Lyrics

New Orleans is Sinking

Bourbon blues on the street, loose and complete
Under skies all smokey blue green
I can’t forsake the dead in their Dixie Dead shake
As they dance, the sidewalk’s clean
My memory is muddy, what’s this river that I’m in?
New Orleans is sinking, man, and I don’t wanna swim
Colonel Tom, what’s wrong? What’s going on?
You can’t tie yourself to a deal
He said, “Hey North, you’re South, so shut your big mouth,
You’ve got to do what you feel is real.”
I ain’t got no picture postcards, ain’t got no souvenirs
My baby, she don’t know me when I’m thinking about those years
Bring it down boys, bring it down deep
You know they say the mighty Mississippi
Is over one hundred feet deep
Just outside New Orleans
And when something falls in, it never comes out
Walking out Tipitina's at sunrise
I got Professor Longhair by my side
Spanish moss swinging in the breeze
I feel good, oh yeah
The doctor says, “I’m taking you down to the Lower Ninth Ward, you won’t believe your eyes.”
Fats Domino’s piano, up in a tree
A reindeer driving a Lexus
Underwood, underwater
Rusted out, typed out its very last word
5 AM at Jackson’s Square
All the vampires are hurrying home
There she is by the fountain, in the sunrise
I said, “What’s your name now, baby?”
She said,“Don’t you never no mind. Just come on home with me.”
Pale as a light bulb, swinging off a wire
Sucking up to someone just to steal their fire
Picking out the highlights of the scenery
I saw a little clown who looked a lot like me
I had my hands in the river, feet back up on the banks
Looked up to the lord above and said, “Hey, man, thanks”
Sometimes I feel so good, I got to scream
She said, “Johnny baby, I know exactly what you mean”
She said, she said, I swear to God she said
My memory is muddy, what’s that river that I’m in?
New Orleans is sinking, man
And I don’t wanna swim, I can’t swim