Basin Street Blues

Of Hurricane Katrina aftermath '06

Neo-Basin Street Blues

 

Stumbling along the road of life, words coming from every which way

In an effort to clear your mind, you sit awhile and stay

An old man mumbling drunken words, falling on deaf ears

You listen closer and hear the wisdom of his years

He tells you tales

Anecdotes

In exclusive exhibition of his soul

And as your welling up with tears, you start back on the road

Stripped of pre-existing notions, separated from all once known

You grind your teeth and clench your fists, as the truth burns through your eyes

Illustrated in the eternal moment by the destitute child’s cry

 

Racing down the road of life, water coming from every which way

Past the old man’s living place, but he’s not there today

Anguish enveloping you, as you absorb the reality around

Everything and everyone you love is nowhere to be found

All is gone

Feelings deposed

Submerged in hell, no one to help, you’re alone

And right then and there you see that we are all the same

We’re all crying, dying children, destroyed, ignored by the state

Their petty, material concerns while everyone you love is dead

But this is life-giving water, not gas, rising up over your head 

 

To live your entire life never questioning

Is to attempt to fly with battered, shattered wings

‘Cause you won’t have to think until the day you fall

And to never extend a hand is to never live at all