Now, cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

All last night sat on the levee and moaned, [X2]
Thinkin’ about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago… Going to Chicago… Sorry but I can’t take you…
Going down… going down now… going down….

I don’t mean to be callous, it just seemed appropriate. Stay safe, everyone.

2 thoughts on “When the levee breaks

  1. When I went to Tulane in New Orleans, we’d have a Hurricane party every time one hit, and the biggest challenge was getting to store in time to buy Hurricane mix before they ran out. I remember the local radio stations would always play “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin. We’d get smashed and listen to the song, but the Hurricanes (the storms) were never that bad.

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